Electric Vehicle Battery Standards Amended for Enhanced Safety in India

From 1 October 2022, Rechargeable Electric Energy Storage Systems (REESS) and electric vehicle makers would need to comply with new amendments to specific technical requirements for REESS or batteries for electric vehicles of categories ‘M’ and ‘N”.  ‘M’ denotes electric four-wheel motor vehicles used for carrying a passenger and ‘N’ denotes electric four-wheel motor vehicles used for carrying both goods and passengers. These amendments were announced on 1 September 2022, by India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Earlier the ministry through a draft notification issued on 25 August 2022, had announced the amendments to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.

These amendments provide for additional safety requirements related to battery management systems (BMS), onboard chargers, battery pack design, and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuits leading to fires, based on the report by an expert committee constituted by the Road Transport Ministry.

Amendment 2 to Automotive Industry Standard AIS 156 comprises specific requirements for motor vehicles of the L category- motor vehicles with less than four wheels and an electric power train.

Amendment 2 to AIS 038 Rev.2 lists specific requirements for electric power trains of M category vehicles and N category motor vehicles.

The ministry also issued draft notification GSR 659 (E) to amend Sub-rule 4 of Rule 124 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) 1989 for mandating Conformity of production for traction batteries used in electric power train vehicles.