[Economy pick] I'll check the safety of electric car batteries!

■ Host: Youngsoo Kim Anchor, Lee Harin Anchor
■ Starring: Choi Ah-young, YTN Economy Reporter

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN NewsON] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Electric vehicle battery safety, I will check it like this in the future. Electric vehicle battery safety, what will change in the future?

[Reporter]
The electric vehicle fire at an underground parking lot in Incheon has raised concerns about electric vehicle batteries. So, in the future, the government has decided to verify the safety of electric vehicle batteries in advance. In the meantime, when the manufacturer checks its own stability and releases the car, the government certifies its safety afterwards. However, starting this month, only batteries will be tested and certified by the government before cars are sold on the market. So, it will change from post-certification to pre-approval.

And if the conformity test determines nonconformity after sale, the corrective order must be immediately implemented. This certification system will be piloted from this month. Five companies, including Hyundai Motor, Kia, and LG Energy Solution, have announced that they will participate in the pilot operation early. After that, this pre-certification system will be applied to all manufacturers from February next year.

After a one-year grace period, only government-certified batteries will be available on the market from 2026. The government believes that the battery certification system will serve as an opportunity to strengthen the safety of electric vehicle batteries.

[Anchor]
Thank you for today's economic news. This was Choi Ah-young, a reporter for the Ministry of Economy. Thank you.