TÜV SÜD completes first roadworthiness tests for electric vehicles

Munich. TÜV SÜD is actively advancing roadworthiness testing for electric vehicles. On Wednesday 26 May, the first regular roadworthiness tests were completed on four MINI E electric cars. At a press conference held at the TÜV SÜD Auto Partner inspection facility at Hoppegarten near Berlin, Wolfgang Eichler, Member of the Management Board of TÜV SÜD Auto Service GmbH, stressed the benefits of collaborating with BMW in this field: "The roadworthiness tests of the MINI E are an excellent opportunity to gather vital practical experience in testing electric vehicles and incorporate this experience into vehicle testing procedures."

Passed with flying colours: after a successful round of TÜV tests, testing engineer Thomas Praß applies the TÜV sticker to one of four MINI Es tested on Wednesday 26 May at TÜV SÜD's Berlin-Hoppegarten facility.

What challenges must be addressed in the future when electric vehicles require roadworthiness testing? What additional testing procedures are required for electric and hybrid drive systems in comparison to combustion engines? What standards need to be developed in the interests of maintaining road safety? TÜV SÜD aims to find answers to these issues in the coming months, with the objective of developing detailed recommendations for new directives and aspects of mandatory testing for roadworthiness testing. "Although purely electric vehicles are still a rare sight, hybrid vehicles are increasingly common on our roads. It is thus vital to develop a clear approach in dealing with issues such as high-voltage technology in roadworthiness testing. A further objective is naturally to ensure that TÜV's roadworthiness testing for electric vehicles is as convenient and customer-friendly as its current testing for conventional vehicles."

Via this partner organization, TÜV SÜD has provided its full range of mobility-related services in Germany's capital since March.

Safety – the cornerstone to acceptance of electric vehicles

The collaboration with BMW focuses on roadworthiness testing for some of the 612 electric test vehicles of the MINI brand, which took to the roads last year as part of a field research project. Now, after one year, some of the pilot project's MINI E vehicles are due for their first roadworthiness inspection. The first four were brought to TÜV SÜD Auto Partner's new inspection facility at Hoppegarten on the border of Berlin. "

Electronic interfaces and electrical safety

High-voltage technology is the main area of focus in roadworthiness testing for e-vehicles. An important guideline in this area is the European testing standard for electrical safety, which must be observed in approval procedures for electric vehicles. The standard sets forth requirements including instructions for safeguarding and labelling all live components and for indicating that the vehicle is ready for operation or charging. "However, the provisions of the ECE-R 100 standard cannot serve as anything more than a guide for the development of testing procedures for roadworthiness testing of electric vehicles", warns Eichler. "

Future roadworthiness testing must include in-depth tests of all safety and monitoring systems installed in the vehicle. This process will include not only the already mandatory visual inspections of cable harnesses, connectors and insulators, but will also cover inspection of self-diagnosis functions for faults including short-circuit or changes in resistance. As is already customary in newer vehicles with built-in electronic safety systems such as ESP and active steering, key aspects of electric vehicle testing will include verification of the functionality of these systems and plausibility checks for the displays of on-board monitoring systems.

A major area of focus in electric vehicle safety is an intact insulation system to protect passengers and other road users from electrical hazards. TÜV SÜD's experts regard this as a mandatory aspect of roadworthiness testing in the future. The MINI has solved this issue in exemplary fashion: in the MINI E inspected by TÜV SÜD, an insulation resistance monitor system permanently and automatically monitors the insulation of the high-voltage technology. If a fault develops, changes in resistance occur and a warning signal alerts the driver. "We generally recommend an emergency cutout function, standardized in position and design, for the energy storage unit", stresses Eichler.

Staff training – for safer handling of high-voltage technology

Development of a catalogue of tests for tomorrow's roadworthiness testing, the advancement of testing methods for safety-relevant electrical systems and roadworthiness testing of electric vehicles as a whole are just some of the themes with which TÜV SÜD is advancing the progress of electromobility. The company also believes it is well prepared for the evaluation of energy generation sources, infrastructure, charging stations or disposal, with the aim of helping to ensure that e-mobility is a success story in Germany.

A partner of municipal authorities, cities and official bodies in converting their fleets, a traditional partner in the field of vehicle approval or the provider of concrete advice in safety issues related to electric vehicles: as a long-standing partner of industry, TÜV SÜD offers outstanding expertise and a wealth of experience in all these fields, drawing on areas such as homologation of vehicles with electric drive systems. In Stuttgart the service provider is actively involved in the "Electromobility Model Region" project; in addition, TÜV SÜD Akademie is one of Germany's leading providers of training courses for vehicle repair shop staff dealing with high-voltage vehicles.