The South Korean divisions of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Volkswagen Group intend to supply details about the battery management system of their electric vehicle models to the local transport safety authority, as stated by officials on Sunday.
A report by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority presented to Representative Ahn Tae-joon of the Democratic Party of Korea indicates that Mercedes-Benz Korea and Volkswagen Group will begin sharing their Battery Management System data with the authority from December.
The decisions come amid growing public concern for EV safety after a significant fire erupted from a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle in early August. This incident resulted in damage to more than 100 cars in an underground apartment parking garage in Incheon, west of Seoul.
Hyundai Motor and Kia commenced sharing BMS data with the KTSA in June 2022. Renault Korea Motors and GM Korea joined them in July of the same year. BMW Korea began providing this information in June 2023, and Tesla did the same in October of the previous year.
A Battery Management System tracks the voltage and temperature of batteries to guarantee the best performance of electric vehicles. It also provides early warnings of any irregularities. To ascertain a battery’s safety, data collection from a BMS is essential.
Previously, imported car brands were hesitant to share Battery Management System information, seemingly due to concerns that proprietary battery control technology might be disclosed during inspections.
The Korea Transportation Safety Authority announced plans to engage in discussions with the transport ministry on strategies to motivate imported car brands to share Battery Management System information. However, they have not yet decided to make this requirement obligatory.