New safety norms for EV batteries to take effect on 1 Oct

05 Sep 2022 CW Team

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has mandated that additional requirements for electric vehicle battery safety would come into effect from October 1, 2022.

Following EV fire incidents across the country, the ministry had constituted an expert committee chaired by Tata Narsingh Rao, Director, ARCI, Hyderabad, to recommend additional safety requirements in the existing battery safety standards notified under CMV Rules.

Based on the recommendations of the expert committee, the ministry last week issued amendment to requirements for motor vehicles with less than four wheels running on electric power train, and amendments to specific requirements for four-wheeler EVs carrying passengers and goods.

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

“The notification to mandate amended AIS 156 and AIS 038 Rev.2 standards for the respective categories of electric vehicles with effect from 1 October 2022 is in progress," the statement said.

The ninistry also has issued draft notification GSR 659 (E) dated 25 August 2022, to amend Sub-rule 4 of Rule 124 of Central Motor Vehicles Rule (CMVR) 1989, for mandating Conformity of Production (COP) for traction batteries used in electric power train vehicles. The proposed regulation will also be applicable with effect from 1 October, 2022.

The ministry has sought comments and suggestions from all stakeholders within a period of thirty days.

Following the EV fire incidents, the road ministry formed two committees, one to look at the testing criteria and standards and the other to probe the reasons for fires. The investigation found that many batteries had cells connected in an unsafe manner and that several of them did not have a venting mechanism to disperse heat in case of overheating.

In April, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said the government would issue quality-centric guidelines for EVs.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has mandated that additional requirements for electric vehicle battery safety would come into effect from October 1, 2022. Following EV fire incidents across the country, the ministry had constituted an expert committee chaired by Tata Narsingh Rao, Director, ARCI, Hyderabad, to recommend additional safety requirements in the existing battery safety standards notified under CMV Rules. Based on the recommendations of the expert committee, the ministry last week issued amendment to requirements for motor vehicles with less than four wheels running on electric power train, and amendments to specific requirements for four-wheeler EVs carrying passengers and goods. These amendments include additional safety requirements related to battery cells, battery management system, on-board charger, design of battery pack, thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuit leading to fire, etc. “The notification to mandate amended AIS 156 and AIS 038 Rev.2 standards for the respective categories of electric vehicles with effect from 1 October 2022 is in progress, the statement said. The ninistry also has issued draft notification GSR 659 (E) dated 25 August 2022, to amend Sub-rule 4 of Rule 124 of Central Motor Vehicles Rule (CMVR) 1989, for mandating Conformity of Production (COP) for traction batteries used in electric power train vehicles. The proposed regulation will also be applicable with effect from 1 October, 2022. The ministry has sought comments and suggestions from all stakeholders within a period of thirty days. Following the EV fire incidents, the road ministry formed two committees, one to look at the testing criteria and standards and the other to probe the reasons for fires. The investigation found that many batteries had cells connected in an unsafe manner and that several of them did not have a venting mechanism to disperse heat in case of overheating. In April, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said the government would issue quality-centric guidelines for EVs. See also: Chandigarh MC plans to use an all-weather vehicle to fix the roads Reconstruction of 145-year-old Bailey bridge begins

Infrastructure Urban

31 Jul 2026

SCLR Extension Nears Completion Linking BKC With Signal-Free Route

The Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension towards Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) via the Mumbai University campus has entered its final stage, bringing motorists closer to a direct, signal-free connection between the Western Express Highway and the city’s commercial district. The elevated connector is being built as an arm from the SCLR alignment and will link the western suburbs with BKC without surface signals. The link is designed to reduce journey times for commuters travelling from the western suburbs to BKC and to improve access to eastern Mumbai. By carrying through traffic above s..

Infrastructure Transport

31 Jul 2026

Raiganj MP Seeks Bengal Only Highway Link To Siliguri

Raiganj Member of Parliament Kartik Chandra Paul met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi to press for a new stretch of national highway in North Dinajpur district. He urged approval for a Bengal-to-Bengal link that would connect National Highways 12 and 27 to allow vehicles bound for Siliguri to avoid the current route through Kishanganj in neighbouring Bihar. He also submitted a proposed alignment of the new road to the ministry for consideration. At present vehicles from Raiganj travel along NH-12 and join NH-27 at Purnia More in Dalkhola, a route that p..

Infrastructure Transport

31 Jul 2026

Airport Kilambakkam Metro Line To Be Extended To Chengalpattu

Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) has invited tenders for two detailed project reports that would extend its rail network to Chengalpattu in the south and extend Corridor-5 to Wimco Nagar in the north as part of a second wave of expansion beyond the operator's corridors under construction. The move signals an acceleration of planning for suburban links and interchange nodes. The larger of the two studies covers a roughly 27km extension from the planned Kilambakkam metro station to Chengalpattu under Corridor-1, Phase I. CMRL floated the tender at an estimated cost of Rs 21.6 mn. The proposed line woul..