The Renault Group has announced plans to make its Fireman Access patents freely available to the global automotive industry, with interested OEMs and suppliers able to obtain a free license for the system through a new open, collaborative platform. The group specified that, in return, licensees must make any of their own upgrades to the system available to other members of the community.
Representing a close collaboration between Renault Group and fire services, the Fireman Access system allows emergency services operators to more quickly put out an EV fire in approximately the same time as a combustion vehicle. This is made possible, Renault says, by placing an adhesive disc over an opening in the casing of the vehicle’s traction battery, ‘sealing’ it for normal use. If the vehicle catches fire, and the flames spread to the battery, the jet from the firehose dislodges the disc and covers the battery cells in water to prevent thermal runaway.
This process, Renault says, allows a battery fire to be extinguished in minutes rather than in hours and with as much water as a conventional solution would utilize. In this way, Fireman Access aims to help firefighters return to operational readiness more quickly. Renault Group highlighted that seven patents have already been filed for this system, which is now fitted on all the electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles sold by the Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize brands globally.
For Renault, Fireman Access more broadly represents the first step in its work alongside Jean Todt, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, to raise awareness of road safety around the world and deploy technological innovations to help save lives.
The partnership will similarly see Renault Group participate in the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech. At a national level, the event allows the Group’s Morocco arm to develop closer ties between its experiences and the skills of the country’s relevant services. The arm likewise sees it as an opportunity to draw attention to the many initiatives undertaken by its Foundation to raise awareness of road safety in schools across Morocco.
