The second edition of IEC 62133 (2012) is a complete cancelation and replacement of the first edition (2002). US, Canada, EU and several countries have adopted the second edition of the standard, however timelines for compliance vary by region and end standards. The biggest impact to battery manufacturers is the separation of nickel based and lithium based batteries, a reduction to the number of battery pack level testing and a significant improvement to cell level testing. As the primary changes are for Lithium-ion cells, battery assemblers should note that when certifying to the 2nd edition, they will need to be aware of the cell’s existing certifications.
The specifics of changes for lithium ion batteries are a reduction in the number of minimum samples needed, the inclusion of a second charging procedure that preconditions the batteries at their temperature limits prior to short-circuit testing, a short-circuit test at 55°C with one hour added duration during post-test, free fall defined in a 20°C temperature and a one hour minimum post test duration, and the movement of the overcharge test from cells to batteries.
At the cell level, there’s a reduction in the number of minimum samples needed, the inclusion of a second charging procedure that preconditions the cells at their temperature limits prior to short-circuit, thermal abuse, crush and forced internal short-circuit testing, a reduction in continuous charge testing (from 28 down to 7 days), a clarification of shorting resistance, free fall defined in a 20°C temperature and a one hour minimum post test duration, the addition of a 10% deformation end point to the crush test, prismatic cells are not only allowed to be crushed on the widest side, the mandatory compliance of UN 38.3 by all cells under test, and the addition of the nation specific forced internal short-circuit test
