[Report] "The Standards We Set Are the Global Standard"... Automobile Safety Research Institute Establishes Gwangju Certification Center

Established three test facilities for battery, collision, and impact with 39 billion KRW investment
Testing certification items strengthened beyond international standards
Asia's largest fire test chamber to be added next year
Random testing of about 70 vehicles across 10 types annually
Only 6 staff members handle certification tests... "Need to increase to 20"

Lee Jeong-gi, Head of the Evaluation Research Office at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority's Automotive Safety Research Institute, along with other officials, is explaining the battery drop test conducted at the Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center.

Photo by Korea Automobile Journalists Association

The Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center is equipped with an impact testing room that checks whether the battery catches fire or explodes when an eco-friendly vehicle collides.
Photo by Ki-min Lee victor.lee@

The Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center is establishing Asia's largest fire test chamber, which will be fully operational from the second half of next year.
Photo by Ki-min Lee victor.lee@

[Gwangju= Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] "Just as our country's companies are the world's best in the electric vehicle battery market, the battery safety certification standards we have established are soon to become the global standard."

On the 19th, at the Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center in the Bitgreen National Industrial Complex in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Lee Jeong-gi, head of the Evaluation Research Office at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority's Automotive Safety Research Institute, expressed confidence, saying, "We conduct more thorough and detailed battery safety certifications than any other institution worldwide, and we are recognized globally."

The Korea Transportation Safety Authority's Automotive Safety Research Institute has been promoting the establishment of the Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center on a 29,916㎡ site in the Bitgreen Industrial Complex in Gwangju since August last year. Recently, due to carbon neutrality policies and the expanding demand for electric vehicles, attention to batteries has been increasing day by day. Electric vehicle batteries are especially important for safety because when a fire occurs, it does not extinguish until complete combustion. In addition, the demand for certification and post-management from electric vehicle manufacturers is also increasing.

The Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center consists of three buildings: the Battery Testing Building, the Collision Testing Building, and the Impact Testing Building, with a total investment of 39 billion KRW (19.5 billion KRW each from national and local governments). The certification evaluation equipment includes six types of eco-friendly vehicle battery evaluation equipment, seven types of collision safety evaluation equipment, ten types of impact safety evaluation equipment, and three types of fire reproduction and legally required auxiliary equipment, totaling 26 types, with completion scheduled by next year. Notably, with the revision of domestic battery safety evaluation test methods in July this year, the center plans to conduct 12 evaluation tests, which are stricter than the 10 international standard items, including battery impact tests, to provide technical support to manufacturers and analyze electric vehicle defects.

The completed Battery Testing Building consists of eight test rooms, four of which are constructed with explosion-proof structures to prepare for battery fire and explosion during testing. The test rooms, made with thick concrete explosion-proof structures, are equipped with vibration testers, impact testers, compression testers, and battery immersion safety evaluation testers, enabling safe testing of electric bus batteries weighing up to 2 tons. Additionally, in the second half of next year, the largest fire test chamber in Asia will conduct real vehicle fire tests for electric vehicles and buses, aiming to become the world's top-level electric vehicle safety certification institution based on these capabilities.

The Collision Testing Building, which will be fully operational from next year, will enable numerous tests on passenger protection during eco-friendly vehicle collisions and high-voltage battery safety. It will also be equipped with testing facilities capable of researching collision safety for various eco-friendly vehicles, from ultra-compact electric vehicles to vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tons. The Impact Testing Building, dedicated to evaluating the body strength of eco-friendly vehicle platforms, will consist of eight test rooms, including an internal impact test room, and will have equipment such as side door and roof strength testers to assess the structural strength of parts ensuring driver safety.

Once all testing and evaluation equipment is established, the center will support projects to enhance vehicle safety, conduct national research projects, and carry out safety standard evaluation and certification tests tailored to the needs of manufacturers developing eco-friendly vehicles and parts. Lee Jeong-gi stated, "In the Battery Testing Building, 70 units across 10 vehicle models will undergo blind self-certification tests over one year," adding, "Since the parts certification center anonymously purchases vehicles and conducts tests for a month, it is possible to identify detailed defect causes in batteries, battery management systems (BMS), and vehicles."

The establishment of the Eco-friendly Vehicle Parts Certification Center is expected to increase the utilization of local infrastructure, reduce development costs for small and medium-sized enterprises, and expand support for eco-friendly vehicle research and development. However, there are criticisms that the center, despite being the largest safety research center in the country, still suffers from a shortage of government personnel. Currently, only six people are dedicated to safety certification-related tasks at the center, including two researchers and four research assistants.

Lee said, "The current staff are doing their best to operate the battery tests that have been prepared," but appealed, "However, when the Collision Testing Building and Fire Test Chamber become operational next year, about 20 personnel will be needed, so government support for staffing is urgently required."