[volkman10]

Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), a testing agency under the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), has completed a series of three crash tests on electric two-wheelers at its facility in Pune.

In what could be a global first, the move comes despite the absence of mandatory crash testing regulations for two-wheelers, both internal combustion engine (ICE) and battery electric vehicle (BEV). ARAI said the tests were conducted for specific customers against standard industry benchmarks, utilising accelerometers and high-speed cameras to capture detailed crash data. A standard rigid barrier and a side pole were used in the tests.

While citing confidentiality agreements with the OEMs, ARAI declined to disclose the identities of the companies that requested the tests under the Right to Information (RTI) Act; the development marks a significant step towards potentially establishing safety standards for the burgeoning electric two-wheeler segment in India.

Automotive industry stakeholders believe this development could signal a future push for mandatory electric two-wheeler crash testing in India, potentially raising safety standards for a rapidly growing segment of the automotive market.

The development comes at a time when the Indian electric two-wheeler industry is fortifying its safety parameters after a spate of fire accidents in recent years. These incidents raised serious concerns about vehicle and passenger safety. The Indian government responded forcefully with new battery safety norms. This move, experts say, helped to eliminate many "fly-by-night" manufacturers who used cheap, poorly built batteries and other components in their electric two-wheelers.


Link

[anjan_c2007]

A good initiative but going by ARAI's reputation, a second opinion from some more reputed entity will be desirable.

A November 2023 ARAI incident concerning FAME II incentives for EV OEM's:-

The Heavy Industry Ministry has initiated an enquiry into alleged lapses by officials that led to seven electric two-wheeler makers claiming incentives while not adhering to the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) scheme norms. Secretary in the ministry Kamran Rizvi said the probe also covers officials of validation and testing agencies Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), and its findings are expected in a month's time.

Link for the above:-

https://yourstory.com/2023/11/centre...ion-fame-ii-ev

And an old excerpt quoting Dilip Bam from his personal experience in 1987-88 with ARAI. The ARAI was then also entangled in the Standard 2000 case :-

Dilip Bam had also expressed doubts about manufacturer’s claims on bhp on the older bikes, calling for usage of chassis dynamometers to check what bhp was available to the rear wheel. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, when approached by him in around 1987-88 were friendly enough, but placed bureaucratic hurdles quoting scriptures despite his willingness to pay costs. He suspected the then ARAI reputation, as it was freshly involved in the ARAI- Standard 2000 scandal.

Thereafter, he said that he was making arrangements with manufacturers of chassis dynamometers hoping to provide genuine bhp figures. All these qualities of Dilip Bam were deeply appreciated by the readers of the then auto-magazines and later on his awaited blogs on portals.

Link to this article:-

https://magazine.derivaz-ives.com/th...-to-dilip-bam/

[GTO]

Guys, noob question: Other than the handling, braking, electronic safety aids & stability factors, what kind of safety can one two-wheeler offer over another? Are there designs that are inherently safer in a crash? I'd imagine a 100 kmph fall on a KTM 390 is going to hurt just as bad as a fall on a RE Himalayan.

Are there safer bike designs? Are there benchmark testing agencies like we have the NCAP for cars?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'd imagine a 100 kmph fall on a KTM 390 is going to hurt just as bad as a fall on a RE Himalayan.

Unless the Himalayan falls on you. Then it will break bones. The 50 kilo lighter Duke will not.

I don't know about newer Bullets over the last 15 years, but the older ones had solid rider foot pegs. In the event of the bike falling on you, and your foot getting trapped under those foot pegs, the small bones of the foot would break. Maybe even a large bone, depending on how your leg gets trapped.

Even older Bullets had solid kick start levers. Which would not fold in. Similar results on rider bone and soft tissue in the event of a fall. But bottom line is that metal weight crushes. I've had a friend break his foot under a Ninja 650 as well, in a slow speed fall (lowside).

Cheers, Doc

[pravint]

they should first test cars , for which they built huge facility and just sitting idle after that

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'd imagine a 100 kmph fall on a KTM 390 is going to hurt just as bad as a fall on a RE Himalayan.

Are there safer bike designs? Are there benchmark testing agencies like we have the NCAP for cars?

That’s true it’s the riders momentum which would hurt irrespective of the bike.

I have had fair share of falls from the bikes ranging from 20-40kmph speeds, which are fairly slow speeds, it may be due to the gravel on the roads or cornering, in all the cases, I was separated from the bike as soon as I had the fall, what protected me was the leg guards on the bikes and the riding gears/helmet. It was during late 90’s and early 2000’s when hardly anyone wore protective gears.

Gosh, I had one almost fatal one where I rear ended the dumper truck and my helmet took a direct hit at the rear corner edge of the dumper, resulting in a cracked helmet from chin to the back of the head and few broken nose bones. Miraculously, I didn’t had a fall and rode till the hospital Cat has 9 lives, I have already consumed 4.

So I believe, once the rider is separated as soon as the fall happens, it doesn’t make much of a difference if the bike is designed safe, unless the rider is connected to the bike. I recently read somwhere they are designing airbags for riders which gets activated during the fall.

[Rohitthebest]

This is a seriously good initiative to say the least.
And just like GTO I too had the same questions in mind but he asked first.
Looking forward to more details as and when they are disclosed for public.
Hope this makes them work towards more lighter, safer and less higher bikes for those who aren't that too to safely handle lighter bikes (just hoping).

[Doge]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0kWu8m...ggdGVzdA%3D%3D

For those wondering if crash tests on two wheelers make any sense.
Offcourse this is a gold wing here and can't expect a cheap scooter to perform similarly.

[ebonho]

The dynamics of a car in a crash are totally different to a bike for what matters most importantly ... the operator and passenger. Were I a safety regulator, two things I would be most concerned about would be integrity of the fuel compartment and overall integrity of the bike. Its bad enough that the bike becomes an unguided missile in a crash for the rider who is somewhere in the same vicinity. It becomes x times worse and raises the risk exponentially is major parts of the bike break off in rhe crash and become unguided satellite missiles on their own. Like the wheels or the front end of the bike.

Cheers, Doc

[ghtg1]

Its a good move to start with and my only expectations are that basic safety is considered and any design flaws are eliminated. I have seen popular two wheelers which would have horrible design, suspension and braking which would lead to accidents. If they are able assess on those parameters for ratings and are able to reduce the risk of fire (ICE/EV) at time of collision it would be a good leap.

[am1m]

I would think that 2-wheeler crash tests make sense only in the case of EVs, since the battery exploding or something like that needs to be taken into consideration. Everything else, I don't see what difference a scooter or a superbike will make, both are going to be very unsafe in a crash and it depends too much on the factors involved in the crash. Of course before the crash/preventing the crash is where all the bike safety tech will help, but the actual crash test itself, I'm not sure.

This BHPian seems quite knowledgeable about crash tests, so quoting one of his posts here in case he can shed some light on bike crash tests too.

Originally Posted by ron178

Ever since Global NCAP updated their protocols in mid-2022, there have been many questions about how the ratings work.

[indie_honda]

It may be on the lines of other regulatory bodies globally which may consist of -

Frontal Impact Test: Simulates head-on collisions to assess the motorcycle's structural integrity and potential rider injuries.

Side Impact Test: Evaluates resistance to side collisions, focusing on the impact on the rider and the motorcycle’s side structures.

Rear Impact Test: Assesses effects of rear-end collisions, including potential whiplash injuries and rear structure durability.

Braking Performance Test: Measures stopping distance and the effectiveness of Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) on various surfaces.

Rider Assistance Systems: Tests the effectiveness of traction control and stability control systems.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys, noob question: Other than the handling, braking, electronic safety aids & stability factors, what kind of safety can one two-wheeler offer over another? Are there designs that are inherently safer in a crash? I'd imagine a 100 kmph fall on a KTM 390 is going to hurt just as bad as a fall on a RE Himalayan.

Are there safer bike designs? Are there benchmark testing agencies like we have the NCAP for cars?

I think the intent here is to understand the risk of damage to the battery leading to fire and explosion. I don't think there is much to learn otherwise.

It's well known the Li ion battery fires are very difficult to extinguish so understanding the risk of physical damage is useful.