3 mins Read 
22/08/2023 At Alexander Battery Technologies, the safety of our custom battery packs is a top priority when we begin prototyping. When designing a battery pack for light electric vehicles (LEVs), we ensure our battery packs are designed and manufactured to UL2271 standards. A UL2271 certification is important for your battery pack as it is required for your product to meet regulations in some regions.
What is UL2271 Certification?
UL2271 certification was released in 2016 by Underwriters Laboratories, a global safety science organization. This standard covers the safety requirements for the design, manufacture, and testing of lithium-ion batteries used in LEV applications. It is now a necessity for all lithium-ion battery packs traded in the US to meet UL2271 certification. With other countries expected to follow suit, we ensure all our LEV application batteries meet UL2271 standards.
How is the battery pack tested?
Prior to achieving certification according to UL2271 standard, every battery must undergo a sequence of assessments.
The tests mandated by UL2271 standard encompass:
- Thermal runaway test
- Overcharge test
- Over-discharge test
- Crush test
- External short-circuit test
- Impact test
- Water immersion test
- Thermal cycling test
- Vibration test
- Forced discharge test
Examples of applications that require UL2271 certification
- E-Bikes
- E-Motorbikes
- E-Scooters
- Golf carts
- Hydrofoils
What does all of this do for your battery?
UL2271 certification ensures the battery is safe for the consumer and the product. This guarantee of safety is needed for the battery pack to be eligible for trade in the United States of America. UL2271 certification ensures an application’s power source will be durable and safe throughout the application’s lifetime.
To receive UL2271 certification, battery packs must not:
- Explode
- Catch fire
- Rupture
- Leak electrolytes
- present an electric shock hazard
- lose protection controls during testing
Designing battery packs with certification requirements in mind
For OEMs developing battery-powered products, standards such as UL2271 are one part of a broader set of safety and compliance requirements that must be considered during battery pack development.
While UL2271 applies specifically to light electric vehicle applications, the underlying principles of safety, validation and controlled manufacturing are relevant across many battery programmes.
Our role is to support OEMs in designing and manufacturing battery packs that meet the appropriate regulatory and certification requirements for their application, whether that involves UL standards, IEC standards or other region-specific compliance frameworks.
If you are developing a battery-powered product and need support with design, validation or preparing for certification, you can learn more about our approach to battery pack design and development or explore our custom battery pack manufacturing capabilities.
