Under the humble persuasion of EV Industry players, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has given more time to EV manufacturers by extending the EV battery testing standards.
The ministry had earlier decided to implement the standards from October 1, 2022.
The amendments include additional safety requirements related to battery cells, battery management system, on-board charger, the design of battery pack and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuit leading to fire.
The norms will be valid for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, quadricycles and cars.
The EV industry has been requesting an extension of the timeline, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had also met EV players last week.
“While the majority of the required parameters are easily met, some new requirements have been added in the new amendment that necessitates battery design changes. The design and development and rigorous testing of these changes are required to ensure effective implementation. Hence, it is imperative to have some bandwidth in terms of timelines to execute the changes. Therefore, the EV industry seeks a humble extension from the government to allow us to execute the changes. A phased implementation timeframe can be looked at jointly with the testing agencies and the ministry too,” Sohinder Gill, Director General, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), and CEO, Hero Electric had earlier commented.
Akshay Singhal, Founder & CEO at Log9 Materials, had earlier said, “The last six months have proven why we need to perfect our products and technologies specific to local operating conditions before they reach our customers. From rethinking our choice of cell chemistries to revamping BMS and battery architecture, the industry needs time to create a fail-proof system so that we never have to confront the issue of EV safety again. Haste in this matter will again create long-term issues.”