The Korea Transportation Safety Authority’s Automobile Safety Research Institute has recently completed the establishment of the Eco-Friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center, responding proactively to the rising safety concerns from the increasing demand for electric cars and battery fires, along with the rapidly growing certification needs of manufacturers and post-management.
In 2019, Gwangju Metropolitan City was selected as the final recipient of a competitive project supervised by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, with a total investment of 39.3 billion won (19.4 billion won from the national budget and 19.9 billion won from local funding), breaking ground in August 2020 on a site of 29,916 square meters within the Bitgreen National Industrial Complex.
The Eco-Friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center comprises four testing buildings: a battery testing building, a crash test building, an impact test building, and a fire test chamber. In total, 26 types of evaluation equipment have been established, including six types of electric vehicle battery safety evaluation equipment, eleven types of crash safety evaluation equipment, six types of impact safety evaluation equipment, and three types of fire reproduction equipment with legal attachments.
The battery testing building includes four explosion-proof rooms to prepare for battery fires and explosions. It is equipped with vibrational, impact, and submersion testing equipment to evaluate safety during battery immersion, alongside a large fire testing chamber capable of conducting real fire tests for electric buses.
As of July 2021, with the revision of the new domestic battery safety evaluation testing methods in line with international standards, the battery testing building has been in operation since February 2022. It conducts evaluation tests using 12 enhanced criteria beyond the international standards (10 items) for battery impact testing, providing technical support to manufacturers and analyzing electric vehicle defects.
The crash test building allows for various tests mandated by domestic and international safety standards related to passenger protection during collisions and the safety of high-capacity batteries. It also has facilities for vehicle-to-vehicle crash tests and can simulate collision speeds of up to 100 km/h, focusing on the crash safety of a wide range of eco-friendly vehicles, from micro electric cars to those weighing less than 3.5 tons.
The impact test building consists of six testing rooms, including internal impact testing chambers. It features testing facilities to evaluate the structural strength of components aimed at ensuring driver safety, such as side door and roof strength testing equipment, enabling assessments of the body strength of eco-friendly vehicle platforms.
Once the Eco-Friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center officially begins operations, it is expected to contribute to the development of the eco-friendly automobile industry within the region through specialized tasks tailored for eco-friendly vehicles.
Increased utilization of local infrastructure due to the center’s establishment is anticipated to create job opportunities, both direct and indirect, as well as expand municipal financial investments, reduce development costs for small to medium enterprises, and enhance research, development, and support for eco-friendly vehicles.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr