June 29, 2025: China’s lithium ion battery industry recorded a near 70% increase in production during the first quarter of this year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The ministry reported on June 16 that the boost in output amounted to a total of more than 470GWh — some 110GWh of which will go to energy storage systems, with 184GWh of batteries destined for EVs.

Exports of lithium ion batteries between January and April reached more than Rmb155 billion ($22 billion), a year-on-year increase of 25%, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, China is to introduce stricter national standards regulating the safety of EV batteries next year.

Batteries International reported last April that the revisions will take effect on July 1, 2026, including updates to thermal diffusion testing of batteries, further clarifying the temperature requirements, observation time, and vehicle testing conditions.

A new ‘impact test’ will assess the protective capabilities of the battery upon impact to its base.