EV Traction Battery Pack Compliance – AIS-156, AIS-038 Rev.2 & IS 16893

EV traction battery packs power electric vehicles. They are among the most intensively regulated products in India's battery landscape – but the regulation flows through vehicle homologation under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), not through a BIS Quality Control Order or CRS registration. This distinction is critical, and getting it wrong is the most expensive compliance mistake in the Indian EV industry.

Vehicle category determines which standard applies:

The test regime covers the battery pack as a safety-critical vehicle component:

AISC issued the fourth revision of AIS-038 Rev.2 in August 2024, now in force for new type approvals of M and N category vehicles:

• Enhanced thermal propagation testing: updated test protocol based on global and Indian EV fire incident analysis
• Four BMS temperature sensors minimum: increased from previous requirement
• Active parallel circuit protection: specific protection requirements for active cell-balancing circuits
• Earth leakage detection for charger: mandatory at the on-vehicle charger interface
• Audio-visual thermal warning: mandatory in-vehicle warning triggered by BMS during thermal anomaly
• EMC testing updated: BMS EMC per AIS-004 with updated specifications
• RFID traceability refined: updated specifications for cell and pack RFID/QR marking

From AIS Phase 2 (31 March 2023), IS 16893 Parts 2 and 3 testing at NABL-accredited labs is embedded as a mandatory requirement within AIS type approval. This is a testing obligation within the AIS framework – distinct from, but available alongside, the voluntary BIS ISI licence for EV cells. For international cell manufacturers supplying Indian EV OEMs, a voluntary IS 16893 BIS licence is increasingly demanded as a procurement qualification document.

• Valid CMVR type approval under AIS-156 or AIS-038 Rev.2 is a hard eligibility condition for FAME-II and PM E-Drive subsidy
• RFID battery traceability (AIS Phase 2 requirement) feeds into the subsidy verification portal mechanism
• Make-in-India / ALMM frameworks specify minimum domestic value addition in the battery pack for government EV procurement
• Temporary relaxation (January 2026 – January 2027): Ministry of Power has eased strict ALMM localisation for bidders using lithium-ion cells under ToT arrangements where domestic cell manufacturing is limited

With 20+ years and 10,000+ certifications we work across every battery compliance route daily. We track regulatory changes and brief clients in week one, not month six. For lead-acid, BESS and EV batteries we handle the full compliance stack: ISI voluntary + BWMR EPR + CEA design advisory + AIS coordination.