Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced a mandatory national standard titled “Safety Requirements for Power Batteries Used in Electric Vehicles” (GB38031-2025), which is expected to come into effect in July 2026. This revised version introduces several new safety testing items compared to the existing 2020 edition and for the first time mandates that batteries must meet the requirements of “not catching fire or exploding.” This has been referred to as the “strictest safety regulation for power batteries,” raising hopes that public concerns about battery safety will be alleviated.
Concerns regarding electric vehicle battery incidents have gained attention. For instance, on April 22, 2019, a Tesla and a NIO ES8 caught fire in Shanghai and Xi'an, respectively. Shortly after, on April 24, a BYD E5 also experienced a fire in Wuhan. In another incident on April 17, 2021, a Tesla in Guangzhou caught fire following an accident, resulting in one passenger's death. The same day, a Tesla in Houston, USA, was destroyed by fire after a crash. More recently, on March 15, 2023, a new energy vehicle began emitting smoke and subsequently caught fire at a charging station in Liupanshui, Guizhou, after charging was completed. On March 29, 2025, a Xiaomi SU7 was involved in a collision on a highway, leading to a fire that claimed three lives.
According to the <b>2024 New Energy Vehicle Insurance Development Report</b>, statistics from January to November 2022 revealed that 22.67% of electric vehicles caught fire during charging, 16% while driving, 38.67% while parked, and 9.33% due to collisions, with other causes accounting for 13.33%. Reports from recent years show that the average interval between visible flames on the exterior of the vehicle and fire in the driver’s compartment was only 64 seconds. Dong Yang, chairman of the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, noted that while the rate of electric vehicle fires is lower than that of gasoline vehicles, the lack of experience in handling such incidents contributes to public anxiety. Additionally, fires in electric vehicle batteries are more challenging to extinguish and have a higher recurrence rate.
As for the primary causes of electric vehicle fires, an investigation revealed that of the 270 publicly reported cases in 2023, only about 10% involved fires after collisions. In contrast, over 50% of fires occurred while the vehicles were charging or stationary. These findings highlight that the phenomenon of <b>“spontaneous combustion”</b> during charging or while parked is a more pressing discussion topic compared to collision-related fires. A collaboration between the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute and the Tianjin Fire Research Institute has led to detailed analyses of past electric vehicle fire incidents, which indicated that the most significant factor related to battery fires is <b>thermal runaway.</b> This occurs when the temperature rises uncontrollably due to improper charging behaviors, such as bottoming out, scraping, or prolonged exposure to water.
China previously mandated that if a thermal runaway incident causes a fire, there should be a minimum interval of five minutes for safe evacuation. This means vehicles must ensure conditions for safe escape. The latest report from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology indicates that current battery technology can now achieve <b>"not catching fire or exploding"</b> after thermal runaway, implying that while thermal runaway cannot be entirely avoided, ignition can be.
In May 2024, the Ministry released a draft of the <b>“Safety Requirements for Power Batteries Used in Electric Vehicles”</b>, which further tightened safety standards for new energy vehicle batteries. The revised version, recently issued, is expected to take effect in July 2026.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the revised standard enhances thermal diffusion testing, adds bottom impact tests, and introduces safety tests after fast charging cycles, mandating that batteries must <b>“not catch fire or explode”</b> following these tests. Specifically, the thermal diffusion testing has been clarified regarding temperature requirements, electrical states, observation times, and vehicle testing conditions. The methods for triggering tests have been expanded to include internal heating, alongside the previous external heating and puncture methods. The technical requirements have shifted from providing thermal event alarms five minutes before ignition or explosion to ensuring that batteries do not catch fire or explode, although alarms are still required. Furthermore, the new standards demand that smoke does not harm occupants, aiming for absolute safety with <b>“no thermal runaway.”</b>
The revisions also incorporate bottom impact tests to assess the battery's protective capabilities after being struck. The testing protocol involves a 30mm diameter impact head delivering three impacts with an energy of 150J, requiring that there be no leakage, shell rupture, ignition, or explosion, and that insulation resistance standards are met. Additionally, safety testing after fast charging cycles examines the performance of batteries charged from 20% to 80% state of charge (SOC) within a total charging time of no more than 15 minutes. After 300 fast charging cycles, external short-circuit tests must also result in no ignition or explosion.
Moreover, the revised version clarifies that this standard applies exclusively to power batteries used in electric vehicles, excluding non-driving batteries. It also improves insulation resistance requirements, adds specifications for AC circuit battery system insulation resistance, and enhances compression test requirements with additional insulation resistance evaluation criteria.
In February 2024, a survey conducted by the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Automobiles found that 78% of the surveyed 36 vehicle and battery companies possess the technological capability to ensure that power batteries do not catch fire or explode, even if the cell itself experiences thermal runaway. However, it is important to note that this does not guarantee that future new energy vehicles will be completely fire-free. An official from an energy company pointed out that high temperatures generated from high-speed collisions can ignite seats, cables, and other components, potentially causing explosions if the battery is affected. A representative from an innovative new energy technology company emphasized that the new national standards focus on preventing ignition or explosion after internal thermal runaway. Achieving this for post-collision scenarios requires collaborative efforts from vehicle manufacturers and battery suppliers. The new technology for preventing thermal runaway in power batteries will lay a solid foundation for ensuring the safety of passengers and vehicles after collisions.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/new-national-standards-introduced-for-electric-vehicle-batteries-emphasizing-fire-and-explosion-safety/
