EMC Test — CISPR 32 / IEC 61000 / CISPR 25 / EN 50121

What Is EMC?

EMC testing is a group of tests that verify that the electromagnetic interference a product radiates into its surroundings remains within limits, and that it maintains its function under external interference. It is carried out under two main headings: emission and immunity.

Purpose of EMC

The purpose is to verify that the product does not affect other devices and operates reliably in a real electromagnetic environment, and to meet the requirements of the relevant legislation.

Which Products Is EMC Applied To?

Battery management systems and packs
Automotive wiring harnesses and electronic units
Rail vehicle equipment
Industrial and consumer electronics

In Which Sectors Is EMC Used?

BatteryElectric VehicleAutomotiveEnergyElectronics

Standards Related to EMC

CISPR 32emissions in multimedia devices test
CISPR 25Radio degradation of in-car components test
IEC 61000-4 series
IEC 61000-6 serisi
EN 50121electromagnetic compatibility in railway applications test
UNECE R10electromagnetic compatibility in vehicles test
ISO 11452radiated field immunity in vehicles test
UN 38.3Transport safety tests on lithium batteries test
IEC 62133Safety in portable cells and batteries test
IEC 62619lithium battery safety in industrial applications test
IEC 62620industrial lithium cells and batteries test
UL 1642safety in lithium cells test
UL 2054Safety in home and commercial use batteries test
UL 2580Safety in electric vehicle batteries test
ISO 12405Test conditions for electric vehicle lithium battery packs test
UNECE R100electric vehicle and battery safety test

EMC Conditions

Emissions: Radiated and conducted emission; the frequency range is defined in the product standard
Immunity: Radiated and conducted immunity, ESD, EFT/burst, surge, voltage dips
Environment: Semi-anechoic chamber (SAC) or fully anechoic chamber; conducted measurements with an LISN
Operating mode: The worst-case operating mode is determined and documented

Equipment for EMC

Semi-anechoic EMC chamber and antennas
EMI receiver and spectrum analyser
LISN and conducted-emission setup
ESD simulator, EFT/burst and surge generators
Function-monitoring system

Sample Requirements for EMC

The specimen must be set up in its typical use configuration and wiring
The worst-case operating mode must be defined
The function-monitoring method must be defined before the test
The charge/discharge condition must be stated in battery tests

Duration of EMC

A comprehensive EMC programme takes between several days and a week, depending on product complexity.

EMC Procedure

1The product standard and the list of tests to be applied are determined.
2The specimen is set up in the chamber, and wiring and function monitoring are prepared.
3Emission measurements are taken and compared with the limits.
4Immunity tests are applied at the defined levels.
5The performance criterion is assessed for each test.
6If a non-conformity is found, additional measurements are taken for root-cause analysis.

EMC Acceptance Criteria

Emission results must remain below the limits in the product standard. In immunity, the result is evaluated as performance criterion A, B or C; which criterion applies is stated in the product standard.

Evaluation of Results

Emission graphs are presented together with the limit lines, and the margin is stated. In immunity, the observed behaviour and whether self-recovery occurred are recorded.

EMC Report

Applied standards and list of tests
Test setup, wiring and operating mode
Emission measurement graphs and margins
Immunity levels and performance criterion results
Calibration information for the instruments used

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

EMC 2014/30/EU
UNECE R10 (automotive)
EN 50121 (rail)
RED 2014/53/EU

Batarya Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the EMC test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Battery testing answers three separate questions, each with its own body of standards: can the battery be transported, is it safe in use, does it deliver the declared performance? These three questions are often confused with one another, and the confusion has commercial consequences — a market cannot be entered with a transport report, and a shipment cannot be made with a product safety report.

On the transport side, UN 38.3 is a mandatory gate; a battery without that evidence cannot be shipped. On the safety side the application determines what applies: IEC 62133-2 for portable products, IEC 62619 and IEC 63056 for industrial and energy storage applications, UNECE R100, UL 2580 and ISO 6469 for electric vehicles. On the performance side, capacity, internal resistance, cycle life, self-discharge, charge acceptance and temperature-dependent behaviour are measured.

The distinction of LEVEL is essential in this family and is the subject that causes the most argument in the supply chain. Cell, module and pack are assessed separately; a certificate obtained for a cell does not demonstrate the conformity of the pack. Alongside the cells, the behaviour of the pack is determined by the battery management system, the cooling design, the mechanical structure, the interconnection arrangement and insulation coordination. Putting the cell supplier's report into the pack file is a common but inadequate approach.

Thermal runaway and its propagation are the most critical subject in the field. A lithium cell may enter a self-sustaining chemical reaction when damaged or overheated; at that point removing the heat from outside is usually not possible. Modern standards therefore treat thermal runaway of a single cell as an UNAVOIDABLE fault scenario and change the question: does the event propagate to neighbouring cells, what does it release outside the pack, and how much time is left for the user to escape?

In this field the battery management system is assessed not as an electronic board but as a SAFETY FUNCTION. It is shown that overcharge, overdischarge, overcurrent and overtemperature protections actually operate, that the system falls to the safe side in a fault, and that its software has been verified. In industrial and vehicle applications this assessment is tied to functional safety frameworks.

The regulatory side is becoming rapidly more demanding. Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 goes beyond safety and introduces obligations for carbon footprint declaration, recovered content ratio, durability and capacity declaration, the battery passport, and removability for portable batteries. This takes the scope of testing beyond classical safety tests.

Method groups in this field

Electrical abuse
Overcharge, overdischarge, external short circuit, forced discharge and unbalanced charging. This is where it is seen whether the protection circuits actually work.
Mechanical abuse
Vibration, shock, crush, penetration, free fall and tipping. It is monitored whether internal short circuit conditions arise.
Thermal tests
Temperature cycling, thermal shock, high temperature storage, fire exposure and thermal runaway propagation.
Environmental tests
Humidity, low pressure, salt spray and, where required, immersion; these come to the fore in vehicle and outdoor applications.
Performance measurements
Capacity, energy and power, internal resistance, efficiency, cycle life, calendar life and temperature-dependent behaviour.
BMS verification
Verification of protection thresholds, the cell balancing function, communications and fault response.

Commonly confused in this field

UN 38.3 is not a product safety certificate; it only demonstrates transport conformity.
A cell certificate does not demonstrate pack conformity. The pack is assessed separately with its own architecture.
Two packs built from the same cell give different results; cooling, interconnection and mechanical structure are decisive.
A performance test is not a safety test. A cycle life report does not satisfy safety requirements.
For an electric vehicle battery, a UL 2580 report and UNECE R100 approval are not the same thing; one is a standards assessment, the other a type approval regime.
A vehicle battery moved into a second-life application enters a new usage profile; the earlier assessment does not carry over directly.

Which decisions these results support

Transport conformity and the test summary for shipment
Product safety declaration and market access
Performance, durability and carbon footprint declarations under the Battery Regulation
Assessing the impact of a cell supplier or BMS change
Site acceptance processes for an energy storage system

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About EMC

Which standard should I apply for EMC testing?

It varies by product family: the CISPR 32 and IEC 61000 series for general electronics, UNECE R10 and CISPR 25 for automotive, and EN 50121 for rail. Which standard applies is determined by your product and target market.