Battery Testing and Certification for Electric Propulsion Ships Now Available Domestically

Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute Designated as First Official Testing and Certification Body by Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

Overview of the battery testing and certification facility for electric propulsion ships at Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) announced on the 10th that it has been designated as the first domestic testing and certification institution to inspect the performance and safety of battery cells and modules installed in eco-friendly electric propulsion ships.

The government has announced the so-called ‘2030 Korean-style Eco-friendly Ship (Greenship-K) Promotion Strategy,’ aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from eco-friendly ships by up to 70% compared to conventional ships by 2030, and to increase the conversion rate to eco-friendly ships from the current 1% to 15% in order to achieve carbon neutrality.

Electric propulsion ships operate by driving motors using electricity stored in batteries or supplied from generators, rather than engines. Therefore, battery safety is crucial. The government designated KERI as the first official domestic testing and certification institution to conduct safety testing and certification of batteries.

KERI was the first in Korea to establish the ‘Electric Ship Land-based Test Facility (2015)’ and the ‘Battery Fire Safety Test Site (2016).’ In particular, it has conducted numerous safety evaluations for electric vehicle and ESS battery fires that have occurred frequently in recent years.

Kim Sung-guk, Senior Researcher at KERI, said, “Battery testing involves handling dangerous explosions and fires, requiring highly specialized testing technology, and the type approval standards for ship batteries are currently the most stringent among domestic and international regulations. Domestic ship battery manufacturers will be able to reduce testing periods and costs for product development by nearly half compared to before.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.