By James Chung
Zeekr, a new electric vehicle brand, has developed a safety device that allows occupants to escape from a submerged vehicle.
But the technology will only be offered in left-hand-drive markets, such as China, for now.
Zeekr鈥檚 decision to deny Australian drivers new safety tech comes as a rising number of motorists fall victim to floodwater.
Dr Francois Flocard, director of industry research at UNSW鈥檚 Water Research Laboratory, said 鈥渢he number of fatalities in vehicles has increased in the last 15 years鈥.
鈥淭he feature you mentioned is interesting and definitely can help people鈥, Dr Francois said.
鈥淏y the time water crosses the window, it鈥檚 already very dangerous and almost too late.鈥
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Zeekr鈥檚 tech a world first.
It works with a lever tucked away near the driver鈥檚 knees. A quick tug of a cable activates a window-breaking hammer within the driver鈥檚 door that strikes the bottom of the window glass.
Once triggered, the hammer can displace up to 3,000 newtons of force to shatter the window.
This is approximately 33 times the impact strength of a typical safety hammer, equivalent to the force of five adults simultaneously smashing into the window.
More than 100,000 vehicles across Australia are equipped with electric door handles which may fail to operate when submerged in water.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that not all vehicles have a manual door release mechanism as a backup in the event of a power failure.
Power-operated doors use a car鈥檚 12-volt battery 鈥 not the high-voltage battery used to power electric cars 鈥 to enable occupants to exit the vehicle with the press of a button.
If the car鈥檚 12V battery dies or gets disconnected after an impact, occupants must use a manual door release function to exit the vehicle quickly.
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Vehicle safety body ANCAP recently added vehicle submergence to its safety assessment criteria, a move aimed at helping first responders access trapped occupants and ensuring safe egress during flooding events.
Carla Hoorweg, ANCAP鈥檚 chief executive, said, 鈥渋n recent years, we鈥檝e seen a number of significant flooding events across Australia鈥.
鈥淭he number of new vehicle models fitted with electric door opening is also increasing,鈥 she said.
鈥淐ombined, these aspects highlight the strong need for this emergency access capability to help prevent unnecessary loss of lives.鈥
When a car is submerged, water pressure makes it nearly impossible to open the doors. Additionally, electric door and window switches may also fail.
ANCAP awards points in the Adult Occupant Protection assessment for vehicles equipped with effective submergence countermeasures.
Manufacturers may offer alternative methods to open windows if standard measures are not demonstrated.
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Emergency glass hammers are an alternative means of egress that car manufacturers can opt to implement during ANCAP testing.
Professor Giesbrecht, a world-renowned expert in vehicle submersions based in Canada, said the biggest danger isn鈥檛 water 鈥 it鈥檚 time.
鈥淵ou get people who are awake and functional who drown because they don鈥檛 know how to escape,鈥 he said.
Many people make the mistake of believing their car will protect them or that waiting for help is the safest option.
But in a flood event, even emergency services can鈥檛 respond in time.
So Zeekr鈥檚 groundbreaking solution offers a potential lifeline in these situations.
Unfortunately, the brand can鈥檛 justify a compelling business case to introduce this safety technology in Australia.
And it is a decision that highlights a concerning trend in the current automotive market.
Car makers are engaged in an intense EV price war in Australia due to excessive production levels.
Unfortunately, this means every dollar counts, and manufacturers can鈥檛 always justify including features that push up prices for consumers.
– with David McCowen