April 17, 2025: Updated, stricter national standards regulating the safety of EV batteries are set to enter into force in China in 2026.

The revised standard will take effect on July 1, according to state media outlet Xinhua, quoting the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Xinhua said on April 15 that revisions include updates to thermal diffusion testing of batteries, further clarifying the temperature requirements, observation time, and vehicle testing conditions.

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

Testing will become significantly more comprehensive, with batteries not allowed to leak, crack, ignite, or explode in the impact test.

Additionally, batteries will need to undergo an external short-circuit test after 300 fast-charging cycles, with no fire or explosion permitted.

The regulations will supersede those introduced in 2020, which only required that an alarm be triggered five minutes before a fire or explosion.

Earlier this year, China said it was increasing subsidies for the replacement of lithium battery e-bikes with new models powered by lead-acid batteries, “given the higher safety performance and broader applications of lead-acid battery e-bikes”.