It’s cool to have a great electronic device or a great electric car, but it’s easy to overlook the fact whether those devices are safe to use because it can mean the difference between enjoying new technology and suffering (or dying) as a result of it.
Fortunately, UL (a well-known electronics safety testing company) recently announced the Battery Enclosure Thermal Runaway (BETR) evaluation, it’s the first material screening test on the block that evaluates electric vehicle (EV) battery enclosure material.
The UL Standards and Engagement organization published the UL 2596, Test Method for Thermal and Mechanical Performance of Battery Enclosure Materials, standard on January 27, 2022. They evaluate material performance using a thermal runaway test.
Material plaques are tested against the entire battery assembly, saving resin manufacturers and suppliers time and money.
The goal of material evaluations is to ensure that producers have access to a wide range of options so that they can provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with solutions that meet their requirements while also evaluating material performance.
Unlike most safety tests, they deliberately cause the batteries to catch fire. This is a good thing because they want to ensure that the outer casing for the batteries can protect people in the event of a thermal runaway event (aka a battery fire).
Lithium battery fires are especially dangerous because they can rekindle after being extinguished. The goal of the new BETR test isn’t so much to prevent these hot, difficult-to-extinguish fires as it is to ensure that no one is hurt while dealing with the situation, making these incidents just a little safer, which can make a big difference.
This is a PR Newswire Feed; researched and edited by Clean-Future Team