Amid mounting cases of electric vehicles catching fire in several parts of India, the Bureau of Indian Standards has come up with new performance standards for EVs. Titled “Performance Standards for Electric Vehicle Batteries,” the new guidelines will ensure the safety of EV users. The new standards also involve test procedures for batteries that determine their basic characteristic of performance, reliability, and electrical functionality.
According to officials, the standard “IS 17855: 2022” has been formulated for lithium-ion traction battery packs and systems of electrically-propelled road vehicles. The standard is based on ISO 12405-4: 2018. This standard considers real-world scenarios for electric vehicles, including cars parked in an environment where their batteries haven’t been used for a while, a battery system stored or shipped, and battery operation at low and high temperatures. The tests have been formulated according to these situations.
Battery size, connectors, quality of cells, and capacity of batteries in electric vehicles will be included in the new standards. With the battery swapping policy already in place, the new standards will provide manufacturers with clarity on the final quality of batteries.
Earlier this month, Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary at the Department of Consumer Affairs, told Financial Express that the standards have been chalked out in consultations with manufacturers of EV scooters and will focus on the promotion of EVs in India. The adoption of EVs in India is impeded by the spate of incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire in different circumstances, instilling fear in users. Manufacturers argue that it is a very nascent stage of EVs in India.
The brand that has been in the spotlight as a result of several fire reports is Ola. Now that the ride-hailing company has transformed into an automotive company, it focuses exclusively on electric vehicles. Ola’s much-anticipated S1 Pro could not impress critics due to issues such as faulty batteries that caused the devices to catch fire. Ola Electric’s co-founder and CEO, Bhavya Aggarwal, defended the company’s mishaps so far, especially at a time when it is about to launch its first EV four-wheeler in India.