Fire protection in motor vehicles - Requirements in Germany and Europe
Fire events in buses and coaches give more and more attention to the topic of fire safety in buses, especially by the media. The protection of passengers is at the forefront and should be ensured by the use of suitable materials. To determine the fire properties of these materials several international and national procedures are provided, which are used in the DMT and explained below.

We test the burning behaviour of materials used in the interior of vehicles, as per ECE R118, RREG 95/28/EC, FMVSS 302, CMVSS 302, DIN 75200, ISO 14572 and ISO 3795 as well as in accordance with vehicle manufacturers’ corporate standards.

The purpose of the tests in accordance with DIN 75200 is to determine the speed at which materials used in vehicle passenger compartments burn when subjected to a small flame.

In addition, we carry out tests to determine fire propagation of electrical cables according to ECE R118, edition 12/2012, section 6.2.6 in conjunction with ISO 6722:2006, section 12.

Also, we are a recognized test center of the FIA (FIA Test House for Extinguisher Systems) and of the DMSB (holding organization for automobile and motorcycle sports) for the testing of extinguishing systems in racing vehicles and fire suppression systems.

As one of the first TÜV NORD test houses in Germany, we are accredited for fire tests on batteries in accordance with ECE R100 Appendix 8E.

We check for your safety

In abuse tests, the safety behavior of batteries is determined outside of the normal operating conditions. DMT GmbH Plant and Product Safety business unit has a large test site in Dortmund with special facilities. We can test modules and entire battery systems (1000 kg) for our customers according to valid norms or standards or our own specifications. All test rooms can be provided with video and data recording. Remote transmission or remote control is also possible.

We can carry out the following tests for you as examples (REESS):

Nail penetration test
External short circuit
internal short circuit
Fuel fire
extended fuel fire
Salt water test
plunch pool
Korea Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
…

Testing the effectiveness of extinguishing systems for busses

Extinguishing systems in the engine compartment for vehicles used for passenger transport will be mandatory for vehicles of classes M2 and M3 from 01.09.2020. These extinguishing systems must be checked for functionality and extinguishing effectiveness and approved (ECE R 107, series of amendments 06, appendix 13).