The Chinese authorities have released the "strictest ever battery safety directive," upgrading the mandatory national standards for electric vehicle batteries, requiring them "not to catch fire or explode."
According to Guangming Daily, the mandatory national standard "Safety Requirements for Power Batteries Used in Electric Vehicles" organized by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has been released and will be implemented from July 1, 2026.
The report states that the new standard further clarifies the temperature requirements for the batteries under test, the charging and discharging status, observation time, and the conditions for vehicle testing. The technical requirements have been adjusted from providing a heat event alarm signal five minutes before ignition or explosion to ensuring no fire or explosion (alarm still required) and no harmful smoke affecting passengers. It also introduces a new bottom impact test to assess the protective capabilities after the battery's bottom is impacted and introduces a new safety test after fast charging cycles, conducting an external short circuit test after 300 fast charging cycles, requiring no fire or explosion, etc.
Red Star News reports that the new standard for the first time proposes the requirement of not catching fire or exploding after thermal runaway due to internal short circuits, being dubbed the "strictest battery safety directive ever."
China's new energy vehicle development is booming, accounting for 40.9% of total new car sales last year. Since the beginning of this year, multiple incidents of new energy vehicle collisions and fires have garnered significant public attention. Last month, a Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle was involved in a severe accident on a highway in Anhui, catching fire and exploding violently after colliding with a central cement barrier, resulting in the deaths of three young women on board.