Gov't proposes revision disclosing EV battery manufacturer, country of origin
Police and fire authorities and Mercedes-Benz officials conduct a joint investigation into the cause of a fire involving the carmaker’s EQE electric sedan in Incheon, Aug. 8, 2024. Korea Times photo by Park Si-mon
Customers will soon be able to check key information of batteries when purchasing an electric vehicle (EV), such as the manufacturer and country of origin, the transport ministry said Sunday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said such revisions will be included in proposed amendments to two related laws, including the enforcement rules of the Motor Vehicle Management Act.
Under the proposed revision, the number of EV battery-related pieces of information available to customers will be expanded from six to 10 items.
The information set to be newly opened to the public includes the battery's manufacturer, country of origin, product name, and manufacturing date, the ministry said.
Currently, customers can access only information about the battery's function, such as its capacity and rated voltage.
The ministry also plans to raise fines for carmakers and sellers that fail to disclose required battery information to a maximum of 10 million won ($6,600).
The ministry established a new standard to revoke safety certifications if the same defect occurs two to four times within a two-year period, with the severity of the measures depending on the nature of the flaw.
It said certification will be revoked if a battery has a design or manufacturing defect that fails to meet safety standards and leads to fire or other damage on two occasions. For defects that meet technical standards but still pose a safety hazard resulting in fire or damage, the certification will be revoked after three such occurrences.
Korea reported 334 EV battery fires during the one-year period ending Saturday, up from 270 cases during the previous 12-month period, according to National Fire Agency data.
The ministry expected the new rules to improve customers' right to know and help encourage EV purchases by strengthening confidence in batteries.