New safety tests for EVs

 The spotlight has once again shifted on the Electric Vehicle (EV) segment after the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) issued guidelines on enhanced testing criteria. However, the safety tests apply to vehicles produced under the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for automobiles along with those sold under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles or Fame scheme. 

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New Delhi, November 3: The announcement regarding EV safety tests states that to safeguard human safety, certain tests which are done internationally will be made mandatory from 1st April 2023 for claiming incentives/payments under the PLI schemes for automobile and auto components, ACC and FAMEII scheme being implemented by MHI.

The new EV safety test steps will also have 11 checkpoints for BMS. There would be 5 new tests for battery level pack and 6 new tests for cells, including altitude simulation and temperature cycling. These new tests also include dropping or a free fall of battery packs to observe that the lithium ion batteries do not explode or catch fire under a range of possible abuses as per international standard -IEC-62133-2‘. The MHI has said that adhering to new testing criteria will be mandatory and accepted internationally.

In recent years, EV sales have taken a major leap in the domestic market, however, safety standards continue to concern consumers. For over a year, several incidents of EV two-wheelers bursting into flames have been reported. In June it was reported that a Tata Nexon electric vehicle (EV) caught fire in a Mumbai suburb, a first such incident reported in the four-wheeler segment.