This SAE Standard defines a minimum set of acceptable safety criteria for a lithium-based rechargeable battery system to be considered for use in a vehicle propulsion application as an energy storage system connected to a high voltage power train. While the objective is a safe battery system when installed into a vehicle application, this Standard is primarily focused, wherever possible, on conditions which can be evaluated utilizing the battery system alone. As this is a minimum set of criteria, it is recognized that battery system and vehicle manufacturers may have additional requirements for cells, modules, packs and systems in order to assure a safe battery system for a given application.

A battery system is a completely functional energy storage system consisting of the pack(s) and necessary ancillary subsystems for physical support and enclosure, thermal management, and electronic control.