EV Chargers’ Association Proposes A Black Box To Stop EV Battery Fires

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The recent spate of the batteries in electric vehicles catching fire like e-scooter or four wheeler has sent the Charge Point Operators Society (CPOS) of India into a huddle for a solution because of the concerns over safety deterring the prospective buyers. On June 27, the body proposed that a black box system should be fitted into the electric vehicle (EV) batteries to keep track of any untoward incidents that lead to EV fires. With 21 members and over 3000 EV charging points in place, CPOS is an industry body representing EV charging station companies. On June 27, the members of the society also committed themselves to installation of 4000-5000 EV chargers as a pilot project over 2000 locations in central Delhi.

Following the draft battery swapping policy floated by Niti Aayog, the safety recommendations have been made for both the battery swapping and the charging infrastructure. “The battery monitoring systems should also have a black box feature to capture the root cause of failure or fire to minimise post-incident investigations,” CPOS said adding that the measure would help identify the battery failures, volatile thermal behaviour and the associated risks. It has also been proposed to make e-sim or data connectivity mandatory to help monitor the EV battery’s daily behavioural data. CPOS has also recommended that there should be mandatory battery performance and timely recall, as and when needed. However, this is possible only if the users stay updated in real time about the status of the batteries they are being swapped with and the risks associated with EVs.

Already the proposal has evoked encomiums from the stakeholders calling it a very good initiative to monitor the conditions of EV vehicle batteries. Although, this will increase the cost yet the safety is non-negotiable. However, the swapping of batteries can add to the concerns over safety because the conditions of the swapped battery and the correctness of the installation are not known to an user. Moreover, most of the technicians are not as well equipped as desired. The proposal can therefore go a long way to address the safety concerns and put a stop to the spate of EV battery catching fires.