Nagano, Japan, June 2, 2026 – Hioki E.E. Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the DC Hipot Tester ST5680A, designed for DC hipot and insulation resistance testing of EV battery cells, modules, and packs on production lines. 
The ST5680A combines compliance with major international certifications, including CE, UKCA, and CSA (NRTL), with an integrated contact check function and waveform recording and analysis of test voltage, leakage current, and insulation resistance.
These capabilities enable manufacturers to build a common, global test platform for hipot and insulation evaluation across EV battery cells, modules, and packs at production sites worldwide. In addition to mass production testing, the ST5680A also supports hipot‑related design verification and material evaluation in R&D, helping to improve EV battery reliability and contribute to a safer, more secure electrified society.

Development Background

With the global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and the advancement of autonomous driving technologies, automotive electrical and electronic components are required to meet increasingly higher standards of reliability. EV batteries, in particular, store large amounts of energy as the vehicle’s power source. Even minute defects or contamination that compromise internal insulation can lead to serious safety risks, including electric shock or fire.

As a result, hipot and insulation testing that reliably ensures battery safety and quality has become a critical process on EV battery production lines.

At the same time, as EV battery production has globalized, engineers on site are facing several challenges:

• To comply with different certifications at each site (CE, UKCA, CSA, etc.), different DC hipot testers are used at each factory, making it difficult to standardize models and complicating maintenance and certification management.
• For module and pack testing, external continuity checkers or additional test steps are often required to verify contact quality to the test object, resulting in more complex equipment design and longer setup time and takt time.
• When engineers need to observe voltage and current behavior during hipot tests as waveforms, they must build a separate measurement setup with an oscilloscope, high‑voltage probes, and current probes, which introduces a gap from actual line conditions and separates test logs from waveform data, reducing analysis efficiency.

To address these issues, Hioki has developed the ST5680A, which integrates global safety standard compliance, contact check, and waveform analysis functions into a single DC hipot tester.

Product Overview

The ST5680A is a DC hipot tester designed for EV battery cell, module, and pack production lines, as well as R&D applications such as hipot‑related design verification and material evaluation.

Key capabilities include:

• Compliance with CE, UKCA, and CSA (NRTL) certifications
• Maximum output of 8 kV / 20 mA for DC hipot tests
• Integrated, capacitance‑based contact check function
• Time‑series waveform display and recording of voltage, current, and insulation resistance
• Support for safe, stable, and efficient high‑voltage testing through various auxiliary functions

Key Features

1. Building a global common platform with CE / UKCA / CSA compliance

A single model supports major regional safety requirements. With up to 8 kV / 20 mA output, it enables DC hipot testing compliant with international standards—from cells to modules and packs. By aligning test instruments and test settings across global sites, it significantly reduces the burden of maintenance, certification, and training.

2. Integrated contact check prevents false PASS and simplifies equipment design

The tester comes standard with a capacitance-based contact check function. It detects connection and contact anomalies including the jig, test leads, and high-voltage relays, helping prevent false passes caused by poor contact. This eliminates the need for an external continuity checker and additional process steps, contributing to shorter takt time and simpler equipment design.

3. “Waveform intelligence” for voltage, current, and insulation resistance accelerates analysis and process improvement

During DC hipot and insulation resistance testing, the ST5680A can record and display waveforms of voltage, current, and insulation resistance without external equipment. It supports up to 128 s / 500 kS/s recording and allows integrated management of test logs and waveform data. By capturing waveforms under actual production conditions, manufacturers can accelerate failure analysis, quantitatively evaluate process changes, and enhance traceability.

4. Comprehensive safety and productivity support for high-voltage testing

The ST5680A is equipped with safety-critical functions such as voltage limiting, automatic discharge, and interlock. In addition, productivity/support functions—including auto-ranging, panel memory, and ARC detection—help ensure safety and repeatability while enabling efficient day-to-day production testing operations.

Main Applications

• DC hipot and insulation resistance testing on EV battery cell production lines
• DC hipot and insulation resistance testing of finished EV battery modules and packs
• Insulation evaluation and BDV (breakdown voltage) testing of EV battery materials and structures
• Insulation performance testing of high‑voltage automotive components such as motors and inverters
• Other general high‑voltage DC hipot and insulation resistance tests

Product Lineup

DC Hipot Tester ST5680A

Link

ST5680A product page

Contact Us

For inquiries such as quotes, demonstrations, and trial usage, please use Hioki's contact form for a personalized reply from your closest or most appropriate Hioki representative.

• The information provided is current as of the date of publishing.
• Please note that prices, specifications, and other information contained in this texts are subject to change without notice.
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