ITRI TODAY

[ COLLABORATIONS ]ITRI TODAY▂Summer 2010 Quarterly▂12ITRI and ULto Co-developSafety VerificationTechnologies forEV Power SystemsThrough co-work with UL, ITRI will establish new and environmentally positive milestonesfor Taiwan’s Green Industry development.Photograph by HUNG-MOU TSAIITRI recently announced the signingof a Letter of Intent with UnderwritersLaboratories (UL), theglobally renowned organization forsafety standards and certification,to co-develop testing technologiesand regulations for electronic vehiclepower systems, and also forlong-term safety verification of thedeterioration of lithium batteriesand solar cells. The cooperationbetween ITRI and UL will assistTaiwanese companies in developingtechnologies and products thatcomply with international GreenProduct Standards, and thus gain anadvanced entrance into the market,ahead of other competitors.UL is an internationally recognizedorganization for safetystandard certification and test verification.Gary Savin, vice presidentand general manager of UL's globalpower & controls business, notedthat UL had already announcedstandard regulations for vehiclepower chargers in the US in 1998,focusing mainly on the security ofpower distribution systems for electricvehicles, as well as safe usageof device parts, and they have continuedsince then to develop relatedverification techniques.The joint endeavor for developmentof safety standard verificationtechnology for electronic vehiclepower systems will allow ITRI toassist Taiwanese manufacturers toenhance their know-how, and subsequentlyproduce products which areflawless in both functionality andsafety. UL will contribute its wealthof expertise and experience in standarddevelopment, to assist Taiwanin establishing safety standards andverification systems that are alignedwith international requirements. Itis also anticipated that Taiwanesemanufacturers will participate inupcoming events related to the standardizationof safety regulationsconcerning electronic vehicle powersystems.Deputy General Director JamesWang of ITRI's Mechanical & SystemsResearch Laboratories (MSL)stresses that ITRI has already establishedits own integration platformfor electronic vehicle technology.While UL is clearly the expert concerninginternational safety regulationstandards for electric vehicles,the new collaboration will allowboth parties to gain advanced insightinto international developmenttrends in this growing sector. Earlierdevelopment of safety designs andverification techniques for electronicvehicle safety will benefit localmanufacturers by helping them toestablish verification systems thatare acknowledged both locally andinternationally, thus enhancing thequality of domestically producedelectronic vehicles, and elevatingTaiwan’s competitive edge in this