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As electric-only, hybrid, and fuel cell electric vehicles are increasing in sales, they are becoming more commonplace in repair facilities. Along with the unique powertrains that come with these vehicles, also comes unique safety concerns. Regardless of vehicle maker, high-voltage (HV) systems pose a threat of injury or death if not handled properly. Only personnel with the proper training, PPE, tools, equipment, and service information should perform work on the HV systems.
Many OEMs have specific training requirements for different levels of HV technicians. Typically, these levels range from no interaction with any HV part of the vehicle (even after the HV battery is disconnected/isolated), to the ability to work on the vehicle under live conditions at the highest OEM HV education level you can earn. The number of levels in between these two ends varies by OEM. Always check the OEM requirements before attempting to disable an HV system.
As the RTS team is researching these HV technician levels, we are putting together a series of articles identifying which OEMs have these technician requirements. As OEMs produce more electric vehicles and as technology advances, technician requirements may change or be added. Let’s see what Audi has to say.
Audi currently has three levels of high-voltage technician. They specify what responsibilities/actions a technician can perform at each of the three levels in easy-to-read charts provided in the High-Voltage Vehicle General Information manual.
To locate this manual after signing into erwin.audiusa.com:
- Select Guided Search tab (middle of webpage)
- Click Service Information (top of webpage)
- Enter Year and Model from dropdowns
- Category 1 select Repair Manual
- Click Search
- Select High-Voltage Vehicle General Information from the search results
There are two areas in the manual that pertain to training levels under: 00 General, Technical Data ➤ Internal/External Personnel Qualifications:
- Training Levels And Their Main Focus
- Qualification And Procedures For Emergency Services, Service Center And Importer
Some examples for each level from these charts are:
- Per the Technician Trained In Electrical Systems:
- "May perform general work and maintenance on the vehicle"
- "Mechanical procedures that have been assigned by a high voltage technician may be performed on a de-energized HV system"
- Per the Audi High-Voltage Technician (HVT):
- "May diagnose and de-energize the high-voltage system and secure it against re-energizing"
- "May troubleshoot the high-voltage system"
- "Fault finding and repairs to the high-voltage system (except for high-voltage battery repairs)"
- Per the Audi High-Voltage Expert (HVE):
- "The Audi high-voltage expert defines working with the high-voltage system energized, when the vehicle has not been de-energized"
- "Additional repairs to high-voltage battery"
Understanding high-voltage safety, including OEM-specific high-voltage technician levels, helps ensure a complete, safe, and quality repair.
Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:
- Hybrid And Electric Vehicle Article Hotspot
- OEM High-Voltage Technician Levels
- Step-By-Step: Accessing Audi Repair Information
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Article validated in 2024