Chevrolet and OnStar train emergency services for EV technology
In celebration of U.S. National Safety Month, Chevrolet has joined with OnStar and leading national emergency service organizations to announce the first automotive manufacturer-sponsored training program on electric vehicles.
"We believe an educational program is needed to help this very important group of life-savers understand electric vehicles in the event of a crash or other emergency," said Carmen Benavides, Director, Chevrolet Safety. "The team at Chevrolet and OnStar along with emergency service organizations are taking the lead as we introduce electric vehicles and other advanced technologies to the roads."
Over the last several months, Chevrolet has collaborated with emergency services representatives from U.S. safety organizations in the development of educational materials to be shared with fire fighters, the police and emergency centers nationwide.
The training includes an animation and illustrations of the Chevrolet Volt highlighting, for example, locations of high-strength steel, cut points for extrication, emergency services labeling, automatic and manual electrical shut-off and more.
Starting in June, the first training sessions are planned to take place at fire-rescue conferences taking place in Chicago, Houston and Indianapolis. Chevrolet will host emergency services training sessions in Volt retail markets later this year, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit and Washington D.C. For all those who will not be able to attend the training, the materials will be posted on a private website.
Chevrolet Volt active and passive safety features
The Chevrolet Volt's safety features include an antilock brake system, Stabilitrak and traction control. Additional crash avoidance features include daytime running lamps and hands-free calling capability through OnStar and Bluetooth. In the event of a crash the Volt can reduce injuries with safety cage construction, sensors, crush zones, eight air bags standard and safety belts. And after a crash, the Chevrolet Volt in the U.S. will have the added protection of OnStar which, in certain types of collisions, uses built-in vehicle sensors to automatically alert an OnStar advisor who is immediately connected into the vehicle and can request emergency help to be sent to its location.
More than 50 crash tests at various speeds and angles have been conducted to date in the development of the Chevrolet Volt, including front, side and rear impacts as well as rollovers. There is extensive use of high strength steel in the body structure in order to achieve segment-leading safety performance.
Over the last several years, Chevrolet has been working to prepare the US market for electric vehicles like the Volt. Since the Volt was announced as a production program in 2007, Chevrolet hasjoined with the Electric Power Research Institute and 10 major electric utilities across the United States, collaborated with several local and state governments, and met with city stakeholders in important markets to ensure widespread consumer adoption of electric vehicles.