Battery Pack Test — ISO 12405 / UNECE R100

What Is Battery Pack?

Battery pack tests are conducted on the final product, in which cells are combined into modules and integrated with the enclosure, cooling system, power-distribution unit and battery management system. The pack behaves differently from the sum of the cells: heat distribution, mechanical stress and electrical balancing emerge at pack level.

Purpose of Battery Pack

The purpose is to verify that the final battery system to be used on the vehicle delivers its declared performance and meets safety requirements.

Which Products Is Battery Pack Applied To?

Electric vehicle battery packs
Hybrid vehicle energy storage systems
Commercial-vehicle and bus battery systems
Stationary energy storage units

In Which Sectors Is Battery Pack Used?

AutomotiveEnergy

Standards Related to Battery Pack

ISO 12405-4Test conditions for electric vehicle lithium battery packs test
UNECE R100electric vehicle and battery safety test
IEC 62619lithium battery safety in industrial applications test
ISO 6469-1
ISO 6469-3

Battery Pack Conditions

Test scope: Performance, safety and environmental durability tests are planned separately
System status: Battery management system and cooling circuit operational
Temperature range: Determined according to the test and the customer's specification

Equipment for Battery Pack

High-power battery cycler system
Liquid-cooling conditioning unit
Large-volume climatic chamber
Vibration shaker (high load capacity)
Insulation measurement equipment
CAN data logger

Sample Requirements for Battery Pack

A complete pack representing the series-production configuration
Cooling connections and power connectors complete
The battery management system's software version must be recorded
Since safety tests are destructive, separate specimens are required

Duration of Battery Pack

Performance tests can take days, and cycle-life tests can take months. The test list and duration are determined together at the quote stage.

Battery Pack Procedure

1The pack description, configuration and software version are recorded.
2Reference capacity and internal-resistance measurements are taken.
3The cooling system is connected and conditioned.
4The planned test profile is applied.
5Electrical, thermal and communication data are recorded.
6Performance and insulation measurements are repeated after the test.

Battery Pack Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion varies by test: for safety tests, the absence of fire, explosion and hazardous leakage, and preservation of insulation resistance; for performance tests, the capacity, power and efficiency targets in the customer's specification are the basis.

Evaluation of Results

The change in capacity and internal resistance, the uniformity of temperature distribution, and inter-cell imbalance are evaluated. The difference between the hottest and coldest zones in the pack is an important indicator of design quality.

Battery Pack Report

Pack configuration and software version
Applied standard and test list
Measurement data and graphs
Temperature map and cell-imbalance data
Post-test condition and photographs

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

UNECE R100
(EU) 2023/1542 Battery Regulation

Otomotiv Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Battery Pack test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Automotive testing shows that a component keeps working under conditions representing the loads it will meet over the life of the vehicle. A vehicle is not a single product but an ENVIRONMENT: vibration, temperature cycling, salt water, stone impact, electrical transients and electromagnetic noise are all present at the same time and for years.

What distinguishes this family is that VEHICLE MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS sit on top of the standards. ISO and SAE publications establish the common ground; but Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault define different severity levels, additional tests and different acceptance criteria in their own specifications. For a component, the phrase "complies with automotive standards" is not sufficient on its own; which manufacturer's specification, and which revision of it, must be answered.

The family carries three separate processes together and they are often confused. Homologation covers the type approvals a vehicle needs to enter traffic and runs under state authority. Supplier approval means passing the vehicle manufacturer's own quality and testing requirements and is a commercial relationship. The third is design verification: the engineering team demonstrating that its own design meets its targets.

At component level the test plan is built around the LOCATION OF USE. A module in the engine bay and a module in the boot do not go through the same temperature and vibration profile; a component inside a door and one in the roof console do not see the same water and dust exposure. The ISO 16750 series is the common framework for this location-based approach.

The shift to electric vehicles has reshaped the field. High-voltage safety, insulation coordination, battery safety, charging interface conformity and the electromagnetic behaviour of high-voltage components have been added to the classical automotive test set. In a quiet vehicle, acoustic and vibration expectations have changed too; sounds once masked by the combustion engine are now audible.

The quality system side cannot be separated from testing in this field. A manufacturer under IATF 16949 presents test results in the PPAP file; measurement system analysis, process capability study and the control plan stand around the test report. A single good result is not enough — the process must be shown to be able to repeat it.

Method groups in this field

Environmental and climatic
Temperature cycling, thermal shock, damp heat, salt spray, dust and water ingress (IP), solar radiation. Severity levels vary with the mounting location.
Mechanical
Sine and random vibration, shock, mechanical loads, fastener torque and durability cycles.
Electrical
Supply voltage variations, transients (ISO 7637), reverse polarity, overvoltage, short circuit and sleep current measurements.
EMC
Component emissions (CISPR 25), radiated and conducted immunity (ISO 11452 series), electrostatic discharge (ISO 10605).
Materials and emissions
Odour, fogging and VOC emissions from interior materials; flammability; UV ageing; coating durability and stone impact.
Functional safety and cyber security
Functional safety evidence under ISO 26262 and cyber security engineering under ISO/SAE 21434; these are tied to regulation through UNECE R155 and R156.

Commonly confused in this field

An automotive report without a specification reference is not accepted in the supply chain; which OEM specification and revision was applied must be stated.
Type approval and supplier approval are different processes. A component with E-Mark approval is not thereby considered to have passed the OEM's own acceptance tests.
A result obtained on a prototype does not carry over to series production; PPAP is done with series production parts.
On the EMC side, measuring emissions alone is incomplete; immunity is a separate body of work and is more critical in a vehicle.
On electric vehicle components, high-voltage safety is a distinct competence; classical 12 V test infrastructure is not sufficient.

Which decisions these results support

Supplier component approval and the PPAP file
UNECE type approval and E-Mark marking
Design verification and durability evidence
Root cause analysis of field complaints and warranty returns
Assessing the impact of a design or supplier change

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Battery Pack

I had a module test done — is a pack test also needed?

Yes. Cooling, enclosure, power distribution and the battery management system come into play at pack level; these components are not represented in a module test. Type approval requires evidence at pack level.

Does a software update invalidate the tests?

If a change to the battery management system's software affects the protective functions, the relevant tests must be renewed. This is why the software version is recorded in the report, and change management is important.