IEC 62660-1:2018

Overview

IEC 62660-1:2018 - "Secondary lithium‑ion cells for the propulsion of electric road vehicles - Part 1: Performance testing" is an international standard from IEC that defines standardized performance and life testing methods for lithium‑ion cells used in electric road vehicles (BEV and HEV). This second edition (2018) cancels and replaces the 2010 edition and constitutes a technical revision. The standard establishes test procedures and conditions to obtain essential cell characteristics including capacity, power density, energy density, storage life and cycle life, providing baseline data for traction battery design and evaluation.

Key Topics

The standard covers practical, repeatable test methods and conditions, including:

• Test conditions and measuring equipment: recommended ranges and tolerances for voltage, current, temperature and other instruments to ensure consistent results.
• Physical measurements: cell dimension and mass measurement procedures relevant to pack integration.
• Electrical measurements: charge/discharge procedures, state‑of‑charge (SOC) adjustment, and standardized capacity testing for traction applications.
• Power and energy tests: procedures to determine power density, regenerative power and energy density under defined SOC and temperature conditions.
• Storage tests: charge‑retention and storage‑life tests that characterize calendar ageing.
• Cycle life tests: BEV and HEV specific dynamic cycling profiles to measure long‑term durability and degradation under application‑relevant use patterns.
• Energy efficiency: test methods to quantify round‑trip energy efficiency for BEV and HEV use cases.
• Informative annexes: selective test conditions, cycle test sequences and a current–voltage characteristic test moved to Annex C (clarified in this edition). The purpose of each test is explicitly stated in this revision.

Applications

IEC 62660-1:2018 is intended for:

• Cell manufacturers for R&D and quality control to benchmark product performance.
• Automotive OEMs and battery pack designers to collect comparable cell data for pack design, thermal management and system integration.
• Independent test laboratories and certification bodies for standardized evaluation and supplier comparison.
• Procurement and regulatory teams requiring objective test outcomes for supplier selection or compliance evidence.

Practical uses include baseline performance comparison of chemistries, informing battery pack sizing, validating cycle and storage life expectations, and supporting product specifications and claims.

Related Standards

• Part of the IEC 62660 series (secondary lithium‑ion cells for vehicle propulsion).
• Associated reference standards include ISO test series such as ISO 12405‑1 and ISO 12405‑2 (related electric vehicle battery testing methodologies).

Keywords: IEC 62660-1:2018, lithium‑ion cells, performance testing, BEV, HEV, power density, energy density, cycle life, storage life, traction battery, battery pack design.