UL Solutions and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strategic cooperation to help create the safer deployment and use of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Pursuant to the MoU, UL Solutions is offering insight into the qualification of CATL’s battery laboratory to become a UL Solutions Witnessed Test Data Program (WTDP) facility to test to UL 9540A, the Standard for Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems. UL Solutions product evaluations typically involve testing product samples. Through this agreement, WTDP tests may be conducted at CATL test facilities under the supervision of UL Solutions personnel, helping to improve efficiency and shorten the time to market for battery product certification and testing.
As the first laboratory in China to launch the UL Solutions WTDP initiative for UL 9540A, CATL’s energy storage system laboratory offers testing capabilities by UL Solutions through the WTDP designation. It has already been qualified by UL Solutions to test to UL 1973, the Standard for Batteries for Use in Stationary and Motive Auxiliary Power Applications, UL 9540, the Standard for Energy Storage Systems and Equipment and UL 2580, the Standard for Batteries for Use in Electric Vehicles.
EnerOne, CATL’s flagship outdoor liquid cooling battery system, and EnerC, CATL’s containerized liquid-cooling battery system, also received the latest version of UL 9540A test reports, making CATL the first company in China to complete critical cell, module, unit and installation level tests from UL Solutions.
Both parties will also leverage their expertise to carry out in-depth cooperation in further exploring lithium-ion battery safety and offer insight into developing BESS and EV battery standards. UL Solutions and CATL will also collaborate to explore carbon footprint reduction and other sustainability efforts.
“Battery storage technologies are essential to speeding up the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and will play an increasingly pivotal role to help combat climate change and carbon emissions,” said Weifang Zhou, executive vice president and president of Testing, Inspection and Certification at UL Solutions. “We are excited about our collaboration with CATL and how we are joining together to advance battery energy storage systems and EV batteries applications as well as their safety and performance potential.”
“By cooperating with UL Solutions, we look forward to improving the scientificity and integrality of energy storage system safety testing, thus further enhancing our comprehensive testing and validation capabilities for energy storage systems,” said LiBin Tan, vice president of CATL. “We will further leverage our state-of-the-art battery technologies to facilitate the safe deployment and use of energy storage systems, thus speeding the global energy transition and creating a healthier, promising future for all.”
