Clean Green Cars: Unseen benefit: Underwriters Laboratories working on standards for electric car batteries

Unseen benefit: Underwriters Laboratories working on standards for electric car batteries

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in

While no one will mandate that the new Underwriters Laboratories 2580 standard be applied to all advanced electric vehicle batteries, the fact that there will soon be a UL listing for “large batteries in electric vehicles” is a good thing. UL’s unsurprising focus on the standard will be to “help mitigate the potential risk of fire and electrical hazards and enhance the overall safety of batteries for electric vehicles.” UL said in a press release that the upcoming increase in EVs increases the “potential for fire, electric shock and other safety hazards.” Therefore, UL will run the 2580 standard requirements through a comprehensive review process and a consensus body of made up of people representing “consumers, government agencies, regulatory authorities, manufacturers and other knowledgeable interested parties that develop and maintain effective product safety standards.” No timeline was given for when the standard would be ready, nor were specific batteries chemistries mentions in the press release. Read it yourself after the jump.