DIN Standard 91489-1: A groundbreaking standard for fire containment sheets for electric vehicles

The dynamic development of electromobility presents new demands for operators of public and commercial infrastructure. Managers of underground parking lots, fast charging hubs, logistics centers, airports, transport fleets, and accident recovery services face the necessity of implementing procedures for the safe isolation of damaged electric vehicles.

So far, the security market has struggled with the lack of uniform, standardized research guidelines. The response to this issue is the developing standard DIN 91489-1, which transforms the existing document DIN SPEC 91489 into a fully-fledged technical standard. It creates the first common basis for research, certification, and selection of fire containment tarps in Europe, safeguarding the investment decisions of companies.

As the official representative of Fingerhuth HeatProtection in Poland, EVSolutions provides the market with solutions designed directly with the involvement of the creators of the new standard — the sales director (CSO) of Fingerhuth, Jörn-Bo Hein, is an active member of the DIN NA 031-01-02 AA working group creating the DIN 91489-1 standard.

Containment is not extinguishing – a fundamental distinction

The draft of the DIN 91489-1 standard precisely defines the role of flexible textile systems. The technical tarp is not an active extinguishing agent and does not replace the actions of the fire brigade or fixed extinguishing installations. In the case of thermal runaway in a Li-Ion traction battery, heat-generating processes occur inside the cells without access to atmospheric oxygen.

The task of the certified tarp is:

• Spatially cutting off the source of fire and preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent vehicles or structural elements of the building.

• Drastic reduction of thermal radiation in halls and underground garages.

• Damping of smoke and fire gas emissions, which facilitates evacuation and gives rescue services valuable time to organize firefighting efforts.

The tarp does not protect against electric shock, mechanical explosion, nor does it completely eliminate pyrolytic gases — its purpose is to control the consequences of the incident.

Rigorous research criteria of the DIN 91489-1 standard

The new standard eliminates unsupported marketing claims by introducing strict laboratory and practical tests:

• Thermal test up to 1000°C: A sample of material along with seams is subjected to direct flame exposure from a burner for 23 minutes in a cycle of alternating temperatures from 700°C to 1000°C. A subsequent test verifies resistance to prolonged heating and thermal shock after suddenly dousing the heated material with firefighting water. The outer textile layers must meet a fire reaction class of at least A2-s1, d0.

• Operational test in 60 seconds: The standard requires documentation of the trial with a video recording, in which two people pull the tarp over a vehicle within a maximum of 60 seconds — both on a dry vehicle and a completely wet one. Standardized markings have been introduced: loops in all four corners, red loops indicating the pulling side, and clear markers for the midpoints of the sides.

• Mechanical resistance and mass drop test: Due to the sharp edges of damaged vehicles, tarps are subjected to cutting resistance tests. The strength of the construction and loops is verified by a dynamic test: a loop statically loaded with a mass of 100 kg must withstand the drop of an additional weight of 25 kg from a height of 30 cm without damaging the seams.

• Protection and radio connectivity: The set must include a protective container with at least IP45 (Fingerhuth's standard is IP67) waterproofing, a waterproof pocket for vehicle documents, and reliable information from the manufacturer about the attenuation of radio waves (impact on eCall systems and GSM connectivity).

Proven protection from Fingerhuth HeatProtection

The manufacturer's experience is crucial. Fingerhuth has been developing high-temperature textiles since 1990, translating laboratory requirements into durable, ergonomic solutions for the automotive industry.

As a result, the fire containment tarps offered by EVSolutions are certified, ready-to-use safety systems for workshops, vehicle fleets, service networks, and property managers.