Vehicle Inspection
Ensuring safe mobility in the future
Since it was established 100 years ago, DEKRA has been a byword for safety on the road. Mobility has been evolving constantly during this period, and we are currently seeing it undergo the most radical transformation so far: E-mobility, automation, and connectivity are fundamentally altering the way we experience mobility. However, one question persists: How will mobility continue to be safe in the future?
DEKRA is committed to its mandate of delivering safety on the road, and as such is continuously developing new skills and services for the future of mobility. One example here is DEKRA’s fast battery testing – an innovation that is delivering increased transparency in the market for used electric vehicles. This is one way that DEKRA is taking its history into a second century of contributing to the safety of people on the move.
Interview with
Christoph Nolte
Head of Vehicles Service Division and Executive Vice President DEKRA Group
In 2022 DEKRA introduced a test that analyzes the state of health (SoH) of batteries in hybrid and electric vehicles. What has been the response to that?
The test arrived at exactly the right time, as the growing number of hybrid and electric vehicles in circulation has led to a corresponding increase of these models in the used market too. But there had previously been no way of independently testing the “heart” of these vehicles – the battery. This is a crucial factor when selling a car because it would be very expensive for a buyer to have to replace the battery.
In brief, how does the test work?
We use a vehicle’s onboard diagnosis (OBD) interface to access the battery data while briefly running the vehicle. The actual innovation here is in assessing the measured values by means of a complex algorithm and an extensive database. This database contains basic information from test drives with each type of vehicle and battery at varying levels of charge, at different temperatures, and in a range of ambient conditions. Several AI-based calculations are then performed, which enable our patented process to quickly and accurately measure the battery’s SoH. By providing transparency in this way, we are contributing to increased acceptance of used electric vehicles.
The test is currently being refined. How will it be improved?
The test has been and is already very successful. In Europe we have gradually introduced it for more than 130 models, and we are now issuing around 500 certificates every month. However, to provide our customers with more flexibility, we will soon be adding a second testing option that simply requires them to connect the vehicle to a charging station. There are more possibilities too. It would be even simpler if the test could be performed away from the vehicle itself: The battery data could be obtained from the mobility data space that is currently being built using data from all manufacturers and vehicles.
We are contributing to the acceptance of e-mobility.
Battery testing under extreme conditions
Before a battery is installed in a vehicle it undergoes comprehensive testing and validation processes. In this area too, DEKRA has positioned itself as an expert partner for car and battery manufacturers, suppliers, and authorities. An impressive demonstration of this is the new battery testing center at DEKRA’s Lausitzring site in Klettwitz, in the German state of Brandenburg, which will be inaugurated in the fall of 2025.
The state-of-the-art facility for car batteries, as well as high-voltage batteries for other applications, will test and certify safety in a wide range of scenarios, including extreme conditions. Alongside mechanical, performance, and environmental tests, batteries will also be exposed to misuse in situations beyond their normal applications. This video gives an initial insight into the testing.
With this new battery testing center, DEKRA is strengthening the market leadership of the DEKRA Technology Center at the Lausitzring. E-mobility is already of key importance at the facility, which tests the electromagnetic compatibility of charging stations, electric motors, drive axles, inverters, and cables. Services relating to car batteries and fixed power-storage solutions underscore the position of the DEKRA Technology Center as one of the world’s most extensive and modern testing centers for the automotive industry.
In our laboratories in Klettwitz as well as on the track at the DEKRA Lausitzring site, we test vehicles and components in a range of conditions. Our focus topics relating to future mobility include the testing of automated driving functions, connectivity, and cybersecurity. The battery testing laboratory will complement our e-mobility portfolio and enable the testing of high-voltage batteries.
The battery tests performed in Klettwitz complement the testing of automated driving and connected driving which is carried out at other DEKRA facilities. This testing network will ensure the safety of e-mobility and foster the development of technologies such as autonomous driving systems.
The evolution of vehicle inspection
The new battery testing center and other DEKRA laboratories are working to achieve safety for future mobility, and as an expert organization backed by 100 years of experience DEKRA is already an important provider in road safety. A core part of this is the periodic vehicle inspections DEKRA offers, and which are evolving in parallel with automotive technology.
DEKRA is continuing to work on testing methods for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which are widely in use these days. Such systems include distance controllers, lane-keeping systems, and automated emergency braking systems, all of which rely on the use of sensors.
In 2024 DEKRA presented a demonstrator device for testing sensors such as those used in automated emergency braking systems.
Developed by DEKRA and its partners, the demonstrator is a simulation device which can test the sensors installed in a vehicle’s radiator grille and bumpers by simulating other vehicles and objects. The diagnostic interface in the vehicle can then be used to check what the ADAS sees and therefore how it will react to hazardous situations, as a way of testing the function and correct calibration of the sensors.
This checking of the ADAS sensors and software does not require any complex testing scenarios, however, there are certain prerequisites for enabling the method to be integrated into the vehicle inspection process. For example, ADAS manufacturers need to include a test mode that makes it possible to perform testing while stationary.
A good eye and acute hearing
DEKRA is established in 1925, as an expert organization initially focused on truck safety. It begins testing cars in 1961. Alongside supporting technology, DEKRA’s experts need a good eye and acute hearing to identify defects in engines, shock absorbers, and brakes.
Accessing and interpreting data
Performing around 32 million tests a year, DEKRA is a global market leader. These days vehicle data are at least as important as visual checks in these tests. The data, accessed via an interface, relate to safety- and environment-relevant components such as airbags and the exhaust system.
Digitalization is changing the focus of inspections
Vehicle inspection is changing radically in response to networked vehicles which are dominated by software. DEKRA and other inspection organizations have defined new focuses for testing and are collaborating in development via the Charter 2030.
Pathway to Vision Zero
A great deal of progress in road safety has been achieved in recent decades, especially in Germany and other countries that require periodic vehicle inspection. On a global scale however, far too many people still die on roads – around 1.1 million each year.
That is why in 2024 the World Health Organization (WHO) specified periodic vehicle inspection as a key measure for increasing road safety, in its Global Status Report on Road Safety. This recommendation will make it easier to perform regular vehicle safety testing in even more countries.
Road traffic as a risk factor
During the German car ownership boom which followed the Second World War, the annual number of traffic fatalities increased steadily, to a peak of around 22,000 in 1970. Germany is representative of many western industrialized nations in this respect.
Successes in road safety
Improved vehicle technology, better road infrastructure, and periodic vehicle inspections have led to a significant reduction in the number of traffic fatalities: Germany recorded 2,839 in 2023. The figure was even slightly lower between 2020 and 2022 – a reminder that we should not become complacent about efforts to further improve road safety.
The vision: Zero traffic fatalities
Since 2016 DEKRA has been recognizing those cities which have experienced no traffic fatalities for at least five years. The “DEKRA Vision Zero Award” is a trailblazer for a bold ambition which has been pursued by the EU since 2018: Zero traffic fatalities. This is in the context of Vision Zero, which aims to ensure that no one dies on the roads and everyone arrives at their destination.