Rescuers prep for hybrid car accidents: Some interesting questions here. Are electric motors more dangerous that internal combustion engines in the event of an accident? What happens if someone drives one into a lake? Will anyone attempting to rescue the occupants get shocked?

Hybrids draw power from two sources, typically a gas or diesel engine combined with an electric motor. The battery powering the electric motor carries as much as 500 volts, more than 40 times the strength of a standard battery.

That worries those who must cut into cars to rescue people inside. “If you can’t shut it down, you don’t know where the high voltage is,” said David Dalrymple, an emergency medical technician…

Comments

1. Comment by Anonymous, May 14, 2004 10:43 am

   add an automatic shut off switch for the battery.

2. Comment by klipiec, January 7, 2005 8:39 am

   have the bat enclosed and also have a lower amp. on the bat or lower voltage and better gear ratio to run the electric motor

3. Comment by eddie, May 21, 2006 6:22 pm

   have engine power shut off the gas and the electric

4. Comment by Chris, May 22, 2006 7:39 am

   Gotta watch out for those Hybirds. They’ll fly right out in front of ya.

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