The Government of India has amended the recently introduced electric vehicle battery testing standards. Slated to be commenced on October 1, 2022, earlier, these norms will now be implemented in two phases - December 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.
For the OEMs to be better equipped to comply /implement the provisions prescribed under the standards AIS-156 and AIS 038 (Rev 2), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to implement Amendment-3 of the said AIS in two phases, a statement issued by the ministry noted.
These new EV battery safety norms include constraints for the design of battery packs, onboard chargers, and thermal propagation due to internal cell short-circuiting that leads to fire. The norms were created based on the recommendations of a committee set up by the Government.
Dr Akshay Singhal, Founder and CEO, Log9 Materials, said, 'The deferment in the implementation of the EV Battery Standards and the Government's latest decision to roll-out the regulations in phases is most welcome from the industry perspective. This move will ensure adequate diligence is done before the revived generation of batteries arrives to the Indian consumers.'
Kalyan C Korimerla, Managing Director & Co-promoter, Etrio, said the announcement will enable Indian battery makers to redesign batteries and certification agencies to have ample time to gear up for increased testing mandates. At the same time, OEMs will have enough time to introduce vehicles and get their vehicles re-certified.
Okinawa recalled 3,215 units of its electric two-wheelers (e2Ws) on April 16 this year, while PureEV recalled 2,000 e2Ws on April 21, and Ola Electric recalled 1,441 e2W units on April 23 this year. The information was given by Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Government of India while replying to a question about EV fires in the Lok Sabha.
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