Giampiero Testoni was interviewed by Motoreetto (www.motoreetto.it) after the fire in the paddock of the MotoE in Jerez that destroyed all the means that Energica supplies Dorna for the world championship. We have resumed from the site of Energica some answers concerning the safety of the motorcycles and the measures put in place to avoid the risk of overheating of the batteries.
What is the risk of fire of a vehicle Energica?
The tests that we carry out on vehicles in general are inherited from tests carried out on road vehicles over the years and comply with safety standards for their proper use in all driving situations.
None of our customers has ever had problems of this kind, in 10 years of activity in the EV world we have never had the slightest security problem, not even in Jerez about what happened.
We are therefore calm and confident about the safety level of our vehicles, both on the track and on the road.
What are the real fire hazards of the electric compared to the endothermic?
As with all vehicles, whether electric or endothermic, there is always a risk. An important fact to emphasize is that the energy contained in the fossil fuel is much greater than that contained in the batteries.
The thermal runaway is a risk for a motorcycle Energica?
The thermal runaway is a risk present on every battery, not only therefore of the vehicles but also, for example, of mobile phones. We have all the safeties that prevent the battery from reaching this condition, and in fact we confirm that we have never had a single thermal runaway event in 10 years.
What are the security measures taken to avoid such a situation on the bike?
There are different safety devices inside the battery pack and the vehicle in general to avoid dangerous situations. The battery is controlled both at temperature and voltage level, so during a recharge phase the electronic management of the vehicle will not allow the vehicle to reach high temperatures that could cause damage to the battery and possible fire (or thermal runaway).
In a situation of use, if the battery exceeds a certain temperature, the power of the vehicle is reduced and therefore the absorption of the current from the battery. In this way it is always guaranteed to remain well away from the risk of thermal runaway.
Has the racing bike ever highlighted overheating problems?
The racing bike has always remained within the limits of use tested by Energica throughout the 2018 with our testers, who carried out several tens of thousands of km on the track.
The same bike has inherited the safety standard set for all our road vehicles, homologated and certified by EU and USA, and which have hundreds of thousands of km of road tests on their shoulders.
Safety has always been our top priority for 1.
In addition, for the racing battery, further tests have been carried out together with IRTA to evaluate the goodness of the battery pack with such extreme tests that it is not even required for road vehicles. All of these tests have been successfully completed, going well beyond everyone's expectations, including ourselves.
How does the charging process work?
The charging process both on the track and on the road is in accordance with the CCS standard, a certified international standard approved for automotive use.
Energica at the moment it is the only 2 wheel house to have adopted this standard on its vehicles, being an extremely complex and expensive protocol, but consequently also extremely safe and tested by all car manufacturers and major global organizations.
The standard manages the communication between the column and the vehicle, starting the charging process. In the event of malfunctions, the process is stopped immediately.
What happens when the bike charging process ends?
Once charging is complete, the battery contactors open and therefore there is no more voltage.
What tests have been carried out to ensure the safety of the race bike's battery pack in the event of a fall? What results have they given?
We did several tests, both the mechanical resistance of the battery casing and the impact resistance test with blunt weight.
The results went well above our expectations and above the tests traditionally made of petrol tanks.
What the team does Energica present in the E-paddock?
We assist the team technicians for any technical needs, or in the event of an accident, we support the teams for any needs or concerns regarding electronics. We are also available to teams for any consultation, always and only in relation to the bike.
How it is moving now Energica to produce the bikes needed for the competition again? What will the process be?
The damage suffered was considerable but already from the very morning of the event we took action to allow the championship to be able to start again. For us this is an important effort but we are aware of our possibilities and we believe in the project so we will do everything to save the championship.
We are working closely with our suppliers, and with sponsors Dorna and Enel X so that the competition can make its debut as soon as possible.
Our commitment to MotoE it was immediate and these events suffered did not in any way undermine our confidence in the strength and importance of the Enim FIM MotoE World Cup.
