New Amended Battery Safety Norms From Oct 1, After Recent Fire Accidents

The road transport ministry has introduced additional safety provisions in the battery safety standards which will come into effect from October 1.

Concerned over cases of fire incidents observed in electric two-wheelers, the road transport ministry has introduced additional safety provisions in the battery safety standards which will come into effect from October 1, according to an official release.

The amendments include additional safety requirements related to battery cells, on-board charger, design of battery pack, and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuit leading to fire.

The notification to mandate amended standards for the respective categories of electric vehicles with effect from October 1, 2022, is in progress, the release said.

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.