Sri Lanka has the technical capacity to test several electric vehicle battery characteristics but lacks mandatory standards covering imported electric vehicles, batteries, controllers and charging stations, according to evidence presented to a parliamentary committee.
Parliament disclosed the findings on November 12 following discussions at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Science, Technology and Digital Transformation.
The committee, chaired by MP Dr. Janaka Senarathna, examined the testing facilities available at the National Engineering Research and Development Centre.
Testing facilities already exist
Officials told the committee that the National Engineering Research and Development Centre, known as NERDC, can test battery capacity, durability and lifespan.
These measurements help establish how a battery performs and how its characteristics change during use.
The committee was also informed that mandatory regulations and standards have not been established for several categories of imported electric vehicle equipment.
That creates a distinction between the ability to conduct technical tests and a legal requirement for importers to obtain certification.
Imported equipment faces standards gap
The equipment categories identified during the discussion include electric vehicles, batteries, controllers and charging stations.
Officials called for relevant standards and compulsory testing and certification.
The parliamentary announcement does not identify an existing compulsory certification programme covering all four categories.
It also does not disclose how many imported products have undergone voluntary testing or whether any have failed safety assessments.
Those figures would be needed to assess the scale of non-compliance or the frequency of defective products.
Vehicle conversions also under examination
The committee considered technology used to convert petrol and diesel vehicles to electric power.
Officials discussed the need for training programmes and regulatory mechanisms covering converted vehicles.
Such conversions can involve changes to a vehicle’s propulsion system, battery installation and electrical controls.
The parliamentary record does not establish that a new approval scheme for converted vehicles has been introduced.
Nor does it specify the qualifications technicians would need under any future certification programme.
Commercial requirements remain undecided
Mandatory testing could create new compliance requirements for vehicle importers, battery suppliers, charging equipment distributors and conversion businesses.
The costs would depend on the standards selected, testing procedures, certification fees and treatment of products already in circulation.
None of those details was announced.
The committee’s discussion therefore identifies a regulatory gap and a proposed response, rather than a completed change in import law.
Any new mandatory regime would require publication of the applicable standards and the legal procedures through which they would be enforced.
