How important is BIS standardization of batteries in India?

Over the last few years, India has witnessed a remarkable growth in EV adoption. Apparently, country’s EV growth is promising, though the sector is facing some challenges amid recent fire cases.

Following multiple Electric Two-Wheeler fire incidents, which peaked during the summer months between March-May this year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways asked the Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), the fire science and engineering arm of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), to investigate the incidents.

As per?reports, the expert panel found defects in batteries, including the designs of the battery packs and modules, which led to the fire incidents in the past few months. Such incidents bring to light the substandard battery quality or the lack of knowledge about batteries or usage of extremely high energy density batteries. It is mandatory to ensure premium quality batteries are used to avoid such instances.

It is therefore imperative to form strict standards so as to put an end to the use of second-rate materials by battery manufacturers.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), is set to lay out the EV battery standards, which would be initially applicable for two-wheelers and later expanded to four-wheeler EVs. The BIS is the national standard body of the country which falls under the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The BIS standards are likely to include specifications on size, connectors, quality of cells and the capacity of the batteries.

Earlier, NITI Aayog in a discussion paper also stressed upon the need for BIS standards as the first step towards a national battery swapping policy. “Standards approved or defined by BIS shall be implemented for the electric vehicle, battery safety requirements, Degrees of Protection (IP-code) of electrical equipment against foreign objects, technical specification of cables and connectors, and traction battery safety requirements,” the draft policy read.?

It is critically important for government to put in place policies and measures to ensure exponential EV adoption without compromising safety and trust of the consumers.