EV Fires: Govt Recommends Additional Safety Requirements In Battery Standards From 1 October

After several fire incidents in the electric vehicles across the country, The government has issued a draft notification for additional safety requirements related to battery cells, Battery Management System (BMS), on board chargers, battery pack design and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuit.

The draft notification came after the Road Transport Ministry set up an Expert Committee to recommend additional safety requirements in the existing battery safety standards notified under CMV (Central Motor Vehicles) Rules.

The 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, according to an official statement.

The notification to mandate amended standards for the respective categories of electric vehicles with effect from 1 October 2022 is in progress, the Road Transport Ministry said in a statement on Thursday (1 September).

"Ministry also has issued draft notification GSR 659 (E) dated 25^th August 2022, to amend Sub-rule 4 of Rule 124 of Central Motor Vehicles Rule (CMVR) 1989, for mandating Conformity of Production (COP) for traction batteries used in electric power train vehicles," the statement added.

The new norms will cover electric two-, three- and four-wheelers, passenger as well as goods vehicles.