Airbag protection system for vehicle battery packs

A vehicle comprising:

• a vehicle body defining a cabin and having a floor, a first side and a second side;
• a first seat having a base and a second seat having a base disposed within the cabin and generally transverse a direction of movement of the vehicle, wherein each of the first seat and the second seat comprise an inboard side and an outboard side;
• a battery pack disposed at least partially between the first seat and the second seat and configured to deliver power to a driveline of the vehicle;
• a first sensor disposed proximate the first seat outboard side;
• a second sensor disposed proximate the second seat outboard side;
• an electronic control module (ECM) operatively connected to the first sensor and the second sensor;
• a first inboard airbag disposed on the floor, within the floor, within the first seat base, or between the first seat and the battery pack and including an actuator operatively connected to the ECM;
• a first outboard airbag disposed between the first seat and the vehicle body and including an actuator operatively connected to the ECM;
• a second inboard airbag disposed on the floor, within the floor, within the second seat base, or between the second seat and the battery pack and including an actuator operatively connected to the ECM;
• and
• a second outboard airbag disposed between the second seat and the vehicle body and including an actuator operatively connected to with the ECM;
• wherein the first inboard airbag and the second inboard airbag are each deployable from a packed position to or between an inflated position in order to protect the battery pack or minimize damage to the battery pack, and the first inboard airbag is configured to deploy and occupy a space at least partially between the first seat base and the battery pack and the second inboard airbag is configured to deploy and occupy a space at least partially between the second seat base and the battery pack, and wherein the first inboard airbag and the first outboard airbag are configured to, in response to detecting a collision on the vehicle first side, deploy prior to the second inboard airbag and the second outboard airbag.