The government expects a surge in demand for electric vehicles. Therefore, the state-owned National Testing House announced that it will offer testing services for these vehicles at its Mumbai and Kolkata centers starting in 2023-24.
The two agencies that provide testing services for electric vehicle batteries are currently the International Centre for Automotive Technology in Manesar and the Automatic Research Association of India in Pune.
Additional Secretary for Consumer Affairs, Nidhi Khare stated that with the increasing number of EVs, sufficient testing facilities are needed. She stated that the government is making existing facilities future-ready to meet this need.
Khare informed media personnel at a press conference, that NTH will offer testing services for EV batteries as well as charging systems at its Kolkata headquarters as well as the Mumbai regional center starting in the next fiscal.
According to NTH Director General, Alok Kumar Srivastava, the two centers of Kolkata and Mumbai were chosen as they have the highest concentration of electric vehicle makers in Pune and Mumbai. However, the largest number of battery manufacturers are found in Kolkata.
Srivastava stated that testing begins at the manufacturing level and said that good-quality products can also be made if testing laboratories are located close to the manufacturing units.