E-Mobility under Test: SGS Puts Battery Test House into Operation

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 29, 2012 - The SGS Group has officially opened its new battery test center on October 25, 2012 in Munich. In future, the globally leading testing and certification company will put Lithium-Ion batteries of electric vehicles to comprehensive endurance tests here. More than ten million Euros has been invested in the test laboratory with which the E-Mobility test center of SGS is now fully operational. It is one of the most modern plants in Europe for independent safety and function tests in the electro-mobility domain.

On an area of approx. 2000 square meters, the traction batteries will be tested in the battery test house on more than 30 test benches for their safety and functionality, by simulating realistic vehicle conditions or accidents. With various equipment, the test engineers test both the individual cells as well as complete battery packs. The use cases range from motorized bicycle to trucks. Even high-performance batteries with a voltage of 1000 volts, a length of up to two meters and a weight of 500 kilograms are tested here.

The main core of the battery test house (http://www.sgs-tuev-saar.com/battery-testhouse/) is a shaker with a shearing force of 300 kilonewtons, on which vibration tests are conducted and shocks with more than 50 times gravitational acceleration can be generated. In combination with a climatic chamber, which simulates a temperature range of -60 to 160 degree Celsius, extreme stress tests are possible. Other equipment in the battery test house do even more: in the five special rooms for safety and abuse tests the so-called abuse tests on batteries is conducted under controlled conditions. The batteries are overloaded, crushed, dropped or destroyed by the penetration of metal thorn to test their safety in these situations.

Apart from the questions related to safety, further focus is on the performance, reliability and endurance of the traction batteries. The number of possible loading cycles is also controlled as well as the interaction with external factors. Thus the engineers of SGS test on the environmental simulation of how the Lithium-Ion batteries will behave when they are exposed to salt spray, water or dust. All the test equipment is designed in such a way that the batteries can be operated and monitored during the test to examine their functionality under realistic conditions. Even the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of traction batteries is tested by SGS in Munich. Thus the laboratory can produce all the relevant evidence such as for adherence to reliability requirements (ISO 12405, ISO 16750, LV 124), UN transport test for Lithium batteries (UN 38.3) as well as individual specifications of the automobile industry.

However, the new battery test house is only part of the facilities with which the SGS group at Munich location supports the renowned automobile manufacturers and suppliers with the introduction of electrical and hybrid vehicles. Under the guidance of SGS-TÜV Saar the experts also provide support in all questions related to type approval (homologation) as well as integral and functional safety of vehicle components.

About SGS Automotive Services

SGS Automotive Services (http://www.sgs.com/automotive) offers training, consultancy, safety analytics, testing and certification. SGS provides a reliable infrastructure for independent, accurate and impartial automotive testing, because it is independent of trade and industry, and is not a manufacturer of test equipment. With its network of offices around the world, SGS helps provide a truly unique and independent global service.

For more information on E-Mobility and Battery Testing, please contact:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
Jürgen Böck
Division Manager Sales, SGS Germany GmbH
t: +49 89 787475-101

Swati Tyagi
Global Marketing Communications - Automotive
t: +91 124 6776205          

Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website:  http://www.sgs.com/pages/consumer-testing/sgs-consumer-goods-and-retail.aspx

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With 70,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,350 offices and laboratories around the world.