Renault Commits to Global Road Safety with UN.patent Initiative

Renault has launched UN.patent, sharing its EV safety tech with the world. Starting with “Fireman Access,” a device that helps firefighters quickly extinguish EV battery fires, Renault is committed to global road safety improvement.

What is UN.patent?

Renault is committing to promote road safety as part of its ‘Human First Program’.  The brand shares its safety initiatives and highlights its technological positioning, which is focused on people.

To support the growth of the electric vehicle sector worldwide, the brand aims to reiterate that competition between manufacturers must not be at the expense of safety. Backed by 15 years of research and experience in electric vehicles, the French automobile brand is committed to safety by offering free or low-cost electric vehicle safety technologies licenses.

What is the innovation of Fireman Access?

The Fireman Access results from a collaboration between Renault and the firefighters. This exclusive innovation enables emergency services to extinguish an electric vehicle battery fire in less than 10 minutes using a few hundred litres of water, compared to several hours and tens of thousands of litres of water without this device. A hole in the battery allows a fire hose to be inserted, submerging the battery in water to extinguish the fire.

An open-source innovation

Renault is making its Fireman Access patents available to the entire automotive industry via the open collaboration platform renault.co.uk/universalpatent. This platform allows any car manufacturer or equipment supplier to acquire a license for this innovation, free of charge and in open mode. In return, the licensee ensures that any improvements made to the system benefit the entire community.

This initiative is the first concrete expression of Renault’s commitment, alongside the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, to carry out joint actions to raise awareness of road safety worldwide and to use technological innovation to save lives on the roads.

UN.patent: worldwide deployment from 19 February

With Publicis Conseil’s help, Renault has teamed up with the film-makers duo AKATRE to produce a film announcing the launch of ‘universal patent’.

With a sober, minimalist aesthetic, the film highlights the electric innovations developed by Renault and all the R&D work carried out by its engineers, including the innovative Fireman Access.

The film also highlights the collaboration between Renault and Jean Todt, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety.

The announcement runs from 19 February to the end of March, with a double-page spread in the French daily press, social media posts, a web page and more.

Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, said, “Innovating to improve road safety is part of who we are at Renault. We’re particularly proud of the partnership developed with the fire services in recent years. Fireman Access is a practical demonstration of what can be achieved by combining our expertise as a manufacturer with the skills of the men and women who keep us safe every day. Today, I’m delighted to be making this innovation freely available, because when it comes to a subject like safety, we need to break down all the barriers. This move is also in keeping with the commitment made alongside the United Nations to make mobility safer all over the world.”

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