Cars of today are immeasurably safer than those even a decade ago, and manufacturers have been working very carefully to ensure that the different requirements of electric car construction don't mean taking a step back in safety.

Volvo has always been known for safety and its plug-in cars are no different. They've already proven the safety of the C30 electric car and now it's the turn of the V60 plug-in hybrid to hit the wall.

In fact, it's the wall that hits the car in this latest test.

As with many electric vehicles, the battery pack is mounted below the trunk floor. This is great for practicality as it ensures space is retained in the cabin, but it does make the pack vulnerable in a rear impact.

As a result, Volvo has been carefully working for years now on making sure the batteries aren't compromised in a rear impact. And as you can see in the video below, the pack manages to keep its structure despite being hit hard at 50mph by a non-deformable sled. Controlled deformation protects the pack and other areas are reinforced. Sensors monitor the impact's severity and immediately shut off power supply, and even if the battery is breached and gas escapes, it's directed away from the occupants inside the car.

Volvo has made sure all the battery connections and cables are sheathed in orange so emergency services can identify them safely, and Volvo has even provided instructions on how to deal with accidents involving electric vehicles.

Of course, the car also features all the regular safety systems shared by fully fossil-fuelled Volvos to minimize the chances of an impact occuring in the first place, such as Dynamic Stability Control and Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake.

The bottom line is still the same: Whatever your car is powered by, companies like Volvo are still ensuring that every car they produce is safer than ever before.

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