Safety is more than just a technical requirement in the automotive industry—it embodies a manufacturer’s core philosophy and vision. Renault Group, guided by its “Human First” principle, has long prioritized road safety. Recently, the company has taken groundbreaking steps to enhance fire response in electric vehicles (EVs) and has publicly shared key patents to benefit the entire industry.
Since introducing the Type LO fire truck in 1926, Renault has played a crucial role in public safety. Staying true to this commitment, Renault uniquely integrates professional firefighters into its engineering teams. The company has also trained over 5,000 firefighters across 21 countries, fostering a collaborative approach to road safety.
As EV adoption grows, fire response methods must evolve. Unlike traditional combustion engine fires, EV fires pose unique challenges due to thermal runaway, which can trigger chain reactions within battery cells. Extinguishing such fires typically requires over four hours and a significant amount of water.
To address this, Renault developed the Fireman Access, an innovative technology designed to extinguish battery fires more effectively. The company publicly released its patent last February, allowing other manufacturers to implement this life-saving solution.
This technology creates a dedicated passage for a special firefighting hose within the vehicle’s battery case and seals it with an adhesive disk. Usually protected from external elements, this setup allows a strong water jet to displace the disk during a fire, directly spraying inside the battery cells to prevent overheating.
With this technology, the time required to extinguish an EV fire could drop from the current four hours to around ten minutes, using 90% less water. As EV adoption surges globally, the widespread implementation of this technology is expected to revolutionize road safety and entire firefighting response systems.
Another innovative technology reflecting Renault Group’s “Human First” philosophy is the vehicle rescue system utilizing QR codes, known as the QRescue Code. This system has been applied to Renault Korea vehicles, including the Grand Koleos. It is designed to allow rescue teams to access vehicle information quickly in the event of an accident.
The QRescue Code enables rescue teams to instantly verify crucial information such as the vehicle’s blueprint, battery location, and reinforced structures through QR codes placed throughout the car. This capability allows for faster and safer rescues of occupants inside the vehicle, with actual tests showing a reduction in rescue times by up to 15 minutes.
Renault employs over 600 engineers and technicians at three advanced technology centers in France to conduct vehicle safety research. They are currently accelerating the development of accident prevention technologies using artificial intelligence (AI) and have secured over 2,000 safety-related patents since 1970, establishing themselves as a global leader in automotive safety technology.
The recent release of the Fireman Access patent symbolically reflects Renault’s message that “safety is about cooperation, not competition.” In an industry where technological secrecy is the norm, Renault demonstrates the value of openness and sharing to enhance road safety rather than monopolizing.
As the EV era unfolds, the importance of fire response and rescue technologies is expected to grow significantly. The automotive industry keenly watches how Renault’s “Human First” philosophy will introduce innovations that make the world’s roads safer.
