The conventional vehicle industry is a mature one. Over the years, safety concerns pertaining to petrol & diesel vehicles have been taken care of. The Electric Vehicle industry, on the other hand, is a relatively new one and safety issues concerning EVs are still being addressed. We caught up with Sugun Kumar (Operations & Safety Head), Kazam EV Tech, for more on this.

For electric vehicle users, safety while using EVs & while charging is an important issue. Mr.Kumar is not only an EV safety professional, but an EV user himself. He drives a Mahindra e2o (which took birth as the Reva-i). Now let’s have a deep dive into the safety considerations.

A Battery Management System (BMS) is very important for EV safety as it takes care of battery life and the algorithm manages ‘how to charge’ & ‘how much to charge’. BMS and electrical system are looked after by the OEMs. These are as per industry standards.

EV Charger vs the domestic 3-pin socket:

EV charging via the regular domestic 3-pin socket is risky because EV charging may require continuous 6-8 hrs of electricity flow and this can cause overheating. Domestic MCBs & fuse will help manage the total aggregate load of the household, but EV charging load needs to be protected by a dedicated substitute.

Three important factors to keep in mind with respect to protection & safety during electricity utilization: earthing, overload protection & insulation. A charging point must ensure electricity continuity, overload protection and insulation.

The EV Battery Scenario:

Currently, batteries being used in EVs in India are mostly imported. Indian conditions are different from the countries where these batteries are manufactured at. The temperature here is relatively hot and Indian driving habits are also different. Batteries are designed and manufactured in other countries where climatic conditions are relatively cooler. These battery cells have to be redesigned to suit Indian conditions.

A New EV Charging Habit:

Some EV users tend to wait for around 10 minutes before they start charging after a ride/drive. Battery cells get heated up when being charged and when being discharged (when the EV is being used). If we charge our EV immediately after riding/driving, the already hot battery cells get even hotter. Electrical systems tend to lose their efficiency under high temperatures. So if you have come from a relatively long journey, it is advisable to wait for around 10 minutes before charging.

EVSE or BMS should also have a 'sleep & wake-up time'. Advance Battery Management Systems have this feature. It monitors cell temperature and then allows charging.

Range Anxiety Is Real: 

In 2019, Mr.Kumar had range anxiety because of lack of charging points. He used to step out after doing calculations in mind that how much he has to travel and how much is his EV charged. He says, at that time, if an EV user went out without such planning, he/she would have terrible range anxiety. But now, in 2022, with better charging infrastructure and better range being offered by modern EVs, range anxiety has reduced a lot. There has been a multifold increase in number of EV chargers in Bangalore from about a hundred in 2019 to around 3000 in 2022. But the same cannot be said for other cities in India. A lot has to be done to improve EV charging network.

Intracity EV travel is convenient now, but intercity travel can still cause range anxiety.

Home charging is the dominant mode of charging in India, followed by workplace charging. As far as ‘en route’ charging is concerned, fast charging is vital and can already be availed at a lot of petrol pumps.

Does battery life get impacted depending on the type of charging (AC or DC) I use?

DC fast-charging does impact battery performance. Slow charging, although time consuming, is more beneficial for battery life. If an EV user has sufficient time, he/she should opt for AC (slow) charging. If one is in a hurry or requires en route charging, then DC fast charging can be opted.

Low Tension & High Tension Supply:

CPOs for fleet need sufficient real estate and a dependable power source. For e.g., in Bangalore, for any charging station up to 150 kW, BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company) provides LT supply (low tension), with a dedicated transformer. When total load crosses 150kW, a high tension connection is required. Beyond 30kW, one must go for a dedicated transformer.

Overload, Surge & Maintenance:

As far as electrical & operational safety is concerned, overload protection at power distribution level as well as charger level is vital. Overload & surge are two different things. Overload is excess current drawn from a point which may cause overheating. Surge is fluctuation from source which can be dealt with by earthing. Regular maintenance is needed for efficiency and safety. This is called preventive maintenance.

A Final Tip:

Fire extinguisher at an EV charging station or with an EV user should be foam based and not CO2 based. Foam-based extinguishing is more efficient in case of battery-related incidents.

For an in-depth view on EV usage & EV charging safety and range anxiety, have a look at the 'Start-Up Podcast' featuring Mr.Vaibhav Tyagi, Co-Founder Kazam EV Tech and Sugun Kumar, Operations & Safety Head at Kazam here.

For complete EV charging solutions, explore the Kazam website.