UL, a leading global safety science organization, announced that it is establishing a large-scale electric vehicle (EV) battery laboratory to support the growing EV market. To be fully operational by April 2020 and located in Changzhou, China, the facility will be one of the most advanced in the world and will provide comprehensive EV battery testing and advisory services for EV automotive and battery manufacturers as well as top suppliers.
With continued growth in the EV sector, demand for electric vehicle battery and charging testing will increase substantially as manufacturers seek a knowledgeable and trusted third-party lab to improve battery and charging performance and safety.
Addressing these demands, the laboratory will help manufacturers and suppliers better manage battery safety risks and quality and also improve battery performance and functional safety while providing UL’s deep industry know-how in energy, safety and cybersecurity. Tests will focus on battery safety, charging systems, grid integration and provide EV and power battery manufacturers with reliability verification, functional safety of battery management system, as well as V2G charging, power grid integration, repurposing batteries, energy storage system and functional safety services — all within a single lab. Combined, this will empower UL customers with shorter development cycles, a faster time-to-market with ability to be more competitive in the global marketplace and the opportunity to continue to grow and thrive.
The announcement about UL’s EV battery laboratory was made during a groundbreaking ceremony held at the facility’s future site. Hosted by UL’s Keith Williams, president and CEO; Weifang Zhou, president, Connected Technologies, UL; and Boris Feng, vice president and greater China managing director, UL, the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by top public and private sector leaders, including automotive and EV battery manufacturer executives.
“We are honored to be a part of the EV innovation ecosystem,” said Mary Joyce, vice president and general manager, Automotive division, UL. “The development of our EV battery laboratory demonstrates our long-term commitment to empower the safe development of clean, zero-emission transportation. For more than 125 years, we continue to apply science and objective authority to solve critical challenges by helping develop and market safer products and innovations. Our new EV battery laboratory allows us to harness this approach and equips us to better partner with companies to fast-track their project fulfillment — allowing them ultimately to quickly grow and thrive.”
With more than a century of expertise in standards development and product safety testing and certification, UL’s EV battery laboratory will further expand UL’s testing capabilities and strategic scope within the EV industry, and also demonstrates UL’s commitment and vision to the EV market to provide professional and holistic service solutions for EV manufacturers.
“UL’s expertise in the field of batteries has been fully leveraged, combining our experience in the international market with local practices. At present, we have established cooperative relationships with many top automobile manufacturers, helping customers control the risks regarding the safety and performance of EV batteries throughout the whole industrial chain. This enables us to build brand reputation in the competitive EV industry and lead industrial innovation and development,” said Zhou.
