CRASHWORTHINESS OF THE ELECTRIC G-VAN

Efforts to implement the use of non-gasoline vehicles in Southern California has stimulated interest in the development of a new generation of electrically powered vehicles. The electric vehicle, as relating to this article was designed by Universe Engineering under contract for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). A basic GM G-Van, type G-31305 was used as the base vehicle in the current van design. The main power unit is an electric motor positioned behind the rear axle. Power is supplied by thirty-six conventional lead acid batteries arranged on a tray, fixed to the chassis in the mid-section of the vehicle. The corresponding risks in a 30 MPH barrier type impact include the battery tray separating from the vehicle and/or excessively high g-loadings transmitted to the vehicle. The present article discusses the overall structural design, analysis and testing of the Electric G-Van from the point of view of its crashworthiness. Included is a description of both the analytical work and the results of a 30 MPH barrier crash test. For the covering abstract see IRRD 860793.