UL Solutions has opened its Europe Advanced Battery Testing Laboratory in Aachen, Germany. With the new facility, the company will test batteries to be used in EVs and large-scale energy storage systems, while more broadly aiming to expand its battery technology testing capabilities and European footprint.
Motivated by heightened demand for reliable battery testing services, the new facility was purpose-built from the ground up to evaluate EV and industrial battery products during the research and development phases of battery manufacturing. Here, it will also offer comprehensive evaluations of finished products to determine whether they meet safety and performance requirements, enabling original equipment manufacturers to access global markets.
The new laboratory replaces a smaller facility that UL Solutions was leasing through its 2024 acquisition of battery testing and simulation company BatterieIngenieure. That acquisition increased the company’s capacity for conducting tests, advanced simulations and in-depth failure analysis of battery technologies. A key strength of the new facility is its capability for estimating battery lifespans, a crucial factor for manufacturers and consumers alike.
Located in North Rhine-Westphalia, the facility also represents UL Solutions’ first in the EU to be focused solely on comprehensive battery testing services. At the facility, a team of battery science specialists will conduct rigorous tests to determine cell, module and battery lifetimes, while more closely evaluating safety and performance.
These tests work to measure the ability to withstand a host of potential threats, hazards and adverse conditions, including misuse, off-gassing and thermal runaway (a chemical reaction that causes a battery to increase in temperature and pressure rapidly and can lead to fire and explosions).
Altogether, UL Solutions says that these tests will help demonstrate that customers’ innovative technologies meet safety and performance standards established by UL Standards & Engagement, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the United Nations and other globally recognized organizations.
