Lithium ion batteries are under increased scrutiny due to high-profile events that have created undesired media attention to the industry. The realization that these ubiquitous batteries are not inherently safe, and can be a danger to the public when mishandled or poorly manufactured has prompted the need for more regulations. While new lithium ion battery regulations will likely take some time to be enacted, there are current regulations in place that have been created to improve the quality of lithium ion battery cells and the products they are assembled in.
Nexceris, through developing safety products for the lithium ion battery industry, has come into contact with many regulations and rulemaking bodies, and has identified the top 11 regulations you should know about lithium ion batteries. We have created this article to share the knowledge we have gained while developing lithium ion safety systems in hopes to ensure that lithium ion batteries are created safely and solidify this technology’s place in our future.
In this article, we summarize the 11 regulations on lithium ion batteries that we think all lithium ion battery developers, integrators, and manufacturers need to know. We share number 11 below and encourage you to download the whole article by filling out the form to the right.
- IEC 61508: Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems
The battery management system is a critical aspect of lithium ion batteries and, therefore, the standard which they are held to is very important as well, which is why this regulation sneaks its way into this top regulations list.
Instrumented safety systems are crucial to many industrial processes and even more crucial to lithium ion batteries because of how little room for error there is in their operation. Batteries which enter outside of their voltage range quickly become unstable and can cause catastrophic events when not dealt with properly. A battery management systems’ job is to ensure that cells are properly balanced and that batteries are not operated outside of their ideal temperature, experience higher current draw than they are designed for, and stay within the ideal operational voltage window. IEC 61508 is the standard which battery management systems are held to.