Meaning
The international standard that specifies performance and life testing procedures for secondary lithium-ion cells used for the propulsion of electric road vehicles. This document establishes uniform testing methodologies to evaluate cell capacity, power density, energy density, and cycle life under conditions that simulate automotive operation. It is applied to cells of various chemistries and shapes before they are approved for vehicle pack integration.
The boundary of this standard is limited to cell-level performance characterization and does not cover safety testing or the evaluation of complete battery packs and systems.
Testing Scope
The standard defines a structured suite of tests that must be executed under controlled environmental conditions. These include pre-conditioning cycles to establish a baseline, followed by capacity measurements at various discharge rates and temperatures. It also details the procedure for measuring the dynamic power performance using charge and discharge pulse tests at different states of charge.
These pulses help map the electrical resistance and power capability across the entire operating range. Life testing is also defined, utilizing cycling profiles that mimic real-world driving patterns to project the long-term degradation behavior.
Performance Metric
The results of these tests generate standardized metrics that enable direct comparison between different cell manufacturers and chemistries. These metrics include the rated capacity, the nominal energy density, and the power capability at low temperatures. By utilizing the specified profiles, purchasing teams can evaluate candidate cells on an equal basis without relying on proprietary test data.
The document also provides formulas to calculate the efficiency of the cell and its thermal behavior under load. This standardization reduces the engineering effort required to validate cells during the selection phase.
Sourcing Value
Compliance with this standard provides the empirical baseline needed for commercial negotiations and technical agreements between cell suppliers and automotive manufacturers. It ensures that the performance claims made by the supplier are verified through repeatable, recognized methodologies. This verification reduces the risk of integrating cells that cannot meet the power and lifetime demands of the vehicle.
The resulting data sheets provide the necessary input parameters for thermal management design and battery management system development, accelerating the vehicle integration process.
