Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

Safety first! Electric cars require intensified caution

27. 8. 2021 - Vojtěch Jurák

The electric cars competition as a part of the German championship ADAC OPEL e-RALLY CUP is going to be an interesting premiere at the jubilee 50th edition of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín. Since this event doesn't have any tradition in the Czech Republic, the rally organizers ask the fans and public for being careful. Caution can prevent possible injuries caused by an electricity blow.

The electric cars use a high-voltage system. Of course, they are built to be as safe as possible – but malfunctions or accidents can always appear, especially at motor sport events. Therefore, the producers developed in close cooperation with the German Motor Sports Federation (DMSB) a special safety concept for participants, teams, sports officials and spectators.

The elementary safety feature is called The Master Alarm Indicator. The safety system sends light signals and these shine on the front and rear windshields to provide visual information on the current status of the vehicle's hight-voltage system:

Green signal (safe car) – the car is standing still, high-voltage system is activated
Orange signal (safe car) – the car is ready to roll or is moving at less than 6 kph
No colour signal (safe car) – the car is moving at more than 6 kph or is switched off
Red signal (INJURY DANGER) – the car is reporting a malfunction, do not touch!

In case of an accident, the safety system may have been damaged and therefore no colour signal can appear. The car may not be safe, please do not touch. Also, do not touch any vehicle components, especially if they have a high-voltage symbol.

"Two special rescue vehicles are coming from Germany; their staff will attend a training course focused on accident interventions. The service park for electric cars is going to be placed in the Cream base in the former Svit area," added the deputy clerk of the course Jan Regner.

As a part of the Barum rally, the electric car drivers are going to face a separate competition with 147 racing kilometres in total. These are divided into twelve special stages. On Friday at 21:00, the electric cars are going to appear at the spectator super special stage in the city centre of Zlín. Further, they are going to compete at all stages excepting the longest one called Májová.