Safety of electric vehicles

New energy sources bring new challenges for vehicle safety.

Global efforts to decarbonize the transport sector drive one of the largest current trends: the shift from combustion engine powered cars towards electric vehicles (EVs), including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). This change creates new requirements for the design of cars, especially concerning safety.

How our sensors make a difference

Fulfill safety requirements

Our highly integrated sensors combine sensing element, signal processing, and digital communication in a single sensor component; Sophisticated self-test features enable fulfilling stringent safety requirements.

Avoid false alarms

Our gas based distributed sensing approach enables contact-less measurement of key physical quantities and enables reliable event detection.

Ensure lifetime

With millions of sensors deployed for decades in automotive applications, our CMOSense® technology has a proven track record of ensuring lifetime in the field.

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Featured application: Thermal runaway detection

Most BEVs and PHEVs today rely on lithium-ion batteries. A fault in a single cell (among hundreds in a typical battery pack) can trigger thermal runaway, releasing significant heat, fire, and smoke rapidly. This can cause a chain reaction (thermal propagation), where neighboring cells also overheat and enter thermal runaway. To protect occupants, international regulations like GTR 20 and GB 38031-2020 mandate early detection of such dangers and timely warnings to ensure safe evacuation. Meeting present and future requirements demands reliable sensor technology.

Want more detailed information?

Download our latest article on EV safety for free. Our expert Martin Ebner provides an in-depth understanding of safety technology and the importance of sensor technology.

Want more detailed information?

Download our latest article on EV safety for free. Our expert Martin Ebner provides an in-depth understanding of safety technology and the importance of sensor technology.

Article on EV safety

On-demand webinar

Advancing safety on the road: Detecting thermal runaway in battery electric vehicles

Martin Ebner, Business Development Manager

Watch now

Further applications

Electrolyte leakage detection

Lithium-ion batteries are hermetically sealed during production and are designed to remain sealed throughout a vehicle's lifespan. Electrolyte leakage into the battery pack is an early sign of a fault. Detecting this allows for preventive maintenance, avoiding potential failure. Sensirion's SGP4x sensors, based on metal oxide technology, are ideal for this application.

Product: SGP4x

Water ingress detection

Battery packs are designed to be watertight, but prolonged use can compromise seal integrity, leading to water ingress from the environment or cooling system leaks. This can cause insulation faults, short circuits, electrolysis, and corrosion. Detecting water ingress early is crucial for taking corrective action to avoid harm. Sensirion’s SHT4xA sensors, based on our proven CMOSense technology, are perfect for this application.

Product: SHT4xA

Smoke detection

Smoke from fire or smoldering is a strong indicator of safety risks. Our ultra-compact SPS6x single-chip sensors are ideal for detecting smoke in confined spaces like battery packs.

Product: SPS6x

Hydrogen leakage detection for FCEV

Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles are seen as eco-friendly alternatives to internal combustion engines. Due to hydrogen's flammability, detecting leaks is critical for safety. Our STC4xA thermal conductivity sensors are ideal for this purpose.

Product: STC42A

Related products

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AEC Q100 qualified sensor technology

Sensirion's sensor solutions comply with the strictest quality standards and thus offer the highest reliability.

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Why Sensirion should be part of your solution

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Sensirion's sensor solutions comply with the strictest quality standards and thus offer the highest reliability.

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Years of expertise and a unique innovative strength in the area of sensor technology within the mobility industry make Sensirion your ideal partner for future applications.

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Thanks to collaborations with suppliers and optimized production processes, the lead time for our humidity sensors is only 8 weeks.

Contact our mobility expert

Contact our mobility expert

Luca Villani, Sales Director Mobility, is looking forward to hearing from you.

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