MUMBAI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The production and sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in India are expected to be hit in the coming months by new rules on battery safety as a stumbling block, said a report by The Economic Times on Tuesday.
The new safety norms have been put in place following several incidents of fire in EVs in recent months, which are being implemented in two phases - with effect from Dec. 1, and April 1 next year.
The second phase or norm involves fixing additional sensors and sending out warnings in case of thermal heating.
The EV manufacturers are learned to have expressed an inability in implementing the new norms in such a short time frame and are demanding an extension of the deadline.
The first phase, already in place, involves implementing features such as battery traceability and spacing between cells, besides a few other requirements.
The report quoted a federal government official as saying that 80 percent of the EV manufacturers have been certified under Phase-1 of AIS-156 amendments.
According to the report, the federal Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had recently amended the AIS-156 norms, a stringent testing and certification standard in a bid to ensure better safety following a spate of fire-related incidents involving EVs last summer.
Managing Director of Battrixx Anand Kabra was quoted as saying, "the new standards require a redesign of the battery packs i.e. battery management systems (BMS), as well as the development of new tooling for the aluminum casing and new capital equipment."
