National Highway Traffic Safety Administration July 29, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document responds to petitions for reconsideration of a final rule issued by this agency on June 14, 2010. This final rule amended the electrical shock protection requirements to facilitate the development and introduction of fuel cell vehicles (a type of electric- powered vehicle) and the next generation of hybrid and battery electric powered vehicles. This document addresses issues raised in the petitions for reconsideration relating to the scope and applicability of the standard, the definitions in the standard, the retention requirements for electric energy storage/conversion systems, the electrical isolation requirements, the test specifications and requirements for electrical isolation monitoring, the state-of-charge of electric energy storage devices prior to the crash tests, a proposed protective barrier compliance option for electrical safety, the use of alternative gas to crash test hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and a proposed low-energy compliance option for electrical safety.