Obviously, this helps raise the awareness for an important issue.

One one hand many folks have chosen the Civic Hybrid because it does not announce its Hybridness as much as the Prius does. But, on the other hand we cannot ignore the fact that safety still plays an important role not only to us (drivers and passengers), but also to the very folks that our lives may depend on in the event of an accident.

Now, in most cases particularly in case of a typical accident, the HV power is interrupted by means of several relays that technically interrupt the power delivery and normal HV operation. A Prius and Camry have roughly the same measures, BTW.

But in the case of a more serious accident - all bets are off and it is extremely important that in these cases, the emergency personnel be able to promptly and accurately cut the metal with safety. In my view the HCH-II has a deficit in badges and hybrid specific identification that needs to be remedied.

Please note that in case of a side impact (especially the passenger side), the power lines on a HCH-II can end up really close to the outer perimeter of the vehicle. So any blind cutting on that side may expose the EMR personnel to a jolting 158V.

Moral of this story? Do what you think is right, it is your call.


MSantos

 

And it's important to remember that beyond posing a personal risk of shock to a rescuer, shorting a 158V system with the amp-hour capacity of our battery pack to ground creates not only a damm fine arc-welder but also a massive ignition source for any spilled fuel/oil. This is the main reason rescue personnel are trained to be conscious of how many batteries a car has and where they're kept. (Some cars these days actually put their 12V service batteries in the trunk instead of under the hood.)

cheers --
doug

 

Thanks for the info guys. I am thinking about getting two of these for the sides of my HCHII. I found them on the internet for about $10.00 cheaper than the dealer price. I was wondering how to install them. I know that MSantos had them put on at the dealer, where they used a stencil. I am no good at eyeballing those types of things and I know that it would come out all crooked. If someone knows where i can get one of those stencils, or has the exact measurements of where the dealership would put them on, please let me know.
Thanks again

 

Indeed.
MANY European cars have put the battery in the trunk for 30+ years. My 1996 Jaguar XJ6 had it there, and my 1986 MB 560SL does also. It also helps balance out the weght-distribution for a car. Instead of putting all the heavy stuff up front, moving the battery to the back helps.. a little. The extra weight over the rear tires also aids in traction (think pickup for the opposite of traction, noticable mostly in wet weather).

 

Where are you guys finding these on the internet?
they are $37 each at out dealership in Iowa.

Thanks a lot, Bo

 

Bo,
I found one here for $15.00: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...er+VIN+Number+

I know I have seen them cheaper on other websites, but I cannot remember which ones!! I'll let you know if I find out. At least these are about half of what your dealer is charging.

 

Thank you very much - that is much better, my order has been placed!

Thanks, Bo

 

Bo: Are you installing them yourself? If so, how are you going to place them?
THX

By the way, if anyone was wondering, it's part number: 75723-SNC-A01

 

with things like this, I typically will get out masking tape to mark the area after using a laser leveler to check level, then make sure both sides match, use alcohol to remove wax, then apply

 

Yeah. I was thinking about doing something like that too, because I cannot find one of those placement templates anywhere.