ISO 16750 - Battery Design

Road Vehicles — Environmental Conditions and Testing for Electrical and Electronic Equipment

ISO 16750 is a multi-part standard defining environmental test conditions and test methods for electrical and electronic equipment used in road vehicles. It is widely used by automotive battery system suppliers to define environmental qualification requirements for BMS hardware, sensors, connectors, and other EV battery electronic components.

Published by: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Current edition: ISO 16750 series (multiple parts, latest revisions 2023)
Parts: Part 1 (general), Part 2 (electrical loads), Part 3 (mechanical loads), Part 4 (climatic loads), Part 5 (chemical loads)

Scope

ISO 16750 applies to electrical and electronic assemblies fitted to road vehicles. For battery systems, the most relevant parts are Part 2 (overvoltage, reverse polarity, load dump), Part 3 (vibration and mechanical shock), Part 4 (temperature cycling, humidity, condensation, icing), and Part 5 (chemical resistance to fluids). The standard defines test severities linked to mounting location on the vehicle.

Key Test Areas

Climatic Tests (Part 4)

Temperature range, humidity, condensation, salt spray, and thermal shock tests qualify battery electronics for operation across the full vehicle lifetime environmental envelope. Temperature cycle profiles and humidity exposure durations are defined for equipment classes based on mounting location (engine compartment, passenger compartment, exterior).

Mechanical Tests (Part 3)

Vibration profiles (sinusoidal and random), mechanical shock, and free-fall tests simulate road-induced loads over the vehicle lifetime. Vibration profiles for underfloor battery pack mounting (Class III severity) involve high cumulative damage numbers and are among the most challenging automotive qualification requirements.

Disclaimer: This is not a definitive guide, just an indication and it is important that you always go back to the source for legislation.