Road ministry amends battery safety norms, to come into effect from October 1

An official statement said that amendments have been carried out in the automotive industry standards (AIS) for motor vehicles with less than four wheels and with an electric power train. India on Thursday further tightened safety requirements for batteries after a spate of fires in electric two-wheelers. Electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the country will now need to comply with additional safety requirements related to battery cells and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuits, according to the norms.

The road transport ministry said that these new requirements cover electric two-, three- and four-wheelers, passenger as well as goods vehicles.

An official statement said that amendments have been carried out in the automotive industry standards (AIS) for motor vehicles with less than four wheels and with an electric power train. Amendments have also been made to the AIS for electric power trains of motor vehicles with four vehicles.

“These amendments include additional safety requirements related to battery cells, battery management system (BMS), on-board charger, design of battery pack, thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuit leading to fire, among others,” the statement added.

These stricter standards will be mandatory from October 1. The transport ministry has also issued a draft notification for mandating conformity of production (CoP) for traction batteries used in electric power train vehicles. Once approved, the proposed regulation will also be applicable with effect from October 1, 2022. This will ensure that EV makers and battery manufacturers stick to making vehicles that have been approved by testing agencies.
These additional requirements are based on recommendations by an expert committee tasked with finding deficiencies in the EVs that caught fire and suggesting remedial measures.
The committee comprised members from the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials, the Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Indian Institute of Science, and Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai.

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