Newly added tests

The 2025 revision adds exactly two test items: one at the cell level (8.1.8) and one at the pack/system/vehicle level (8.2.16). Both close failure modes that real-world incidents made visible during the 2020-edition window.

8.1.8 — Safety after fast-charge cycles (cell)

Safety requirements and test methods for battery cell fast-charging cycles have been added (see 5.1.7 and 8.1.8).

A cell capable of charging from 20 % to 80 % SOC in ≤ 15 minutes (i.e., a fast-charge cell, excluding cells charged only via vehicle energy) is cycled 20 % ↔ 80 % SOC for 300 cycles, with each leg ≤ 15 min and a 30 min rest between legs. After cycling, the cell is subjected to the standard external short-circuit test (8.1.4). Pass criterion: no fire, no explosion (per 5.1.7, evaluated after the 8.1.4 step).

See safety after fast-charge cycles for full parameters.

Engineering note (non-normative): the test is structured as a fatigue conditioning step followed by the short-circuit pass criterion. The intent is to stress the SEI/anode interface and tab welds the way real fast-charge cycling does, then check whether the cell still survives the universal cell-level abuse test. A failure here implies fast-charge ageing has degraded internal protection (separator integrity, tab strength) below the 8.1.4 baseline. The 15 min / 30 min rest envelope intentionally mirrors highway DC fast-charge stop times.

8.2.16 — Bottom impact (pack/system/vehicle)

Safety requirements and test methods for bottom impact of battery packs, systems, or whole vehicles have been added (see 5.2.16 and 8.2.16).

A hemispherical impactor (Ø 30 mm, 10 kg, 45# steel) strikes the bottom of the pack along the +z axis with 150 J ± 3 J of energy at three manufacturer-defined risk points (front, middle, rear). Pass criterion: STD (no leakage, no housing crack, no fire, no explosion; insulation ≥ 100 / 500 Ω/V). Exemption: N-class vehicles whose minimum ground clearance is ≥ 200 mm fully loaded.

See bottom impact for full parameters.

Engineering note (non-normative): the introduction of bottom impact reflects a wave of EV fires traced to road debris strikes against unprotected pack floors. 150 J is roughly the kinetic energy of a 5 kg object at 8 m/s — comparable to a piece of road debris kicked up at highway speed. The N-class ≥ 200 mm exemption is the regulator's concession that commercial-vehicle ride heights already place the pack outside the realistic strike envelope.

Source

Preface; clauses 5.1.7, 8.1.8, 5.2.16, 8.2.16.