This SAE Recommended Practice is intended as a guide toward standard practice and is subject to change to keep pace with experience and technical advances. It describes a body of tests which may be used as needed for abuse testing of electric or hybrid electric vehicle rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS) to determine the response of such electrical energy storage and control systems to conditions or events which are beyond their normal operating range. This document does not establish pass/fail criteria. However, SAE J2929 does define pass/fail criteria for automotive RESS safety testing.

Abuse test procedures in this document are intended to cover a broad range of vehicle applications as well as a broad range of electrical energy storage devices, including individual RESS cells (batteries or capacitors), modules, and packs.

RESS includes any type of rechargeable electrical energy storage device, such as batteries and capacitors. This document does not apply to RESS that uses mechanical devices to store energy (e.g., electro-mechanical flywheels) or fuel cells.