Standards and Norms Testing

What standards are there? We provide a comprehensive overview

4.1 Electrical safety

ISO 6469-3 – Safety specifications for electric vehicles. This standard specifies the electrical safety requirements for the high-voltage system of electric vehicles. It covers aspects such as protection against electric shocks, insulation resistance, leakage currents, safe connectors, automatic shutdown in the event of fault conditions, and protection in the event of an accident (such as crash detection with automatic disconnection). The aim is to protect the driver, passengers and emergency responders from dangerous voltages.

IEC 60664 – Insulation coordination for low-voltage systems. This standard covers insulation coordination, such as the minimum distance between conductive parts (creepage and clearance distances) depending on voltage, degree of contamination and environment. Particularly relevant for the dimensioning and design of PCBs and power electronics in EVs.

UNECE R100 (Rev. 2) – Homologation regulations for electric vehicles. These UN regulations set requirements for the general electrical safety of vehicles with high-voltage components. They include requirements for insulation, protection against contact, protection in the event of accidents, and battery safety. This is mandatory for homologation in Europe.

SAE J2344 – Guidelines for Electric Vehicle Safety. An American guideline that provides general guidelines for electrical safety in EVs, including safety zones, insulation monitoring, leakage current detection, and procedures in the event of accidents or maintenance.

Battery and BMS (Battery Management System)

ISO 12405 – Performance testing for lithium-ion battery packs and systems. These standards cover test methods for complete battery packs and systems for electric vehicles. Part 1 focuses on performance (capacity, efficiency), part 2 on safety (abuse tests, mechanical tests), and part 3 on service life and durability tests.

IEC 62660 – Test methods for lithium-ion cells for EVs. This is the standard for testing individual battery cells. Part 1 describes performance tests (such as capacity, internal resistance), part 2 safety tests (short circuit, overload, thermal abuse), and part 3 mechanical tests (pressure, shock, impact).

SAE J2464 – Electric Vehicle Battery Abuse Testing. Contains detailed procedures for testing batteries under extreme conditions (thermal runaway, mechanical perforation, external short circuit, overcharging) to better understand and prevent failure and hazardous situations.

UNECE R136 – Specifications for vehicles with electrical energy storage. R136 regulates the functional safety of battery systems in hydrogen-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. Tests include crash resistance, thermal stability, overpressure protection and internal short circuits.

Charging infrastructure and communication

IEC 61851 – Electric vehicle conductive charging system. This standard defines the general requirements for charging systems: current levels, charging modes (Mode 1 to 4), communication between charging station and vehicle, earthing, fault detection, and safety during charging. It is applied worldwide.

IEC 62196 – Plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle connectors. Specifies the physical characteristics of charging plugs and sockets, such as Type 1 (Japan/US), Type 2 (Europe), and the CCS standard (Combined Charging System). This ensures international compatibility.

ISO 15118 – Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication interface. This standard covers digital communication between the vehicle and the charging station via Power Line Communication (PLC). Important for smart functions such as automatic identification, load balancing, and bidirectional charging (V2G or V2H).

SAE J1772 – Charging connector and communication standard. The North American standard for charging infrastructure. Includes specifications for AC charging, mechanical properties of the connector, safety, and communication between the vehicle and charging station.

EMC (Electromagnetic compatibility)

UNECE R10 – EMC regulations for vehicles. Mandatory in Europe for vehicle type approval. R10 requires that the vehicle itself and its components do not emit excessive electromagnetic interference (emission) and have sufficient resistance to external electromagnetic influences (immunity).

CISPR 12 / CISPR 25 – Emission standards. CISPR 12 measures emissions to the environment (radio reception), while CISPR 25 measures emissions within the vehicle – particularly to other sensitive systems such as infotainment, navigation and ECUs.

ISO 11452 series – Immunity tests. This series of standards describes standardised test methods for assessing the electromagnetic immunity of vehicle components. Examples include resistance to radio waves, pulse fields or voltage spikes.

SAE J1113 / J551 – EMC for automotive components. SAE standards that define test methods and performance levels for electromagnetic compatibility, particularly in the North American market.

Functional safety and software

ISO 26262 – Functional Safety for Road Vehicles. This globally applied standard defines the development process for electronic and electrical systems in vehicles, including risk analysis (ASIL classification), fault detection, fail-safe design and validation. In EVs, this standard is crucial for the design of, for example, inverters, BMS and control systems.

ISO/PAS 21448 – SOTIF (Safety Of The Intended Functionality). This standard supplements ISO 26262 and addresses risks that are not caused by component failure, but by functional shortcomings – for example, in driver assistance systems such as automatic emergency braking or adaptive cruise control.

ASPICE / AUTOSAR. Not norms, but industry standards for software development in the automotive sector. ASPICE focuses on process quality, while AUTOSAR focuses on software architecture and reusability. Both are often required by OEMs.

Sustainability and environmental influences

ISO 16750 – Environmental conditions and testing for electrical and electronic equipment. A widely used standard that describes how components must be resistant to vibrations, temperatures, moisture, corrosion, voltage fluctuations and mechanical stress such as shocks or falls.

IEC 60068 – Environmental testing. Broad standard for climate and mechanical testing such as temperature cycles, vibration, humidity, corrosion testing and IP ratings. Often combined with ISO 16750.

SAE J1455 – Environmental practices for electronic equipment. American counterpart to ISO 16750. Focuses primarily on heavy-duty use, such as in trucks, off-road and military vehicles.

Mechanical and thermal safety

UNECE R94 / R95 / R135 – Crash tests and protection. These regulations determine structural safety in frontal (R94), side (R95) and battery-related collisions (R135). The aim is to protect occupants and prevent short circuits, leaks or fires in the high-voltage system.

UL 2580 – Safety standard for batteries for use in electric vehicles. American standard that sets requirements for the mechanical, thermal and electrical safety of batteries. Includes test procedures for thermal runaway, puncture and crush tests.

ISO 23274 – Thermal systems for EVs. This standard covers the testing and design of thermal management in electric vehicles. This includes both the cooling of batteries and inverters and the heating of the interior.

4.2 800V High Voltage Platform in New Energy Vehicles (NEVs)

The 800V high-voltage platform represents a significant step forward in the evolution of electric vehicles. Compared to traditional 400V systems, the 800V platform offers considerable advantages in terms of charging time, energy efficiency and driving range.

By doubling the voltage, the same amount of power can be delivered with a lower current. This results in less heat loss, thinner cabling and a lighter system weight – factors that directly contribute to higher efficiency and better vehicle performance.

Within this high-voltage platform, the core components of the so-called ‘three-electric system’ – including the traction converter, the electric motor and the high-voltage battery – are designed to operate efficiently at voltages up to 800V, and in some cases even up to 1000V. In addition, various auxiliary components, such as the air conditioning compressor, the DC/DC converter and the bi-directional on-board charger (BOBC), must also continue to function reliably under these increased voltage levels.

Testing these systems requires advanced test equipment capable of accurately simulating high-voltage conditions, including rapid voltage variations, spikes and dips. Testing is often carried out in accordance with stricter standards such as LV 123, ISO 21498 and UNECE R100, which specifically address the safety and performance of HV components in electric vehicles.

4.3 12V, 24V and 48V platform in EVs and hybrid EVs

Electric and hybrid vehicles use 12V, 24V and 48V on-board systems, each with a specific area of application.

The 12V system has been the standard in the automotive sector for many years and mainly powers low-power consumers such as lighting, infotainment, windscreen wipers, central locking and safety systems (such as airbags and ABS). This system remains essential because many electronic components are designed for 12V and because of its simplicity and broad compatibility.

The 24V system has been the standard in the truck sector for many years and mainly powers low-power consumers such as lighting, infotainment, windscreen wipers, central locking and safety systems (such as airbags and ABS). This system remains essential because many electronic components are designed for 12V and because of its simplicity and broad compatibility.

With the advent of electrification and heavier electrical functions, the 48V system has been introduced as an intermediate solution between the 12V circuit and the high-voltage system (>400V). The 48V system is used to power more powerful consumers, such as electric turbos, active roll stabilisation, air conditioning compressors, electric power steering and even mild-hybrid drive systems such as a starter generator.

A key advantage of 48V is that it can deliver high power at lower currents, limiting cable cross-sections and energy losses. Furthermore, in terms of safety, it remains within the limits of low-voltage systems, requiring less stringent insulation and protection measures than high-voltage components.

In modern vehicles, these voltage levels often operate in parallel, with a DC/DC converter converting the voltage between the high-voltage system (400V or 800V), the 48V network and the classic 12V and 24V networks. This ensures that energy is distributed efficiently across all of the vehicle’s subsystems.

Traditional 12V centralised architecture

In a distributed system, each component or module can have its own local 48V power supply or DC/DC converter. This makes the vehicle design modular and easier to scale across different vehicle platforms.

Distributed 48V architectuur

4.4 Reliably performing LV123, LV124 and LV 148 standardisation tests

In Europe, car manufacturers have therefore developed the LV123 and LV148 standards. A bidirectional DC power supply offers a practical solution for conformity testing in accordance with these standards.

The LV123 standard describes the requirements for electrical components that operate at high voltages, such as DC/DC converters, onboard chargers, traction inverters and battery packs. For practical test setups with a regenerative bidirectional DC power supply, please refer to the other chapters. This standard has been drawn up to guarantee the functional safety and electrical robustness of vehicle components. Conformity tests according to LV123 require the ability to generate defined voltage profiles, including abruptly varying voltages, undervoltage, overvoltage and interrupted mains conditions. A powerful bidirectional DC power supply that can handle fast voltage variations (e.g. 200 V/ms) and a minimum voltage range of 800V makes it possible to accurately simulate these conditions. Built-in support for these standard test scenarios significantly speeds up the testing process and reduces dependence on external control software.

LV123 test spanningsniveau’s

The LV148 standard is an evolution of the LV124 standard and focuses on the 48V electrical system often used in hybrid and mild-hybrid vehicles, whereas LV124 was developed for 12V/24V applications. These standards set requirements for electronic systems such as lighting, audio systems, fan control, and energy recovery components. Test scenarios are defined here, such as long-term and transient overvoltage, undervoltage, voltage drop during start-up, and behaviour during voltage recovery. A bi-directional DC power supply (e.g. the Itech IT-M3600 or IT2700 series) with auto-range output can flexibly handle different voltage and current combinations. This allows development teams to perform a wide range of tests with a single test source, including the specified LV148 conditions such as E48-01a to E48-18.

LV 148	Test item
E48-01a	Long-term overvoltage test
E48-02	Transient overvoltage
E48-03	Transient undervoltage
E48-04	Jumpstart resp Recuperation
E48-06a	Slow decrease and increase of the supply voltage
E48-08	Reset behavior
E48-10	Start Pulse
E48-15	Operation in the range without function restriction
E48-16	Operation in the upper range with functional limitation
E48-18	Overvoltage range

LV148 test condities

Difference in voltage level between LV124 and LV148

The built-in test profiles and precise control of output voltage and current make bidirectional power supplies ideal for EV validation environments. Due to their ability to both supply and absorb (load function), these power supplies can also be used for endurance testing and system integration in closed test setups. These regenerative bidirectional DC power supplies reduce energy consumption and increase the reliability of the test process.

LV124 cold start voltage test

For an overview of regenerative power supplies suitable for this application, please refer to TTMS LV124-LV148 bidirectional DC power supplies.