In April this year, cases of electric two-wheelers of manufacturers such as Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech, and PureEV catching fire were reported. It prompted the government to form a panel to examine.
Additional safety norms for battery standards
The amendments include additional safety requirements related to battery cells, on-board charger, design of battery packs, and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuits leading to a fire.
The notification to mandate amended standards for the respective categories of electric vehicles with effect from 1 October 2022, is in progress.
“Based on the recommendations of the expert committee report, the ministry on August 29, 2022, has issued amendment to AIS 156- Specific requirements for motor vehicles of L category with electric power train, and amendment 2 to AIS 038 Rev. 2 – Specific requirements for Electric Power Train of motor vehicles of M category and N category (motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying goods which may also carry persons in addition to the goods),” an official release said.
L category motor vehicles are those with less than four wheels and is a quadricycle while M category vehicles are at least four wheels used for carrying passengers.
“The notification to mandate amended AIS 156 and AIS 038 Rev.2 standards for the respective categories of electric vehicles with effect from 1 October 2022 is in progress,” it said.
What do manufacturers think
“Log9, in all earnest, welcomes the amended battery safety norms notified by the Government. With this, we can say that the Indian EV industry has now come of age,” Akshay Singhal, Founder and CEO of Log9 Materials, said.
“The safety standards have been long overdue. With safety guidelines and regulations now conceptualised and designed as per the Indian operating conditions, we are confident that, in the future, every battery manufacturer and OEM will take full responsibility and go above and beyond to ensure that every single EV that reaches Indian roads is the safest of the lot. Inclusion of battery cells, on-board charger, battery pack design, and heat propagation due to internal cell short circuit leading to fire effectively encompasses all essential variables that could jeopardise a customer’s safety, providing an additional push towards EV adoption.”
Kalyan C Korimerla, Managing Director, Etrio Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. stated: “As an EV OEM committed to increasing EV adoption and safety, we at Etrio welcome the recently-notified regulatory amendments and battery norms suggested by the Ministry of Road Transport, Government of India. The additional safety requirements for battery cells, battery packs, BMS, etc., when implemented, can greatly help the OEMs win the confidence of EV end-users by rolling out robust and safe vehicles. Safety standards such as these are extremely important in not only saving lives and minimizing fleet asset damage, but also play a pivotal role in making the public feel safe in switching to electric vehicles.”