Indian e-vehicle manufacturers must soon adhere to BIS guidelines to avoid battery fires

21. July 2022

With increased reports of fires and explosions of electric two-wheelers in India, the government is planning to introduce product standards for vehicle batteries as per the BIS guidelines. Initially, the standards will apply only to batteries in electric two-wheelers, but will later be extended to cars as well. This is reported by several Indian news with reference to information from the consumer protection ministry. The BIS standards for e-vehicle batteries will cover their size, connections, general specifications and minimum requirements for cell quality and capacity.

Due to the urgency of the matter, the Ministry of Consumer Protection is already in negotiations with decision makers from the battery industry to discuss the BIS guidelines. Previous investigations by the government and BIS found significant design flaws in the cells and enclosures of the batteries. The introduction of BIS standards for batteries also marks the launch of a nationwide battery replacement system, according to the government’s expert commission, NITI Aayog.

An ad-hoc committee that investigated the increasing number of fires in electric two-wheelers concluded that in almost all cases, a faulty battery was responsible. The manufacturers affected by the defects included Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, Ola Electric and Boom Motors. This moved the Central Consumer Protection Agency (CCPA) under the umbrella of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to send notices to Pure EV and Boom Motors after e-scooters of these brands exploded in April.

Batteries, therefore, will soon need BIS certification to import or market them in India. Here, a distinction is made between BIS-ISI or BIS-CRS certification, depending on the product. As the product list is constantly being expanded, we will be happy to help you with an initial assessment. MPR International GmbH – India Certification supports you with a pending BIS certification and is also available at any time to answer any questions you may have.

Since 2012, the BIS has been gradually expanding the certification catalog and continuously adding additional goods. BIS certification mandatory for many electronic products for industrial and consumer uses. Factory inspections are also required for some products.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.