The Swedish Vehicle Workshop Association (SFVF) leads the work on industry standards for electric vehicles in the EU.

At an EU meeting with 16 countries in the organization AIRC *, SFVF presented their work on developing an industry standard. No country in the EU, of the present countries, has an industry standard or is working to develop one, even though everyone have the same problem, says Bo Ericsson CEO of SFVF.

Next week, the Vehicle Safety Group (i.e. Säkerhetsgruppen för fordon - SGF) will have a meeting to work on the industry standard. The SGF includes participants from the Police, the Södertörn Fire Brigade Association, Falcks representing vehicles towing companies, Brand demo and Vimmerby Dismantling, training companies, SOS International, RISE and MSB.

- Of course, the industry standard can be used by the Police, the Fire Brigade and many others in other EU countries. Next month, another meeting is scheduled in Sweden, this time with Manufacturers, General Agents, and others to discuss the industry standard, says Bo Ericsson.

In other countries, too, there is the corresponding Work Environment Act with clear legal requirements that are imposed on an employer and employee.

To "soften up" my colleagues in the EU, we have sent the report https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336640117_Fire_Safety_of_Lithium-Ion_Batteries_in_Road_Vehicles from a Vinnova project on electric vehicles carried out with the support of the Swedish Energy Agency, says Bo Ericsson.

These recommendations are quite unique in their kind. SFVF contacted all industry associations within the EU and Norway, to investigate if and what they knew about risks related to electric vehicles. Now we take the next step, says Bo Ericsson.

Thanks to very good relations with AB Volvo, Volvo Cars we can now take the final step in order to offer a global standard for cars, buses and trucks. Now we can quickly ensure that no one needs to be harmed or killed due to lack of skills in Sweden and soon also within the EU, Bo Ericsson concludes.

* AIRC: The name AIRC stands for Association Internationale des Réparateurs en Carrosserie. Formed in 1970, the AIRC is the global federation of leading national trade organisations in the area of vehicle repairs. These member organisations together represent more than 50,000 vehicle repair and vehicle builder companies in many countries.