Volvo Cars' safety expert, Thomas Broberg, said: 'At present we are conducting tests to see how the battery is affected by harsh braking and the subsequent collision. We are also carrying out full scale crash tests to evaluate the technology in electrically powered cars.' The five phases of a collision Volvo's engineers have analysed the five phases of an accident in order to develop unique safety solutions for electric cars. The five phases are: 1) Normal driving: A comprehensive monitoring system ensures that batteries maintain the correct voltage level and optimal operating temperature. In the event of any change, the battery is automatically shut down.