VOLKER BLANDOW

Bangkok,
Global Head of E-Mobility

Electric from the start – Volker Blandow has powered e-mobility operations at TÜV SÜD for over a decade.

Safety first. In a video chat with Melissa, Volker
Blandow talks about his ideas in the area of e-mobility.

»There’s a little bit of TÜV SÜD in almost every electric vehicle on the European market. We’ve meticulously put the batteries through their paces in advance, destroyed them, and pushed them to their absolute limits of performance. Our quality and safety benchmarks are exceptionally high, resulting in excellent standards that pay off in terms of customer trust and confidence over the long term! After all, consumers choosing an electric vehicle don’t want to compromise on quality, performance, or safety.

Our pioneering position in this field is all thanks to TÜV SÜD’s realization at an early stage – long before most car makers – that electric drive systems would play an important role in climate protection. We therefore made optimum preparations for the breakthrough of e-mobility. Right from the outset, TÜV SÜD established an array of laboratories simultaneously and pursued the aim of building a strong network for exchanging knowledge. Customers benefit because they can have their batteries tested all over the world under the same conditions, in a safe and eco-friendly manner by top-class experts!

But our operations extend beyond battery safety. Safety of charging processes and high-voltage safety in production, servicing, and maintenance operations are naturally also important. In addition, we support battery development processes, where the key criterion of safety is joined by service life and performance. Here, we see our role as increasingly moving into initial and continuing training. Many new players are currently entering the market, and we support these developments with our state-of-the-art laboratories, outstanding expertise and passion for e-mobility!

But TÜV SÜD naturally does not stop at batteries where e-mobility safety is concerned. Charging infrastructure and high-voltage safety in electric vehicles are also critical aspects of their use and servicing. We have established a global network of laboratories for this purpose, particularly for conducting in-depth testing of high-power charging with up to 450 kW. Trained experts are essential to perform servicing, maintenance, and repair of electric vehicles because of the high in-vehicle voltages of up to 1000 V; here too, we are a reliable partner at global level. TÜV SÜD has embraced an integrated approach to e-mobility. To be successful, this approach needs a highly motivated team with a whole lot of passion for electric vehicles – and that’s exactly what we had right from the outset!«