The "strictest battery safety order in history" has been issued. What impact will it have on the new energy vehicle industry?

With the popularity of electric vehicles, the safety of power batteries has attracted much attention. Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “mandatory” national standard “Safety Requirements for Power Batteries for Electric Vehicles”, which will be implemented on July 1 next year. The new national standard changes the “no fire, no explosion” of power batteries to a mandatory requirement, so it is regarded by many as “the strictest battery safety order in history”. Compared with the old national standard, what are the differences between the new national standard for power batteries? What are the core requirements of the new national standard? How to achieve this core requirement? What impact will the implementation of the new national standard have on the future of the industry and the use experience of consumers?
What are the core requirements of the new national standard?
The new national standard released this time covers “7 single-cell tests and 17 battery pack or system tests” for the first time. Compared with the 2020 version of the national standard, new test items such as battery bottom impact test, safety test after fast charging cycle, and thermal diffusion test have been added, which puts forward stricter safety requirements for power batteries. The new national standard puts forward clear requirements for the mechanical safety, electrical safety, thermal safety and other aspects of the battery, including the safety performance of the battery under extreme conditions such as collision, extrusion, and high temperature.
The core requirement of the new national standard is to comprehensively improve the safety performance of batteries and provide consumers with higher safety protection. The three new stringent tests added to the new national standard for power batteries not only strengthen safety requirements such as battery thermal diffusion, but also add a number of safety test items to fully guarantee the safety of power batteries.
The so-called thermal diffusion refers to the chain reaction of other cells caused by thermal runaway of a single cell in the battery pack, which may cause fire and explosion in severe cases. The new national standard clearly states that the test can be carried out by needle puncture or internal heating, or external heating.
CCTV reporter Luo Hongjin: In the needle puncture test of the battery pack, we can see that this 5 mm steel needle will pierce the target cell at a speed of 1 mm per second. After about 50 seconds, the target cell will be punctured.
The reporter saw that when the target cell was punctured, a puff of white smoke instantly came out of the battery pack, and the temperature of the monitored cell also rose instantly.
Jiang Chenglong, senior engineer of the New Energy Inspection Center of China Automotive Technology and Research Center: Generally, the temperature of the punctured battery will rise to about 300°C, and the temperature inside the cell can reach about 1000°C. During this process, the temperature of other adjacent batteries will also rise accordingly, but during the diffusion process, the entire battery system cannot catch fire or explode.
Bottom scratches are unavoidable during vehicle driving. For this scenario, the new national standard has added a strict test – vehicle bottom impact test.
CCTV reporter Luo Hongjin: This is the site of the battery pack bottom safety collision test. We can see that the 30mm steel impact head will hit the risk points on the battery pack with 150 joules of energy. Such risk points are selected at the front, middle and back of the bottom of the battery pack.
Jiang Chenglong, senior engineer of the New Energy Inspection Center of China Automotive Technology and Research Center: These three risk points are mainly selected for the areas where the protection ability of the bottom of the battery pack is relatively sensitive. The purpose of the test is mainly to consider the corresponding protection ability of the bottom of the battery pack after being bumped.
In addition, in response to the rapid popularization of fast charging of new energy vehicles, the new national standard has also added safety tests for batteries after fast charging cycles. The reporter learned that this test is aimed at fast-charging battery cells within 15 minutes. After 300 cycles of fast-charging conditions, an external short-circuit test is carried out, requiring the battery cells to be non-fire and non-explosive.
Fire and water immersion
The battery also needs to undergo “extreme trials”
In addition to the three rigorous tests of thermal diffusion protection, bottom impact, and fast charging cycles, electric vehicle power batteries also need to break through multiple extreme tests before they can be successfully installed on the line.
This is a simulated collision test of the battery pack. When the battery pack is fully charged, it is fixed on the test trolley through equipment and collides in two directions. The battery pack is required to have no leakage and no shell rupture.
“No fire and no explosion”
More stringent requirements for power batteries
Compared with the 2020 version of the national standard, the new national standard has put forward stricter safety requirements for power batteries. Can the requirements for thermal diffusion tests of power batteries be raised from providing an alarm signal five minutes before fire and explosion to no fire and no explosion in reality? In addition, data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that as of February last year, 78% of the 36 vehicle and battery companies interviewed had technical reserves for power batteries that would not catch fire or explode, and another 14% were expected to have this technology in 2026-2027. The new national standard was issued in March this year, and manufacturers were required to strictly implement it in more than a year. Does this mean that the relevant technology has been mature before? If so, why is it mandatory now?
Wang Fang, chief scientist of China Automotive Technology Research Center Co., Ltd.: I want to emphasize that each test item in the safety standard has a corresponding safety boundary. In actual use, it may change with different consumer usage habits and different car usage scenarios. So we can’t simply understand that the battery will not catch fire in any extreme case. I also strongly recommend that our consumers drive vehicles in strict accordance with the vehicle’s product manual and road traffic safety regulations.
Zhang Hong, a new energy expert at the China Circulation Automobile Association: The new national standard requires manufacturers to strictly implement it one year after its issuance, which does not necessarily mean that the technology has been mature.
First, early implementation of standards will help establish a fair market competition environment. Even if some companies may face pressure for technological transformation, from the perspective of the entire industry, some small workshop-style companies that do not meet the requirements can be eliminated, allowing companies with strength and willingness to innovate to stand out.
Second, even if the technology is not yet fully mature, setting standards can encourage companies to increase R&D investment and work towards the requirements of the standards. In the field of new energy vehicles, after the new battery safety standards are introduced, companies will actively explore new battery technologies and management systems to ensure that they meet the standards, which will help the entire industry’s technological progress.
Car companies increase battery safety technology
Strengthening protective barriers
At present, many car companies are increasing their innovation efforts and building a strong battery safety line in multiple dimensions. The full-chain technology upgrade is reshaping the power battery safety standards.
The relevant person in charge of this car company told reporters that they are actively carrying out tests that exceed the new national standards, such as increasing the bottom impact force or extending the time of thermal diffusion monitoring to better verify the safety of the battery. At the same time, in terms of battery structure, the innovative management technology of “combining dredging and blocking” is adopted.
Another person in charge of a car company told reporters that battery pack products are usually composed of hundreds of single cells. As long as each cell is managed well, the safety of the entire pack of batteries can be achieved.
The reporter also learned that some companies have improved battery safety by choosing a more stable material system. For example, the use of high-safety positive electrodes, flame-retardant electrolytes, and high-heat-resistant diaphragms can ensure that the battery cells are not prone to thermal runaway to the greatest extent. In addition, the use of cloud big data can diagnose the health status of the battery in real time and identify battery failures in advance.
Accelerate technological innovation
Or form a “stronger and stronger” market structure
With the implementation of the new national standard for power batteries on July 1 next year, the safety level of power batteries will be systematically improved, and the safety of electric vehicles will also be significantly improved. What impact will the implementation of the new national standard have on the future of the industry and the user experience of consumers?
Zhang Hong, a new energy expert at the China Automobile Association: The new national standard is called the strictest new regulation on battery safety in history, requiring the battery system to ensure that it will not catch fire or explode under extreme circumstances. This standard change requires companies to redesign the battery pack structure, thermal management system and other aspects, which will accelerate the development of the industry towards high quality, and the future market may form a “stronger and stronger” pattern. In addition, due to the improvement of battery safety performance, insurance companies may reduce the rates of related insurance types, thereby further reducing consumers’ car purchase and use costs.
The current national standard has guaranteed the basic safety of vehicles
The new national standard stipulates that for new models applying for type approval, the relevant requirements will be implemented on July 1, 2026, and for models that have been approved, the relevant requirements will be implemented on July 1, 2027. This means that the approved models have a one-year transition period, but they must complete the transformation or exit the market before 2027. Some consumers wonder whether they need to wait until the new national standard is implemented before buying new energy vehicles? Industry experts said that the current national standard has guaranteed the basic safety of vehicles, and most companies have completed technical reserves in advance, so consumers can rest assured to buy models that meet the existing national standards.
Experts pointed out that both the new national standard and the current national standard have a high level of safety.
Hao Weijian, senior engineer of the Standardization Institute of China Automotive Technology and Research Center: Both the new and old national standards have gone through sufficient industry discussions and standard formulation, and both have relatively high technical levels. Currently, all vehicles on the market have met the requirements of relevant mandatory national standards and are generally safe.
The reporter learned in the interview that before the release of the new national standard, some companies had already made technical reserves in advance, and the whole vehicle used safer batteries.
Hao Weijian, senior engineer of the Standardization Institute of China Automotive Technology and Research Center: According to our previous research, among the current new energy vehicle companies, more than 80% of the companies have technical reserves for no fire and explosion after thermal diffusion testing, and the overall safety technology level has reached a high level, so consumers do not need to worry too much.