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Commonwealth legislation
What this instrument does (mechanically)
It requires most new and existing road vehicles fitted with an electric power train and a Rechargeable Electrical Energy Storage System (REESS, i.e. the vehicle battery system) to meet detailed safety rules about high-voltage electrical parts, battery containment, warnings and a long list of laboratory and vehicle tests (vibration, thermal cycling, mechanical impact and crush, fire exposure, short-circuit, over-charge/discharge/over‑temperature/over‑current protection, hydrogen emission for open batteries, isolation resistance, water exposure, etc.). (See: Function and Requirements; Appendix A adopting UN Regulation No. 100.)
The standard applies by vehicle category (passenger cars, light/medium/heavy goods vehicles, buses, motorcycles and certain mopeds/trailers) for vehicles with a design speed ≥ 25 km/h. New vehicle models must comply from 1 November 2025; all vehicles must comply from 1 November 2028. (See: Clauses 3.1.1–3.1.2 and applicability table.)
Compliance may be shown by meeting the full technical text incorporated as Appendix A (the text of United Nations Regulation No. 100, 03 series of amendments) or by using one of the expressly allowed alternative technical standards (UN GTR No. 20 or US FMVSS No. 305 for certain light vehicles). The instrument also permits Component Type Approval (CTA) for REESS units; a CTA can be used to shorten or omit some vehicle‑level tests if the REESS is installed according to the REESS manufacturer’s instructions. (See: Requirements, clause 5; Alternative Standards, clause 7.)
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Direct links to the current provisions in Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 109/01 – Electric Power Train Safety Requirements) 2023.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 109/01 – Electric Power Train Safety Requirements) 2023
I, CAROL BROWN, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, determine this national road vehicle standard under section 12 of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018.
Date 31 October 2023
[SIGNED]
Carol Brown
Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
CONTENTS
legislative provisions................................................3
FUNCTION.......................................................3
APPLICABILITY...................................................3
DEFINITIONS.....................................................5
REQUIREMENTS..................................................5
EXEMPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES....................5
ALTERNATIVE STANDARDS......................................11
APPENDIX A........................................................12
legislative provisions
FUNCTION
APPLICABILITY
This vehicle standard applies to all category MA, MB, MC, MD, ME, NA, NB and NC vehicles, from the dates set out in clauses 3.1.1 to 3.1.2 and the table under clause 3.3 below, with a maximum design speed of 25km/hr or greater if fitted with an electric power train and a Rechargeable Electrical Energy Storage System (REESS).
The Department (the Type Approval Authority) or its approved testing facilities decide approvals. Manufacturers (vehicle and REESS makers) must supply detailed Supporting Information and may need to run specified tests or provide analyses demonstrating safety performance; the manufacturer bears the cost and responsibility for the documentation and tests. (See: Definitions and Appendix 1/2 requirements in Appendix A.)
Who it affects
Why it matters (practical implications and mechanisms)
Safety mechanism: the standard operationalises electrical and battery safety by demanding physical protections (enclosures and barriers), isolation resistance minima, fault monitoring (on‑board isolation monitoring and warnings), lab/vehicle tests to show integrity under vibration, crash and fire scenarios, and controls on hydrogen emissions for open batteries. These are technical prescriptive controls that change product design, labelling and test evidence manufacturers must hold. (See: Appendix A, Parts I & II and Annexes 3–9.)
Who pays and who decides: manufacturers pay for design changes, testing programs, laboratory time and evidence preparation. The Type Approval Authority (Department) and Approved Testing Facilities decide whether the tests and documentation meet the rule. (See: Definitions; clause 4 approval; clause 6 substitutions to testing authority language.)
Behaviour changes required of industry: design REESS enclosures, cable colour coding, high‑voltage markings, isolation monitoring systems, thermal management, warning tell‑tales, mechanical protection and installation instructions; invest in test campaigns (or buy REESS with an existing CTA); document risk analyses (thermal propagation, IEC/ISO/SAE/industry standards allowed); and cooperate with Approved Testing Facilities. (See: Paragraphs 5.1.1.4 marking, 5.1.3 isolation, 6.11–6.15 thermal/propagation requirements, Annex 1 Appendices.)
Trade-offs, costs and implementation risks
Compliance cost and capacity: the standard is test‑heavy. Manufacturers must fund repeated, specialised tests (crush, fire, hydrogen chamber, vibration, etc.) and produce Supporting Information (system diagrams, sensor thresholds, risk‑reduction analyses). This is an up‑front compliance cost and ongoing production conformity responsibility (conformity of production procedures required). Risk that domestic Approved Testing Facilities are a bottleneck, which could delay approvals (implementation risk). (See: Requirements; Annexes 8–9; clause 8 conformity.)
Scope of approvals and re‑use limits: REESS may be approved as a component (CTA) but many component approvals are limited to specific vehicle types or installation positions, and some tests restrict mounting zones (see mechanical integrity mounting limits). That means a battery pack approved for one vehicle may not be freely transferable to other vehicle models without additional checks or limits, increasing engineering and certification cost for modular reuse. (See: clause 6.4.2 and related Annexes 9D/6.4.2.2.)
Alternatives and market effects: the instrument allows compliance by meeting selected foreign standards (UN Regulation No.100 text, UN GTR No.20, or FMVSS 305 for small vehicles). That lowers trade friction for vehicles already certified to those standards (easier market access), but preserves a high technical bar for vehicles that don’t meet those alternatives. (See: clause 7.)
Information and verification burden: manufacturers must supply detailed technical documentation (system diagrams, threshold parameters, evidence of electrical isolation, crash simulation data if used in place of standardized crush forces, and risk analyses using recognised methodologies). The Type Approval Authority may request those documents and withhold approval if not satisfied. This concentrates accountability on the manufacturer (the rule explicitly makes them responsible for documentation verity). (See: Appendix 1 & 2; paragraphs 6.13–6.15 and related notes.)
Concrete incentives and likely responses
Incentive to pre‑certify REESS as components (CTAs) so vehicle makers can avoid full vehicle tests where permitted, but CTAs are often limited to specific installations so manufacturers will still need vehicle‑level verification in many cases (clauses 5.2.1.1, 6.4.2).
Incentive to design batteries and harnesses to meet the isolation, enclosure and mounting criteria to minimise the number of vehicle‑specific tests. That favours larger manufacturers and suppliers who can amortise test costs across many vehicle models.
Potential for substitution: smaller EVs or imported models already certified to FMVSS 305 or UN GTR 20 have a lower incremental cost to enter Australia, compared with models that must undergo the full suite of UN Regulation No.100 tests locally. (See: clause 7.2 and 7.3.)
Where the instrument’s text does the work (select citations)
Bottom line
This instrument imports the technical safety content of UN Regulation No.100 into Australian law, adds Australian implementation details (mapping of vehicle categories, testing‑facility language and limited administrative exemptions), and gives manufacturers three alternative technical routes for compliance. It raises a significant technical and compliance burden for vehicle and REESS makers (testing, documentation, installation‑specific approvals), while also offering options (CTAs and alternative standards) that can reduce duplication where internationally tested components/vehicles already exist.
For the purposes of clauses 3.1.1 above, a “new model” is a vehicle model first produced with a ‘Date of Manufacture’ on or after the date prescribed in each clause.
Applicability Table
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:432.85pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:bottom"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-weight:bold">Vehicle Category</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:bottom"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-weight:bold">ADR Category Code</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:bottom"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-weight:bold">UN Category Code*</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:bottom"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-weight:bold">Manufactured on or After</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:bottom"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span style="font-weight:bold">Acceptable Prior Rules</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Moped 2 wheels</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>LA</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>L1</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Moped 3 wheels</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>LB</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>L2</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Motor cycle</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>LC</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>L3</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Motor cycle and sidecar</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>LD</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>L4</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Motor tricycle</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>LE</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>L5</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span><span>LEM</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span><span>LEP</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span><span>LEG</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Not Applicable</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Passenger car</span></p></td><td style="width:47.35pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>MA</span></p></td><td style="width:45.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>M1</span></p></td><td style="width:88.4pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>1 November 2025</span></p></td><td style="width:53pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal"><span>Nil</span></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:143.45pt; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.03pt; padding-left:5.03pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-top:2.4pt; margin-bottom:2.4pt; line-height:normal">
This is an opening excerpt, not the complete document.