MGA Research Corporation has been the leader in the automotive safety field for decades, providing component level testing and full vehicle crash testing services. While most of this testing was originally developed for internal combustion powered vehicles, MGA has also developed new and innovative solutions to meet and exceed the needs of our customers for electric vehicle testing. This has become abundantly necessary as there are over one million electric vehicles on the road today in the United States. The shift from internal combustion engines to high voltage electric power sources in vehicles also required federal regulations to be amended in order to keep up with these new technologies. The standard for electric vehicles is the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 305 which applies to high voltage systems powering modern electric vehicles. FMVSS 305 was developed to set standards on protecting occupants and first responders after an accident involving an electric vehicle.

FMVSS 305 specifies post-crash requirements including:

  • S5.1 Spillage of electrolyte during operation and after a crash.
  • S5.2 Retention of electrical storage devices (batteries) and conversion devices (motors).
  • S5.3 Electrical Safety.

Since 2007, MGA has been on the front line of modern electric vehicle crash testing. Our team works with a diverse customer base giving us the knowledge and experience to quickly adapt and understand the complexity of different high voltage systems. Over the years, we have developed safety protocols and response plans to prepare our staff for the possibility of a hazardous event after testing. We have over 40 years of experience working with batteries and high voltage systems. During that time, we have been able to develop procedures for handling compromised high voltage vehicles. We also have the proper tools onsite to respond quickly if an incident were to occur. Personal protective equipment, such as fire suits, and safety tools, like thermal imaging cameras, are just some of the ways we protect our test team while collecting data and conducting a test. To ensure the safety of nearby personnel, our teams also use an electrical isolation monitoring system. This system takes measurements at specified locations in the high voltage system before the test to gather a baseline, and after the crash to ensure the safety mechanisms in the vehicle have been activated.  Additionally, our facility offers an outdoor confidential storage area with a safety perimeter and video monitoring to safely store vehicles after they have been crashed.

Electric vehicle crash testing is one of the many testing services offered by MGA. Our teams have been working with customers to develop and safely test a wide variety of electric vehicles for years.