Battery technology test laboratory

Article: Battery technology test laboratory

Battery and charging systems, durability, malfunction investigations and certification testing

During test and examination routines conducted in our battery laboratory, we can analyse batteries using special charging and discharging converters under different operative or ageing temperatures (e.g. in a climate exposure test cabinet) to determine their fitness, or suitability, in railway operation.


Accredited test procedures

  • Our test laboratory for battery technology in Munich is accredited by Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS) in the area of "lead battery analysis" in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
  • The accreditation encompasses the relevant test procedures, e.g. in accordance with DIN EN 50547, DIN EN 60254-1, DIN EN 60896-11 and DIN EN 60896-21. See the appendix for the accreditation certificate.
  • DB Systemtechnik is QMS certified to the ISO 9001 standard.

The detailed and latest list of activities/test procedures in the flexible scope of accreditation in the testing laboratory "Battery technology" can be found in this PDF (coming soon):

Our tests:

Testing of (emergency/backup) power supply in signal boxes

  • Switchover response of emergency power supply systems
  • During mains power failure
  • Starting current and switchover times
  • Rotating machines
  • Capacity testing and high-current capability of stationary batteries
  • Evaluation of battery configuration
  • Condition analysis of signal box batteries
  • Consultation on problems with/explosions of batteries
  • Assistance in drafting "technical change descriptions"

Battery durability tests

  • Cyclical testing of vehicle batteries
  • Continuous charge testing of standby batteries
  • Charge retention
  • High-current discharging capability
  • Deep discharge recovery

Condition analyses of vehicle batteries

  • Capacity tests
  • Testing of batteries during operation
  • Examination of failure causes
  • Testing of exploded batteries

On-board electrical system power supply in vehicles

  • Energy audit
  • Charging technology in vehicles
  • Disconnect profile of electrical components
  • Electrical operating conditions
  • Functional safety
  • On-board electrical system monitoring using remotely readable data loggers in vehicles

Climate testing of small components

  • Environmental conditions for operation
  • Cold/hot testing, climate testing (-40°C to +85°C)
  • Vibration and shock testing with up to 5 kg of mass, e.g. in accordance with DIN EN 61373
  • Electrical operating conditions
  • Functional safety
  • 2 climate exposure test cabinets, test chamber (W x D x H) up to 150 x 250 x 200 cm
Our test procedures:

We can realise the following test procedures:

  • Cyclical testing on lead batteries *) Charging and discharging of batteries with automated, programmable converters in cyclical operation for determining the durability of batteries at room temperature or under predefined temperatures in a climate exposure test cabinet.
  • Continuous charge testing on lead batteries at predefined temperatures to determine the durability of stationary batteries.
  • Capacity testing of batteries to determine the residual capacity in order to assess premature failure.
  • On-board electrical system measurements in rail vehicles 
    Measurements taken using a data logger with remote monitoring to determine malfunctions/failure causes in operational use

*) accredited test procedure (D-PL-11081-01-07)