Standards Development

Scope

As BEVs in the UK become more prevalent, ensuring the safe and sustainable repair of HV battery systems is vital. Currently, the BS10125 provides broad guidance on the isolation, discharge, and/or quarantine of HV systems. However, these do not reflect the complexity of real-world HV battery damage scenarios. To provide context, provided below is the current situation revolving around damaged HV batteries:

• According to Synetiq, there is a surge in EVs in isolation bays—95% of cells in EV and hybrid battery packs are undamaged and suitable for reuse .

• Currently, Vehicle Manufacturer (VM) methods predominantly support full casing replacement and HV battery strip-down, with little to no guidance on validated repair techniques.

• Even without a standardised damage repair process and access to VM methods, independent entities outside the VM dealerships are starting to emerge and conduct battery repair and refurbishing.

• VMs often delegate scrap battery disposal to local dealerships, yet many dealers lack the necessary processes or expertise to handle them correctly . This results in batteries not being assessed for reuse or repair and sent directly for recycling.

This disconnect in the damage repair process is already producing a negative impact on sustainability and does not promote circularity. Given the safety-critical nature of HV batteries, a more granular and technically robust damage assessment and repair process is essential.

To address this, Thatcham Research proposes the development of a dedicated British Standard on HV battery damage assessment and repair. This standard would, at the minimum:

• Provide a consistent, standardised damage repair process applicable across VMs and the wider repair industry.

• Define minimum information requirements, including repair procedures, tooling, and component specifications.

• Clarify capability expectations for personnel performing HV battery repairs, including competency/qualification levels and safety protocols.

• Encourage wider availability of HV battery casing and component repair methods to support its reuse.

Such a standard would directly contribute to the UK’s Battery Strategy goals by promoting circularity in the BEV battery ecosystem, reducing unnecessary battery replacements, and lowering the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing new components. Furthermore, it would support the growth of skilled green jobs, apprenticeships, and workforce development in HV systems, building capacity in line with the UK net-zero ambitions.

In addition, these public interests will benefit from the creation of this standard: 

• Safe handling and disposal: Handling of scrapped vehicles is mandatory under the Waste Batteries and Accumulator Regulations 2009. Availability of the proposed standards encourages repair, leading to reduced battery-damaged vehicles in scrapyards and consequently reducing fire risk.

• Consumer Benefits: Providing clear guidelines addresses safety risks and uncertainty over repair in HV batteries, which typically drives up the cost of EV insurance. Having this standard can lead to more affordable insurance premiums for EV consumers and, subsequently, along with the safety benefits, can increase consumer confidence in EVs.

• Industry Benefits: Increased consumer confidence can drive EV sales up. Moreover, the availability of repair guidelines promotes the longevity of EV batteries, which can have cost benefits for the automotive industry as the need for new battery production is reduced. Concurrent to this standard is a good diagnostic capability of VMs, so this should also drive VMs to develop and improve their diagnostic capabilities tooling to accurately diagnose cell-level HV battery issues.

Purpose

New work item proposal