BIS comes out with new standards for EV batteries

The National Standards-setting body, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) working under the Consumer Affairs Ministry has issued performance standards for electric vehicle batteries to ensure the safety of EV users and consumers.

According to a PTI report,  senior officials of the Consumer Affairs Ministry said they have published "performance standards for electronic vehicle batteries''. The standard "IS 17855: 2022" has been formulated for lithium-ion traction battery packs and electrically propelled road vehicles and have been harmonized with ISO 12405-4: 2018.

Earlier in June, sr. officials at the ministry announced that they would be setting new standards for EVs in India amid rising reports of electric two-wheelers fires and the looming concern over consumer safety.

The latest performance standards include the test procedure for the basic characteristics of performance, reliability, electrical functionality for the battery pack, and system for either high power or high energy application, officials said in the PTI report.

The performance standards take into consideration real-life EV-use scenarios such as EV vehicles in parking (when the EV battery is not used for an extended period of time), when the EV batteries are being shipped or stored, and operating batteries at low or high temperatures, among other things.

The officials reportedly confirmed that BIS is working on publishing two more standards related to batteries for various passenger and goods carrying vehicles.