UL Solutions Expands EV Safety Testing to Two-Wheelers and Heavy-Duty Industrial Vehicles
UL Solutions Inc. a global leader in applied safety science, has announced a significant expansion of its certification and testing services for battery-powered vehicles. The new services extend UL Solutions’ expertise to cover electric motorcycles, scooters, and heavy-duty industrial vehicles used in construction, agriculture, and mining. This expansion underscores the company’s commitment to advancing safety science and supporting the global transition toward cleaner, electrified mobility.
Supporting a Growing Electric Vehicle Ecosystem
The rise of electrification across both consumer and industrial markets continues to accelerate, driven by the global push toward sustainability and reduced emissions. Battery-powered vehicles, once limited primarily to passenger cars, are now rapidly emerging in diverse segments — from personal urban mobility devices like scooters and motorcycles to specialized off-road machinery used in demanding industrial applications.
According to recent market research, the global industrial electric vehicle market is valued at approximately $3.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow more than fivefold, reaching $17.33 billion by 2033. This surge reflects increasing investments in cleaner, more efficient transportation solutions across sectors traditionally dominated by internal combustion engines.
Recognizing these shifts, UL Solutions has expanded its certification portfolio to include new testing capabilities designed to assess whether electrical systems in these vehicles meet the safety requirements outlined in UL 2850, the Outline of Investigation for Vehicle Systems of Electric Scooters and Motorcycles, and UL 2701, the Outline of Investigation for Electrical Systems for Construction, Agriculture and Mining (CAM) Vehicles.
Establishing Standards for Emerging Electric Vehicle Technologies
A UL Outline of Investigation (OOI) serves as a foundational certification framework for evaluating new or emerging technologies that do not yet have a formal UL Standard. These OOIs enable manufacturers to demonstrate that their products meet critical safety benchmarks even as formalized standards are still being developed.
Products successfully tested and certified under UL Solutions’ OOIs are authorized to bear the UL Mark, a globally recognized symbol that assures compliance with rigorous safety requirements.
“The launch of certification services for UL 2850 and UL 2701 marks a pivotal step in advancing vehicle safety across both urban mobility and industrial operations,” said Wesley Kwok, Vice President and General Manager of the Energy and Industrial Automation group at UL Solutions. “By addressing the unique safety challenges of battery-powered scooters, motorcycles, and heavy-duty construction, agriculture, and mining vehicles, we’re helping manufacturers meet evolving regulatory requirements and accelerate the transition to safer, cleaner transportation — on the road and on the job site.”
UL 2850: Advancing Micromobility Safety
The global proliferation of micromobility vehicles — particularly electric scooters and motorcycles — has transformed short-distance travel in urban areas. However, this rapid growth has also introduced new safety risks, particularly concerning lithium-ion battery performance and fire hazards. Communities worldwide are increasingly confronting incidents involving thermal runaway and battery-related fires.
UL 2850 directly addresses these challenges by providing a comprehensive safety evaluation framework tailored to roadworthy electric scooters and motorcycles. Unlike pedal-assisted e-bikes, these vehicles rely solely on throttles for propulsion and typically require licensing and registration to operate on public roads.
The UL 2850 safety evaluations encompass a wide range of critical systems and components, including:
- Battery management systems (BMS) to ensure proper cell balancing and overcharge protection.
- Thermal management assessments to mitigate the risk of thermal runaway — a chain reaction in lithium-ion cells that can produce extreme heat, fire, and hazardous particulates.
- Functional safety and reliability tests for key control systems, such as throttle response, braking integration, and power cut-off circuits.
- Electrical and mechanical evaluations designed to simulate real-world usage conditions, including vibration, impact, and weather exposure.
- Environmental testing that replicates temperature extremes, humidity, and water ingress to verify resilience in diverse operating environments.
Through UL 2850 certification, manufacturers can assure regulators, insurers, and consumers that their products meet stringent safety requirements designed to prevent battery failures and ensure long-term reliability.
UL 2701: Ensuring Safety in Electrified Heavy-Duty Machinery
Beyond urban mobility, electrification is revolutionizing the construction, agriculture, and mining sectors, where battery-powered machinery is gaining traction as a cleaner, quieter, and more efficient alternative to traditional diesel-powered equipment. However, the operational demands and harsh environmental conditions of these applications pose unique safety challenges.
UL 2701 provides a dedicated certification pathway for these vehicles, focusing on the safety of lithium-based battery systems, drivetrain components, and high-voltage electrical architectures. The testing covers potential hazards such as electric shock, fire, explosion risks, and system-level failures that could compromise operator safety.
This certification framework also supports compliance with evolving global regulatory standards, enabling manufacturers to demonstrate that their vehicles meet both performance expectations and public safety mandates. As governments worldwide tighten emissions rules on job sites, UL 2701 offers a structured path toward market readiness for next-generation zero-emission industrial vehicles.
Leveraging Global Laboratory Expertise
To support these expanded certification programs, UL Solutions will utilize its state-of-the-art testing infrastructure across key international locations. The recently inaugurated North America Advanced Battery Laboratory in Auburn Hills, Michigan, serves as a hub for advanced energy storage and EV component testing. Complementing this facility are UL Solutions’ battery and vehicle laboratories in Changzhou, China, which offer extensive capabilities for thermal, mechanical, and electrical analysis.
Additional testing expertise will come from UL Solutions’ engineering teams in Northbrook, Illinois; Fremont, California; and Suzhou, China, enabling a coordinated global effort to deliver reliable, consistent safety assessments. For manufacturers operating in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), UL Solutions will extend these services through collaborations with regional partner laboratories, ensuring comprehensive coverage across major EV manufacturing markets.
Driving the Future of Safer Electrification
The expansion of UL Solutions’ certification services under UL 2850 and UL 2701 reflects the organization’s broader mission — to help industries innovate safely amid rapid technological transformation. As the world transitions toward electrified mobility, the role of trusted safety science partners becomes increasingly critical.
By combining decades of testing expertise, advanced laboratory capabilities, and deep technical understanding of battery systems, UL Solutions is positioning itself at the forefront of global electrification safety. Whether ensuring that an electric scooter is safe for city streets or verifying that a battery-powered excavator can operate reliably on a construction site, UL Solutions is enabling the next generation of electric vehicles to enter the market with confidence, compliance, and consumer trust.
As Wesley Kwok summarized, “Our goal is simple but essential — to make the electrified future safer for everyone, from commuters on city roads to operators in the world’s toughest industrial environments.”
Through its ongoing commitment to safety science and innovation, UL Solutions continues to play a defining role in shaping the standards that guide the future of clean mobility and industrial electrification worldwide.
About UL Solutions
A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers’ product innovation and business growth. The UL Mark serves as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers’ products and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.
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