New National Standards for Electric Vehicle Battery Safety Enhance Green Transportation and Consumer Protection

Wang Qian: The introduction of the “strictest” new national standard for power battery safety ensures green and safe travel.

The release of the <b>National Mandatory Standard for Safety Requirements of Power Storage Batteries for Electric Vehicles (GB 38031—2025)</b> marks a significant milestone in the development of China's electric vehicle industry. This standard will profoundly impact the industry and supply chains, accelerating technological innovation, optimizing market competition, and enhancing the industrial ecosystem. It aims to provide consumers with safer, greener, and smarter travel options, drive high-quality development in the new energy vehicle sector, and strengthen China’s competitive advantage globally.

The rapid proliferation and intelligence of new energy vehicles call for an upgrade of safety standards from 1.0 to 2.0. China's new energy vehicle industry is growing at an unprecedented rate. In 2009, China initiated the "Ten Cities, Thousand Vehicles" program to promote new energy vehicles, marking a new chapter in the industry's development. By 2018, annual production and sales exceeded one million units, taking nearly ten years. This figure surpassed five million units by 2022, achieved in approximately four years, and is expected to exceed ten million units for the first time in 2024, within just two years. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Public Security, by the end of 2024, the number of new energy vehicles in China will reach 31.4 million, accounting for 8.9% of the total number of vehicles. The number of newly registered new energy vehicles in 2024 is projected to be 11.25 million, representing 41.83% of all new registrations, indicating a rapid growth trend.

Simultaneously, the application of intelligent technology in new energy vehicles is advancing quickly. Currently, leading automotive manufacturers are implementing large language models in vehicles, launching high-level intelligent assisted driving systems, and achieving breakthroughs in domestic high-performance chips, millimeter-wave radar, and central computing platforms. Smart cabins and intelligent driving applications have reached internationally advanced levels. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology indicate that in the first half of 2024, the penetration rate of new cars with L2-level or higher intelligent assisted driving technology reached 55.7%, expected to rise to 65% by 2025. However, the rapidly growing market and swiftly evolving technologies urgently require more robust safety standards.

As the ownership of electric vehicles surges, safety concerns have become increasingly prominent. Lithium-ion batteries are prone to thermal runaway under high temperatures, overcharging, or collisions. Industry data shows that in the first quarter of 2023, an average of eight new energy vehicles caught fire each day, including spontaneous combustion incidents. In 2024, over 290,000 new energy vehicles were recalled due to battery issues, accounting for 7% of the total recalls for the year. Several recent incidents involving well-known electric vehicle brands catching fire have heightened public concern regarding battery safety. Frequent thermal runaway incidents pose severe risks to lives and property, undermining consumer confidence and hindering the sustainable development of the industry.

The new national standard for power battery safety will upgrade safety supervision from "passive response" to "proactive defense." In response to these issues, relevant authorities began revising the standard in September 2021, with the project initiated in December 2023. The <b>Safety Requirements for Power Storage Batteries for Electric Vehicles</b> (GB 38031—2025) was officially released on April 15, 2025, and is scheduled to be implemented mandatorily starting July 1, 2026. This standard signifies a shift in China’s power battery safety regulation from "reactive measures" to "proactive prevention," establishing a globally leading technical safety benchmark for the industry.

The new standard strengthens safety measures with new testing requirements, including battery bottom impact tests and safety evaluations after fast charging cycles. By enhancing thermal diffusion requirements, the standard aims to reduce the likelihood of battery fires from the design phase and safeguard consumer safety. The 2025 version encompasses seven individual tests and 17 tests for battery packs or systems. Compared to the 2020 version, it enhances and supplements many critical technical requirements, setting a new goal of "no fires, no explosions." The thermal diffusion requirements for battery systems have been upgraded from providing alarms for thermal events five minutes before a fire or explosion to ensuring "no fire, no explosion (still requiring alarms), with no harmful smoke to occupants." This is achieved through simulating internal short circuits and controlling the toxicity of released gases, significantly lowering the risk for occupants during escape.

Additionally, the new standard introduces testing for battery packs or systems subjected to bottom impacts, ensuring that battery packs can withstand impacts from a 30mm steel ball with 150 joules of energy without leaking, cracking, catching fire, or exploding, while also meeting insulation resistance requirements. It fills a gap in assessing the protective capability of battery bottoms against impacts that may occur during complex driving conditions, effectively improving the safety of electric vehicles in actual usage.

The new standard also includes safety tests after multiple fast charging cycles, requiring batteries to pass external short circuit tests after 300 fast charging cycles without catching fire or exploding. This addresses safety concerns regarding the increasing use of fast charging technology.

<b>The new national standard will accelerate the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle industry.</b>

1. Power battery manufacturers will face pressure to optimize costs, prompting accelerated efforts in battery materials and new battery technologies. The new standard will drive manufacturers to increase research and development investments, optimize cell materials and structural designs, and improve thermal management system performance. However, compliance with the new standard will require the use of high-performance raw materials and components, increasing procurement costs. The introduction of new production equipment and processes, along with enhanced quality control and testing, will also lead to rising costs. Consequently, companies may experience a compression of profit margins and will need to alleviate cost pressures by optimizing supply chain management and improving production efficiency, or they may pass some costs onto downstream vehicle manufacturers.

2. Industry entry barriers will rise, reshaping market competition. The new standard will heighten entry barriers, pushing companies with subpar technology out of the market. Resources will increasingly concentrate on more competitive firms, allowing leading companies with strong R&D capabilities, technology, funding, and brand advantages to solidify their market positions and potentially increase their market share. Smaller firms, with limited resources and funding, will face immense survival pressures due to increased technological development costs and challenges, leading to potential market exit or consolidation through acquisition by larger companies.

3. New battery technologies like solid-state batteries and hydrogen fuel cells will accelerate development. Solid-state batteries, which utilize solid electrolytes, offer higher energy density and better thermal stability and safety, positioning them as a critical technology for addressing battery safety issues. Many companies and research institutions are intensifying their R&D investments in solid-state batteries, with some achieving significant milestones and expecting commercial breakthroughs in the coming years. Hydrogen fuel cells, known for their zero emissions and quick refueling times, are projected to gradually increase their market share as technology advances and costs decrease.

4. Innovations in battery materials and structures will accelerate. New positive electrode materials like high-nickel ternary materials and lithium iron manganese phosphate, as well as silicon-based anode materials, will continuously optimize applications to enhance battery energy density and safety performance. Progress in developing new electrolyte and separator materials, such as flame-retardant electrolytes and high-strength separators, will improve battery thermal stability and short-circuit resistance. In terms of battery structure design, technologies like <b>Cell to Pack (CTP)</b>, <b>Cell to Chassis (CTC)</b>, and <b>Cell to Body (CTB)</b> will further optimize and reduce the number of components in battery packs, enhancing system integration and space utilization, thereby improving battery safety and performance.

5. Electric vehicle manufacturers will place greater emphasis on overall vehicle energy management systems, thermal management technologies, and safety performance improvements. They will implement stringent supplier admission and verification processes to ensure compliance throughout the supply chain. Automakers will adopt the new standard as a mandatory criterion for selecting and evaluating battery suppliers. Future collaborations with battery suppliers may deepen, involving participation in early-stage battery development and design to optimize compatibility between battery systems and vehicles, ensuring overall safety and performance. Ongoing monitoring and verification of existing supplier products will also be essential to ensure compliance with the new standards. Moreover, management of the aftermarket will be crucial, including enhancing user training and after-sales service to promptly address safety issues related to battery systems.

6. Intelligent battery management systems (BMS) will accelerate upgrades. In the future, BMS will evolve toward greater intelligence and precision, utilizing advanced sensor technology, big data analytics, and AI algorithms to achieve real-time monitoring, accurate predictions, and intelligent control of battery states. For instance, BMS could dynamically adjust charging strategies based on battery usage and environmental conditions, preventing overcharging and over-discharging, while providing timely alerts and protective measures in case of abnormalities, thus reducing the probability of thermal runaway and other safety incidents. Continuous advancements in thermal management technologies will not only enhance energy efficiency but also play a significant role in extending driving range and battery lifespan while effectively preventing thermal runaway.

7. Automakers will need to adjust product development and marketing strategies. They may need to upgrade or redesign existing models to meet the new standards or launch new models with differentiated competitive advantages. Companies should also adjust their marketing strategies to enhance the promotion of product safety, boosting consumer confidence in electric vehicles.

8. The testing and certification service industry will experience a new wave of growth due to increased demand for inspections. The new standard introduces additional tests, such as bottom impact and safety assessments after fast charging cycles, leading battery manufacturers and automakers to require extensive testing services to ensure compliance with the new standards, which will provide significant market opportunities for third-party testing agencies.

9. Service standards will also need to be upgraded. The new standard significantly elevates safety performance requirements for electric vehicles, necessitating corresponding upgrades in service standards and processes within the testing and certification industry. Testing institutions will need to establish stricter testing protocols and quality control systems to ensure accurate and reliable results.

In summary, the new standard will significantly enhance the safety of electric vehicle batteries, helping to reduce accident probabilities and diminish safety risks associated with electric vehicle usage. It sends a clear message to consumers about the industry's commitment to safety, thereby increasing consumer recognition of electric vehicle safety and restoring confidence in the market. While rising production costs may lead to higher electric vehicle prices in the short term, advancements in technology and economies of scale are expected to reduce costs in the long run. Additionally, models that comply with the new standards are likely to enjoy premium discounts of 15% to 20%, lowering overall ownership costs. Moreover, battery lifetime warranty clauses may exclude "thermal runaway" disclaimers, offering more comprehensive after-sales protection for consumers. Consequently, as consumer recognition of electric vehicle safety increases, purchasing demand is expected to rise, especially in the context of favorable dual carbon policies in China, driving further market expansion and increased market share. With the growing international demand for electric vehicles, China is poised for greater breakthroughs in global markets. The implementation of the new standard will foster collaborative innovation and cooperation among upstream and downstream enterprises in the electric vehicle supply chain, promoting a more complete industrial ecosystem.