Sponsored by Intertek While the energy density of lithium-ion batteries offers a distinct advantage, it also presents safety concerns related to overheating and fire. Manufacturers need to mitigate these risks, not only throughout use but also during transport. Because lithium batteries may present a hazard during transportation, they are considered dangerous goods. In order to… Read more »
Sponsored by ClipperCreek After deciding to buy a plug-in electric vehicle, often the next decision is to purchase a Level 2 charging station for faster charging at home. The technical name as defined in the National Electric Code for these products is EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), commonly called charging stations. Safety might not be the first consideration… Read more »
Most major retailers require that electrical products sold in their stores undergo third-party independent safety testing and certification, Amazon does not. After Charged encouraged the company to change its policy for EV charging stations, an Amazon spokesperson provided this official comment, “We monitor the products sold on our website for product safety concerns, and when appropriate, we… Read more »
Intertek, a company that specializes in third-party validation and compliance testing, is working with the DOE and several national laboratories to collect real-world data on all the most popular plug-in models, testing the vehicles’ performance, durability and operational costs. Intertek acquires new vehicles directly from a dealer, and installs data logging equipment, which uses Wi-Fi… Read more »
Intertek’s Rich Byczek on avoiding EVSE-to-vehicle interoperability issues. Back in January, Plugincars.com published an article by Colby Trudeau – a Honda Fit EV owner, Plug In America volunteer, and electrical engineer at Qualcomm Technologies – that detailed his charging troubles using Ecotality’s Blink charging stations at work. Trudeau found that after about 20 minutes… Read more »
(This article originally appeared in Charged Issue 6 – JAN/FEB 2013) EV standards gaps: Intertek’s Rich Byczek on two of the biggest safety concerns centered around batteries. The EV industry is young and evolving quickly – too quickly, in some cases, for the standards community to keep up. The competing charging standards provide the most obvious example. There are… Read more »