New AIS 038 Rev 2 and 156 norms for EVs explained

As electric vehicles gain popularity in India, safety norms are being tightened to ensure vehicles are safer. With new the AIS rules coming into effect from December 1, 2022, the industry is gearing up for vigorous testing methods to ensure vehicle and passenger safety.

The industry has welcomed the new standards as India has witnessed multiple electric vehicles bursting into flames and at times, even taking the lives of people. Electric vehicles made by Okinawa, Ola, and other EV makers experienced this first-hand, and the government also issued a notice to make the necessary recalls to rectify the issue or stringent action will be taken against them.

Moving on to the new AIS rules, the government has drafted rules for electric two and three-wheelers such as motorcycles, scooters, and quadricycles (L Category – motor vehicles with less than four wheels), passenger electric vehicles (M Category – vehicles with at least four wheels meant to carry passengers), and commercial vehicles (N Category – vehicles meant to carry goods and meant to carry people along with goods).

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So with the basic categories sorted, let’s take a detailed look at what the new norms have in store.

AIS 038 Rev 2

The new AIS 038 Rev 2 norms are for vehicles in the M and N categories. As issued in September 2022, the new rules will be implemented in two phases — Phase I from December 1, 2022, and Phase II from 31 March 2023. The rules mandate additional safety requirements related to battery cells, BMS, onboard chargers, design of the battery pack, thermal propagation, short circuit loading, and more.

This test – the AIS 038 Rev 2 – does not apply to two and three-wheelers. The test takes a system-level safety approach and treats the battery and the vehicle as a single unit, and is assessed from a functional safety point of view.

AIS 156

The AIS 156 norms are specifically for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and quadricycles. The certification is focused on the electric powertrain and the Rechargeable Electrical Energy Storage System (REESS) of the vehicles. The norm covers both, vehicle electrical safety and REESS safety.

As per the latest update on September this year, the L Category vehicles will have to undergo IP X7 tests for protection against water as per IEC 60529 standards, as well as a Thermal Propagation test to ensure the safety of the user and bystander. During the Thermal Propagation test of the REESS, there should be no evidence of fire or an explosion and it should have an audio-visual warning for early detection of thermal mishaps.