Resonate Testing supports lithium battery programmes with testing to UN38.3, R100, R136 and many other standards, with testing within the UK. This covers battery safety testing, abuse testing, transport testing and EV testing solutions.
Resonate Testing supports battery development, safety assessment, transport readiness, design validation and dangerous goods compliance programmes across battery testing services UK and Ireland. Our work covers lithium battery testing, sodium-ion battery testing, battery safety testing, battery abuse testing, thermal runaway testing, UN 38.3 testing, EV battery testing, environmental exposure, vibration, shock and performance checks.
Battery testing shows how a cell, module, battery pack or full battery-powered system behaves under set electrical, thermal, mechanical, environmental and transport conditions. It gives objective evidence for safety, durability, performance, failure behaviour and compliance.
A test programme may support product development, design validation, customer approval, transport planning or certification. The right route depends on chemistry, product level, use, market, standard and acceptance rules.
Fire Testing
Vibration Testing
Lithium Battery Fire Testing | Sodium battery testing
Battery safety testing checks whether a battery and its protection system work as planned under normal use, likely misuse and fault cases. Programmes may include electrical, thermal, environmental and mechanical tests from the relevant standard or customer spec.
Common tests include vibration, shock, temperature cycling, thermal abuse, external short circuit, overcharge, over-discharge, impact, crush, penetration, fire exposure and containment behaviour. Methods and pass rules must be agreed before testing.
Ensuring batteries stay safe through their service life is critical. Battery safety testing simulates faults that may happen over the unit’s life and shows how the unit reacts. Qualifying your design to an industry standard can help assure insurers and customers that the product is safe to use under likely conditions. It can include abuse scenarios that show hazards, containment, failure behaviour and the risk of thermal runaway.
Sodium and sodium-ion batteries are seen as safer in some cases than other chemistries, but safety still needs to be shown with evidence. Testing builds confidence before products move into certification, transport, customer approval or market entry.
Battery qualification programmes rarely rely on a single standard. Most products require a combination of transport, safety, performance and application-specific testing to generate the evidence needed for certification, customer approval, transportation and market access.
For both lithium-ion and sodium-ion technologies, the appropriate pathway depends on how the battery will be used, transported and regulated. Portable electronics, industrial energy storage systems, electric vehicles and mobility products each follow different qualification routes and may require different combinations of standards.
Many sodium-ion battery programmes now use established lithium battery frameworks while chemistry-specific guidance continues to evolve.
Resonate Testing staff can support development and prototype testing, including bespoke performance and durability testing. The team can help develop suitable test plans or provide comparisons between battery types.
| Standard / Guidance | Primary Focus | Typical Relevance to Testing |
|---|---|---|
| UNECE R100 | Safety of Rechargeable Energy Storage Systems (REESS) and high-voltage systems in M & N category electric vehicles | Type approval and homologation testing for passenger cars, buses, trucks and other road-going EVs. Includes vibration, thermal shock/cycling, mechanical integrity, fire resistance, electrical safety, thermal propagation and environmental tests. |
| UNECE R136 | Safety of electric powertrains and REESS in L-category vehicles | Type approval testing for electric motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and quadricycles. Typically includes vibration, thermal shock, mechanical shock, drop, short-circuit, overcharge and water resistance testing. |
| UN 38.3 | Safe transportation of lithium and sodium batteries | Mandatory transport qualification for cells, modules and battery packs shipped by air, sea, road or rail. Includes altitude, thermal, vibration, shock, external short circuit, impact or crush, overcharge and forced discharge tests. |
| IEC 62133-2 | Safety requirements for portable rechargeable lithium batteries | A widely used standard or consumer electronics, portable equipment and smaller battery-powered products. Includes electrical abuse, vibration, shock, thermal and short-circuit testing. Increasingly referenced for sodium-ion products. |
| IEC 62619 | Safety requirements for industrial lithium batteries | Industrial batteries, ESS systems, telecoms, UPS, AGVs and stationary storage. Focuses on protection systems, fault conditions, abuse testing and operational safety. Often applied to sodium-ion industrial batteries as well. |
| EC 62660 Series | Performance and safety testing of lithium-ion cells for EV propulsion | Used by automotive battery developers to evaluate capacity, durability, abuse tolerance, reliability and safety of traction cells. |
| ISO 12405 Series | Testing of battery packs and battery systems for electric vehicles | Assesses performance, reliability, life cycle, environmental resilience and safety of complete EV battery systems. |
| IEC 61960 | Performance evaluation of secondary lithium cells and batteries | Used for electrical performance verification including capacity, energy, efficiency and cycle life testing of rechargeable batteries. |
| UL 1642 | Safety of lithium cells | Cell-level safety evaluation including abuse, short-circuit, crush and thermal exposure tests. Commonly referenced for North American market access. |
| UL 2054 | Safety of battery packs for consumer products | Battery pack certification for portable and consumer equipment, covering electrical, mechanical and environmental safety. |
| UL 2580 | Electric vehicle battery pack safety | Safety testing for EV battery packs, including electrical abuse, thermal abuse, crash-related safety and environmental durability. |
| UL 9540A | Thermal runaway and fire propagation testing | Large-scale fire and propagation assessment for energy storage systems (ESS), frequently used in battery fire safety programmes. |
| EU Battery Regulation (EU 2023/1542) | Sustainability, safety, traceability and lifecycle requirements | Increasingly relevant for battery manufacturers supplying the European market. Supports compliance evidence beyond pure safety testing. |
Battery abuse testing deliberately exposes a cell, module, pack or system to defined conditions outside normal operation. Its purpose is to observe failure behaviour, gather data and support decisions about design robustness, containment, venting, fire risk, transport readiness and protection-system performance.
Because many abuse tests are destructive, Resonate reviews chemistry, SOC, energy, SDS, known hazards, sample condition, monitoring, post-test handling and disposal before confirming feasibility. Capability remains subject to technical and safety review.
Testing and certification are linked but not the same. Testing gives objective evidence about battery safety, transport fit, durability and performance. Certification uses that evidence, plus technical documents and regulatory requirements to demonstrate compliance.
A structured test programme usually starts by naming the target market, applicable rules, customer needs and battery application. Test plans can then match the standards most relevant to the route to market, helping cut certification risk and avoid extra testing.
Thermal runaway is a sudden rise in cell temperature caused by heat-producing reactions inside the cell. Thermal propagation happens when one cell’s runaway triggers more cell events in the battery system. Assessment may study start behaviour, temperature rise, venting, fire, containment, spread, warning steps or protective measure performance. The right method depends on battery design, sample level, application and governing standard; thermal runaway assessment should not suggest one universal test.
Electric vehicle and mobility batteries must be tested because battery systems need to perform safely throughout the product life, even in demanding electrical, mechanical, environmental and operational conditions.
Resonate Testing provides accredited and industry-recognised EV battery and vehicle testing services, helping manufacturers, developers, and system integrators demonstrate compliance with international standards and accelerate product certification and market entry.
UNECE R100 – ISO 17025 Testing Services | Resonate Testing | UK & Ireland
UN 38.3 testing is generally required for the international transportation of lithium and sodium batteries and battery-powered products. The testing programme is defined in the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria and is intended to demonstrate that batteries can safely withstand conditions that may be encountered during normal transport. Successful completion of UN 38.3 testing provides documented evidence that a battery design has met the applicable transport safety requirements before shipment by air, sea, road, or rail.
Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and product developers often require UN 38.3 testing before batteries can enter global supply chains. The testing applies to lithium-ion, lithium-metal, sodium-ion, and battery assemblies, depending on the applicable transport regulations and product configuration.
UN 38.3 – ISO 17025 Testing Services | Resonate Testing | UK & Ireland
Resonate Testing provides battery testing services for lithium-ion, sodium-ion and emerging battery technologies, supporting development, validation, safety, transport and compliance programmes. Testing can be performed at cell, module, pack and system level, with programmes tailored to customer requirements and applicable standards.
Environmental testing evaluates battery performance under real-world operating and storage conditions, including:
These assessments help demonstrate durability and environmental resilience.
Mechanical testing assesses a battery’s ability to withstand transportation, handling and operational loads, including:
Testing helps verify structural integrity and product robustness.
Electrical and safety testing helps demonstrate that battery systems can operate safely under both normal and abnormal conditions. Resonate supports overcharge, over-discharge, external short circuit, forced discharge and thermal abuse testing to assess battery behaviour, verify protection systems and support compliance and qualification programmes.
Resonate supports UN 38.3 transport testing and battery compliance programmes, helping manufacturers demonstrate that products can safely withstand transportation and handling requirements.
Environmental, mechanical, electrical and safety tests can be combined into a single coordinated programme, helping reduce project timescales, improve traceability and streamline product qualification activities.
All testing activities are subject to technical review, safety assessment, sample condition, equipment suitability and confirmation of applicable accreditation scope.
| Specification | Capability |
|---|---|
| Battery Technologies | Lithium-ion, Lithium Metal, Sodium-ion Cells, Modules & Battery Packs |
| Test Standards Supported | UN 38.3, IEC 62281 and transport-related battery compliance programmes |
| Altitude Simulation | Transport safety testing for low-pressure air transport conditions |
| Thermal Cycling | Environmental conditioning across specified transport temperature profiles |
| Vibration Testing | Operation Envionment and Transport vibration simulation for road, rail, sea and air shipment environments |
| Mechanical Shock Testing | Shock assessments to simulate handling and transport events |
| External Short Circuit Testing | Evaluation of battery safety under fault conditions during transport |
| Crush / Impact Testing | Cell-level and battery transport abuse assessments as required by UN 38.3 and IEC 62281 programmes |
| Overcharge Testing | Assessment of battery behaviour under abnormal charging conditions |
| Forced Discharge Testing | Cell abuse testing to assess safety under forced discharge conditions |
| Integrated Equipment Testing | Support for batteries installed within equipment and systems |
| Documentation Support | Test reports and UN 38.3 Test Summary support documentation |
| Application Areas | Energy Storage Systems (ESS), BESS, Aerospace, Defence, Marine, UPS, Telecommunications, Industrial Equipment and Mobility Applications |
Resonate Testing provides comprehensive EV battery testing to verify safety, compliance and performance, whether single cells or full packs need to be assessed. The facility conducts critical tests, including UN 38.3 transport compliance, UNECE Regulation No. 100 (UNECE R100) and UNECE Regulation No. 136 (UNECE R136) standards for vehicle batteries, all in one location.
With ISO 17025 accreditation, results are recognised globally. As an engineering-focused team, Resonate Testing starts by listening carefully to objectives before acting, enabling bespoke engineered solutions tailored to specific requirements.
Trusted data and comprehensive documentation demonstrate battery safety and reliability to regulators, customers and partners, helping projects progress confidently towards market launch.
The basic electrochemical unit that stores and supplies electrical energy.
A group of connected cells assembled as an intermediate battery unit.
Cells or modules combined with electrical connections, enclosure, protection and, where applicable, control systems.
Electronics that monitor and control operating conditions such as voltage, current and temperature.
The available charge in a battery, usually expressed as a percentage of its usable capacity.
The number of charge-and-discharge cycles completed before performance reaches a defined limit.
The proportion of capacity removed during discharge.
Charge or discharge current expressed relative to rated capacity; it helps define how quickly energy is added or removed.
Testing under foreseeable fault or extreme conditions to assess hazards and failure behaviour.
A self-heating failure condition in which rising temperature drives further heat generation and can lead to fire, venting or explosion.
A test that connects the battery terminals through a low-resistance path to assess its response and protection.
Electrical abuse conditions used to evaluate behaviour beyond normal operating limits.
Battery qualification rarely involves a single test. Products often require a combination of environmental, mechanical, electrical, abuse, fire and transport assessments to demonstrate compliance with standards such as RTCA DO-311A, RTCA DO-160, UN 38.3, UNECE R100, UNECE R136, IEC 62619 and customer-specific requirements.
Resonate Testing provides integrated battery test campaigns from a single facility, reducing sample movement, shortening project timelines and simplifying programme management. Environmental, vibration, shock, abuse, safety, fire and transport testing can be planned as one coordinated validation programme, with engineering support throughout the process.
In addition to UN 38.3 testing, batteries must be packaged, marked, labelled, and transported in accordance with the applicable dangerous goods regulations. Shipping requirements can vary depending on factors such as battery type, watt-hour rating, lithium content, state of charge, packaging configuration, and mode of transport.
Regulatory frameworks commonly referenced for battery transport include the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code for sea freight, the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), the Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions for air transport.
Working with an experienced testing and compliance partner can help manufacturers identify the applicable transport requirements, prepare the necessary documentation, and support the safe and compliant movement of batteries and battery-powered products throughout global markets.
Before engaging with the test facility, customer should have generally completed these three stages in their rout to qualification.
Assess compliance requirements
Identify the applicable standards, regulations, and certification pathways for the target market, ensuring that the test evidence generated will support the required approvals.
Battery testing should match the product, chemistry, application and route to market. Speak with an engineer to review the intended use, hazards, target standards and evidence needed for development, transport or compliance.
Whether you’re looking to contact us for the first time or have another testing requirement, we’d love to hear from you.
