Battery Standards Testing Committee

This document describes a test procedure for rating peak power of the Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) used in a combustion engine Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Other types of vehicles with non fossil fuel primary engines, such as fuel cells, are not intended to use this test procedure.

This SAE Recommended Practice is intended as a guide toward standard practice and is subject to change to keep pace with experience and technical advances. It describes a body of tests which may be used as needed for abuse testing of electric or hybrid electric vehicle Rechargeable Energy Storage Systems (RESS) to determine the response of such electrical energy storage and control systems to conditions or events which are beyond their normal operating range.
Abuse test procedures in this document are intended to cover a broad range of vehicle applications as well as a broad range of electrical energy storage devices, including individual RESS cells (batteries or capacitors), modules and packs. This document applies to vehicles with RESS voltages above 60 volts. This document does not apply to RESS that uses mechanical devices store energy (e.g., electro-mechanical flywheels).

This SAE Recommended Practice describes the vibration durability testing of a single battery (test unit) consisting of either an electric vehicle battery module or an electric vehicle battery pack. For statistical purposes, multiple samples would normally be subjected to such testing. Additionally, some test units may be subjected to life cycle testing (either after or during vibration testing) to determine the effects of vibration on battery life. Such life testing is not described in this procedure; SAE J2288 may be used for this purpose as applicable. Finally, impact testing, such as crash and pothole, is not included in this procedure.

This SAE Recommended Practice defines a standardized test method to determine the expected service life, in cycles, of electric vehicle battery modules. It is based on a set of nominal or baseline operating conditions in order to characterize the expected degradation in electrical performance as a function of life and to identify relevant failure mechanisms where possible. Accelerated aging is not included in the scope of this procedure, although the time compression resulting from continuous testing may unintentionally accelerate battery degradation unless test conditions are carefully controlled. The process used to define a test matrix of accelerated aging conditions based on failure mechanisms, and to establish statistical confidence levels for the results, is considered beyond the scope of this document.
Because the intent is to use standard testing conditions whenever possible, results from the evaluation of different technologies should be comparable. End-of-life is determined based on module capacity and power ratings. This may result in a measured cycle life different than that which would be determined based on actual capacity; however, this approach permits a battery manufacturer to make necessary tradeoffs between power and energy in establishing ratings for a battery module. This approach is considered appropriate for a mature design or production battery. It should be noted that the procedure defined in this document is functionally identical to the USABC Baseline Life Cycle Test Procedure.

This SAE Recommended Practice provides for common test and verification methods to determine lead acid and nickel metal hydride electric vehicle battery module performance. The document creates the necessary performance tests to determine (a) what the basic performance of EV battery modules is, and (b) if battery modules meet minimum performance specification established by vehicle manufacturers or other purchasers. Specific values for these minimum performance specifications are not a part of this document.

This SAE Recommended Practice provides for common test and verification methods to determine Electric Vehicle battery module performance. The document creates the necessary performance standards to determine (a) what the basic performance of EV battery modules is; and (b) whether battery modules meet minimum performance specification established by vehicle manufacturers or other purchasers. Specific values for these minimum performance specifications are not a part of this document.