Meaning
Technical gaps occur when an external testing facility lacks the accreditation or the equipment necessary to perform specific battery safety standards. Identifying subcontracted lab scope gaps is an essential part of the supplier qualification process for automotive and grid storage companies. These deficiencies can lead to invalid test results and regulatory delays.
Certification Verification
Auditing the laboratory’s ISO 17025 schedule reveals which specific tests they are legally authorized to perform. A common example of subcontracted lab scope gaps is the inability to handle high voltage packs while only being certified for individual cells.
Equipment Limitation
Missing specialized chambers for nail penetration and thermal runaway testing creates a void in the safety validation plan. Managing subcontracted lab scope gaps requires the hiring company to split the testing between multiple facilities.
Compliance Risk
Reliance on a lab that is operating outside its official capability can result in the rejection of a product’s safety certification by government agencies. When subcontracted lab scope gaps are discovered late in the development cycle, they often necessitate a complete retest of the components. This adds cost and pushes back the market launch date.
To avoid this, quality managers perform a detailed mapping of the test plan against the lab’s current accreditation list before any samples are shipped. This proactive checking ensures that every data point in the final report is backed by a recognized standard.
