Subject: Hybrid Vehicles
Topic: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Minivan
Objective: Identify unique features of a plug-in hybrid minivan vehicle
Task: Given a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan for inspection, the fire/rescue team shall identify essential features of this vehicle and develop protocols to better prepare for a hybrid minivan fire or rescue incident.
With the introduction of 2017 model-year vehicles in the United States, Chrysler is rolling out a new minivan with an old name: the Pacifica. One version of the new Pacifica minivan is a plug-in hybrid. This University of Extrication article examines this new vehicle from a responder’s perspective. We’ll emphasize the differences between what responders typically encounter with a minivan having just an internal combustion engine and what responders would encounter with a plug-in hybrid minivan.
The Pacifica Hybrid is the first electrified minivan in the U.S. The vehicle can travel an estimated 30 miles solely on electric power from its lithium-ion high-voltage battery, plus another 500 miles using the V6 gasoline engine. Because this front-wheel-drive minivan is a hybrid, the gasoline engine is designed to shut off when the vehicle is stopped or running solely on its electric drive system. As such, when arriving on scene, be alert that the vehicle may be completely silent, but fully active.
Responders will find that the occupant safety features on the new Pacifica minivan include multi-stage frontal airbags, driver and passenger knee bags, seat-mounted thorax airbags for the driver and front-seat passenger, and full-length, roof-mounted side-curtain airbags. The airbag IDs for the dual knee bags are very low on the instrument panel, so be alert to check for them when accomplishing any dash evolution.
There is a huge number of new and technologically advanced safety features on the 2017 Pacific minivan as well—more than 100 in total. One such feature that responders should be aware of is their Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS), an automatic system that turns on the interior lighting, unlocks all doors after airbag deployment, and shuts off the flow of fuel to the engine in the event of a crash.
