An electric vehicle's crushed hood after a collision. Saved from fire with battery impact testing to help design a resilient battery.

Battery Impact Testing

As the market demand for electric vehicles (EV) rises, ATS assists manufacturers by providing battery impact testing in our mechanical testing lab. EV battery manufacturers enlist third-party labs to perform tests that assess a design’s functionality and potential hazards. These rigorous mechanical tests help auto companies:

Mechanical Lab Testing

Mechanical tests on EV batteries simulate real-life scenarios, such as front-end collisions. During an impact test, our experts deliberately subject a battery sample to forces that may adversely affect the specimen’s mechanical integrity.

For example, manufacturers may request an impact test involving lithium-ion batteries to learn how their design oxidizes after impact. Manufacturers can apply impact test results to redesign choices to build an EV battery capable of resisting the forces associated with normal operation.

The appropriate impact test depends on the battery design, manufacturer, and application. We test according to the original manufacturer’s OEM specifications to ensure the test replicates the correct real-life performance.

Charpy (Notched Bar) Impact Testing

Charpy impact testing measures the energy absorbed by an EV battery during fracture. Our engineers use this notched bar impact test to determine the toughness of materials used to create the battery cells. To perform the test, our experts drop a pendulum onto a notched battery specimen, then measure the difference in height to calculate the energy absorbed.

Temperature and Impact

We also offer high-temperature mechanical testing to explore the relationship between temperature and the battery’s material toughness. Impact tests compounded with temperature changes help manufacturers evaluate performance in various climates. Our mechanical testing lab can subject an EV battery to temperatures reaching 1,800 ˚F and impact forces up to 400,000 pounds. Additionally, our in-house machine shop can provide specialized equipment and testing setups as required.

Dynamic Testing

Our mechanical and environmental testing labs perform various dynamic tests, including dynamic impact testing. Click here to learn about dynamic impact testing.
Testing to Standards

To keep up with innovations in the electric vehicle industry, multiple regulatory bodies have released testing methods and guidelines for evaluating EV batteries during regular operation and after incidences. While delivering an impact test, our experts can follow industry standards and guidelines. Depending on the type of test requested, we can test to meet specific industry standards, such as:

Charpy Testing:
EV Battery Testing:
The ATS Difference
ATS provides clients with the highest quality customer service possible for all consulting engineering, calibration, inspection, and testing needs. With a growing Family of Companies, our wide range of capabilities supports industries as varied as automotive, chemistry, and power generation. Clients in all industries can rely on our quick turnaround rate and qualifications to meet industry standards and client specifications:
To learn more about our certifications and quality standards, click here.
Contact Us
Call +1 (888) 287-5227 or complete the web form on this page to request battery impact testing from ATS. Please consider us for all your EV battery testing needs.

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