NEW DELHI: Electric vehicle (EV) players in June welcomed the Bureau of Indian Standards’ (BIS) move to issue new performance standards for lithium-ion batteries to safeguard the consumers amid the rising EV fire episodes in the country.

The BIS, which comes under the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry, has published the “performance standards for electronic vehicle batteries” in a bid to keep a strict control over the manufacturing of EV batteries. “There has never been a better time for the BIS performance standards for EV batteries to be implemented. I am confident that these standards will ensure that only the best and most secure batteries reach Indian consumers in the long run,” Log9 Materials CEO and co-founder Dr Akshay Singhal said. Log9 Materials is an advanced battery technology and deep-technology startup headquartered in Bengaluru. It recently launched India’s first cell manufacturer line which is South Asia’s largest battery cell manufacturing plant.

The new BIS standard called “IS 17855: 2022” has been designed for lithium-ion traction battery packs and systems of electrically-propelled road vehicles. “This standard incorporates the test procedure for basic characteristics of performance, reliability and electrical functionality for the battery packs and system for either high power or high energy application,” according to the ministry.

The standard for these battery packs and systems is harmonized with ‘ISO 12405-4: 2018’. “This standard is formulated considering real life scenarios for an electric vehicle such as vehicle is in parking (battery is not used for extended period of time), battery system is being shipped (stored), operating battery at low and high temperature etc., accordingly various tests are incorporated in this standard,” the ministry said in a statement.