Nexisense In-Vehicle Safety Sensor Solutions: Integrated Monitoring for Hydrogen Leakage, Lithium Battery Thermal Runaway, Conductivity Monitoring and Alcohol Detection

Core Requirements and Typical Application Scenarios of In-Vehicle Safety Monitoring

With the continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, especially hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEV), pure electric vehicles (BEV/PHEV) and commercial vehicles, battery thermal runaway, hydrogen leakage, coolant degradation and drunk-driving risks have become key challenges for functional safety (ISO 26262 ASIL B–D level) and vehicle compliance.

The Nexisense in-vehicle safety sensor series provides proactive safety protection through early gas and parameter detection, intelligent threshold analysis and linkage with vehicle domain controllers. It has been implemented in the following scenarios:

• Hydrogen system leak monitoring for hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles

• Early warning of lithium-ion battery pack thermal runaway integrated with BMS

• Online monitoring of coolant conductivity and ionic contamination in battery liquid cooling systems

• Alcohol interlock systems for commercial vehicles, ride-hailing fleets and operational vehicles

• Comprehensive safety monitoring for multi-energy hybrid power systems

These sensors support automotive-grade AEC-Q100/104 certification, withstand wide temperature ranges (-40~85℃), vibration and EMC environments, and are suitable for installation in high-voltage battery packs, hydrogen compartments and driver cabins.

Selection Guide: Core Product Technical Parameters and Matching Principles

Selection should be based on vehicle type (FCEV/BEV), safety integrity level (ASIL), communication protocol and installation environment.

ZC61 In-Vehicle Hydrogen Detection Sensor (Catalytic Combustion / Electrochemical Optional)

• Measurement range: 0~4% vol (LEL 100%)

• Resolution: 0.01% vol

• Response time (T90): ≤10 s

• Output: CAN / UART / Analog

• Protection: IP67 with anti-H2S poisoning design

This sensor is suitable for hydrogen tank compartments, fuel cell stacks and multiple monitoring points inside the vehicle. The CAN interface version is recommended for integration into the vehicle network.

ZEQH-101 Lithium Battery Thermal Runaway Multi-Sensor (Gas + Temperature + Pressure Integration)

• Detected gases: CO, CO2, HC, H2, VOC and other characteristic gases

• Temperature range: -40~150℃ (NTC/MEMS)

• Accuracy: Gas ±5% FS, Temperature ±1℃

• Communication interface: CAN / LIN

• Compact design suitable for installation inside battery packs

Combined with aerosol monitoring (ZPH07 as a supplementary module), it enables thermal runaway early warning 5–10 minutes in advance and supports BMS threshold triggering for cooling or high-voltage cutoff.

ZW-HC101 Online Conductivity Analyzer

• Measurement range: 0~200 μS/cm

• Accuracy: ±2% FS

• Integrated temperature and pH compensation

• Output: CAN / 4-20 mA

• Pressure resistance: >1 MPa, suitable for liquid cooling circuits

It is used to monitor ion contamination and pH drift in coolant. When abnormal conditions occur, it can link with dashboard alarms and maintenance reminders.

In-Vehicle Alcohol Detection Device

• Detection principle: Fuel cell electrochemical

• Measurement range: 0~400 mg/100 mL

• Response time: <15 s

• Interface: CAN / Relay output

• Installation position: dashboard or near the steering wheel

When the detected value exceeds the legal threshold, the system automatically locks the vehicle startup and meets commercial vehicle regulatory requirements.

System Integration Considerations and Compatibility Assurance

• Communication Protocols: Supports CAN 2.0B (500 kbps), LIN 2.x and UART, making it easy to connect with domain controllers, BMS or ADAS platforms. Nexisense provides DBC files and protocol stack references.

• Installation and Protection: Hydrogen and thermal runaway sensors should be placed in high-risk leak areas such as battery pack bottoms and hydrogen tank interfaces, with explosion-proof breathable valves installed. Conductivity analyzers are integrated into liquid cooling pipelines, while alcohol detection modules follow ergonomic design.

• Power Supply and EMC: DC 9–36 V wide voltage input with reverse polarity protection and transient suppression, compliant with ISO 7637 and CISPR 25 Class 3.

• Calibration and Diagnostics: Supports UDS diagnostic protocol (ISO 14229) with periodic zero and span calibration. Thermal runaway sensors include self-diagnostic functions.

• Multi-Sensor Fusion: Works with BMS and VMS systems to achieve graded responses such as warning, forced cooling and high-voltage cutoff, as well as hydrogen leak ventilation or hydrogen supply shutdown.

In practical deployments, edge computing modules can perform local anomaly filtering and upload data to the cloud while supporting OTA firmware upgrades.

Project Application Case Studies

• Mass Production Project of a Leading Domestic FCEV Passenger Vehicle: Integrated ZC61 multi-point hydrogen sensors and ZEQH-101 thermal runaway monitoring. Through CAN bus connection to the vehicle controller, hydrogen leakage alarms at <1% vol and early intervention for thermal runaway were achieved, helping the vehicle pass GB/T 24549 hydrogen safety tests.

• Commercial Electric Heavy Truck Battery Pack Safety Upgrade: ZW-HC101 conductivity analyzers combined with ZEQH-101 sensors were deployed to monitor coolant degradation and thermal runaway gases. After implementation, battery pack failure rates decreased by about 25% and maintenance cycles were extended.

• Ride-Hailing Platform Alcohol Interlock Pilot: Hundreds of operational vehicles were equipped with alcohol detection systems connected via CAN to ignition interlocks. When limits are exceeded, startup is automatically disabled, significantly reducing drunk-driving risks and supporting transportation regulatory requirements.

These cases demonstrate long-term sensor reliability in vibration, high temperature and electromagnetic interference environments.

OEM Customization and Mass Supply Advantages

• Customized measurement ranges, communication protocols (CAN ID, baud rate), appearance and installation brackets

• Complete SDK, A2L files and functional safety documentation supporting ISO 26262 development processes

• High production consistency with AEC-Q certification traceability and environmental reliability testing

• Stable supply chain and annual framework agreements supporting new vehicle SOP schedules

These solutions are suitable for new energy vehicle OEM manufacturers, battery system integrators and commercial vehicle safety upgrade projects.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How is cross-interference controlled for the ZCQ61 hydrogen sensor in high humidity and H2S environments?
Anti-poisoning catalytic elements and filter design ensure that when H2S <50 ppm the influence remains below 5%. Humidity compensation algorithms keep zero drift below ±0.02% vol per year.

2. How does the ZEQH-101 sensor achieve more than 5 minutes of thermal runaway early warning?
It uses multi-gas characteristic spectra (CO/CO2/HC) combined with temperature and pressure fusion algorithms to detect early electrolyte decomposition gases and trigger graded BMS warnings.

3. How reliable is the sealing of the ZW-HC101 conductivity analyzer under high pressure in liquid cooling circuits?
The device supports pressure resistance greater than 1.5 MPa and uses a 316L stainless steel probe with O-ring sealing. With an IP68 rating, it passes long-term immersion testing of more than 5000 hours without leakage.

4. How does the in-vehicle alcohol detection system avoid false triggering and cheating?
It integrates temperature and humidity compensation, breath flow detection, multi-point sampling and AI algorithms to identify real breath samples and reject invalid ones.

5. How should node conflicts and load rate be handled during CAN bus integration?
Configurable CAN ID and priority are provided. A bus load rate below 70% is recommended, and diagnostic messages (DM1/DM2) and heartbeat monitoring are supported.

6. Do the products support functional safety ASIL requirements and certification?
Core components comply with AEC-Q100 standards. Some models support ISO 26262 ASIL B development and can provide FMEDA reports and safety manuals.

7. What is the calibration and after-sales support cycle for bulk procurement?
7×24 technical support is provided with sufficient spare parts inventory. Emergency replacement shipments can be dispatched within 72 hours. Long-term customers can sign on-site calibration and spare-parts management agreements.

8. How to evaluate the lifecycle cost (TCO) of the entire in-vehicle safety sensor system?
Evaluation should include initial procurement, annual calibration or replacement frequency, MTTF greater than 10 years and integration development costs. Nexisense solutions typically reduce TCO by 20–35% compared with similar imported products due to high reliability and local service support.

Nexisense focuses on providing highly reliable in-vehicle safety sensors and integrated solutions for vehicle manufacturers, battery system integrators and commercial vehicle fleets. If your company is developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, upgrading EV battery safety or implementing compliance programs for operational fleets, please contact us to obtain sample testing, technical consultation or customized quotations to jointly promote safer intelligent mobility.