Promoting the Adoption of BMS Safety Features by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority
The Korea Transportation Safety Authority announced on the 20th that the number of vehicles equipped with new Battery Management System (BMS) technology, which helps prevent electric vehicle fires, has increased to 25 this year.
BMS is a device that monitors and controls the battery status to manage the battery safely and efficiently. In the past, even if the battery of a parked electric vehicle was abnormal, there was no function to detect it or to notify fire agencies of fire warning signs.
Firefighters are conducting a joint firefighting drill to respond to electric vehicle fires. Photo by Yonhap News
The Authority introduced the BMS protection function evaluation to the Korea New Car Assessment Program (KNCAP) last year, the first in the world, to enable quick response in case of electric vehicle fires. It evaluates three items: continuous battery monitoring, automatic reporting, and information storage. This is to encourage automakers to install such technology in their vehicles.
With the introduction of a government-certified battery pre-certification system for battery safety, the Authority established a dedicated organization to manage this system. After a pilot project, they supplemented deficiencies and prepared detailed procedures.
Additionally, they mandated the disclosure of key information such as battery cell manufacturers and required the battery identification number to be recorded in the vehicle registration documents. Going forward, to activate the battery lifecycle management and post-use battery industry, they plan to establish a battery history management system that comprehensively manages performance, lifespan, residual value, and more.
Jung Yong-sik, President of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (fourth from the left), is observing the demonstration of the battery certification pilot project in October last year. Photo by Korea Transportation Safety Authority
In November last year, a fire investigation and analysis facility was established to analyze causes of electric vehicle fires and promptly process recalls if defects are suspected. Jeong Yong-sik, Director of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, said, "We will utilize our know-how and research capabilities related to electric vehicle fire investigations to create a safe electric vehicle operating environment," and added, "We will thoroughly manage safety from the perspective of prevention."
Meanwhile, according to the Authority’s analysis of 156 electric vehicle fires from 2018 to last year, the highest number of ignition devices was the high-voltage battery with 85 cases. Other vehicle components such as coolant heaters and power supply devices accounted for 39 cases, and external factors or unknown causes such as auxiliary batteries and portable chargers accounted for 32 cases. Fires occurred most frequently during parking or charging with 103 cases, followed by driving (32 cases) and post-collision accidents (21 cases).
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