"Ask someone else to charge your car": Volvo warns of electrical risks for pacemaker wearers

It's a question that has been asked for some time and that we thought was settled: is it dangerous for a person with a pacemaker to charge an electric car? The cause is the electromagnetic fields that emanate from high-power charging infrastructure and which could disrupt equipment such as pacemakers. Excessive caution or real danger, Volvo prefers to advise against this practice in the user manual for its EX30 , as spotted by Le Point .

On the vehicle's screen, but also online on the Swedish brand's official website, we can indeed read in the section dedicated to recharging: "Recharging may affect the operation of your pacemaker. Anyone with a pacemaker or a biventricular pacing pulse generator without defibrillation capability should refrain from recharging the car themselves."

For those affected, it is therefore advisable to "ask another person to charge your car."

"You should also stay away from chargers and charging cables when charging the car," Volvo also advises.

Volvo would thus be one of the first manufacturers to take the lead on this risk. This is logical when you consider that the brand, which belongs to the Chinese group Geely, has always focused on safety . However, whether traveling in an electric car or recharging it, the studies conducted so far are rather reassuring. In particular, that of the German Heart Center in Munich (Deutsches Herzzentrum), cited by Le Point, which is quite clear on the subject:

"People with a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) can recharge their electric car at a fast charging station (FCS) on the highway without risk of disrupting their device," says this study published in 2023 .

To reach this conclusion, 130 patients with pacemakers recharged different models of electric cars at charging stations capable of delivering up to 350 kW, with the cable positioned "on their shoulder so that they were directly above the pacemaker or ICD." A "worst-case scenario" that did not cause "clinically significant interference or device malfunction," notes Dr. Carsten Lennerz, lead author of this study.

The amounts of energy delivered by these fast charging stations require cables that are "highly insulated and partially cooled. And this density of insulation around the cables means that the electromagnetic field is very strongly confined," emphasizes Daniel Steven, who heads the department of electrophysiology at the Heart Center of the University of Cologne, also cited in this study.

The magnetic field intensity measured by the researchers would thus reach a maximum of 80-90 µT (microtesla), which is less than that of a home charging station, which is less powerful but less well insulated, at 150-180 µT. However, it would be from 300 µT that a risk of interference with implanted cardiac stimulation systems appears. While driving, the electromagnetic field of high-voltage batteries is also well insulated, "if only to avoid interference with the car's electrical systems."

In conclusion, Dr. Carsten Lennerz prefers to remain cautious, however, recommending "not placing the charging cable directly on the cardiac device and keeping a certain distance from the charging elements," the terminal or the vehicle's socket. In general, charging operators or car manufacturers recommend consulting a medical team or the pacemaker manufacturer to find out about potential risks. This is what can be found by doing a quick search, which links to other electric vehicle user manuals like that of the Nissan Ariya .

But it is in the manual of the Toyota APM , an electric vehicle designed to transport people with reduced mobility, particularly during major events such as the Olympic Games, that we find the strictest instructions, as with Volvo:

"If you have a pacemaker (implanted cardiac device, biventricular pacemaker, pacing pulse generator), do not attempt to charge the battery yourself. Have someone else do this," it reads.

A document that also asks not to "approach the charger or charging cable" or "not to remain in the vehicle" while charging.

Hyundai also applies this recommendation to charging, but also to the hands-free key : "People with medical devices such as a pacemaker or implanted cardiac defibrillator should not carry the smart key near their heart. The smart key system may interfere with the operation of these implanted medical devices," states an English-language manual.

Still on the subject of these waves emitted by modern car keys, the Chinese manufacturer Nio advises pacemaker wearers not to approach within 22 centimeters of the interior Bluetooth antennas, providing a map of their location on board.