BEIJING — In a move to bolster the safety of its rapidly growing electric vehicle market, China announced stringent new regulations for EV battery standards. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled these regulations on Monday, targeting a significant reduction in fire and explosion risks associated with battery-operated vehicles.
China, which has seen electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids – collectively referred to as new energy vehicles (NEVs) – surge in popularity, is introducing these safety measures to address concerns over “thermal runaway,” a common cause of battery fires. Thermal runaway involves a chain reaction within the battery that leads to a rapid and uncontrollable temperature rise.
According to the new guidelines, automakers will be subjected to rigorous testing protocols. These mandates include checks to ensure that vehicle batteries can withstand specific scenarios without igniting or exploding. The standards also incorporate enhanced tests for crash impacts and the ability to endure rapid charging processes.
These updated regulations are set to replace the current standards established in 2020, which require a vehicle to give a five-minute warning if it is at risk of catching fire. The revision of these standards, initially approved by regulators in March but only recently made public, is scheduled to take effect in July 2026.
The push for stricter regulations comes at a time when China’s NEVs have started outselling gasoline-powered cars on a monthly basis since last year, exceeding Beijing’s initial target for NEV sales to constitute 20% of the total car sales by 2025 – a goal set in 2015 and later adjusted to over 50% by 2035.
Despite the technological advancements and government incentives that have propelled the popularity of NEVs, concerns about their safety have persisted. This was highlighted by a fatal incident in March where a sedan from Xiaomi caught fire following a collision at a speed of 97 km/h, with its advanced driving assistance system activated. The crash fueled widespread debate over the safety of electric vehicles.
In response to such incidents, Chinese state media has called on automakers to avoid overstating the capabilities of their smart-driving systems. Comparatively, a report from CCTV in June 2024 pointed out that electric and hybrid vehicles have a lower incidence of fires than gasoline-powered vehicles, despite heightened attention from unverified social media reports of NEV-related fires.
As NEVs continue to dominate China’s automotive market, the government’s proactive approach in updating safety standards signifies a commitment to ensuring the safety of not only the vehicle operators and passengers but also the surrounding communities. With these regulatory enhancements, China aims to mitigate risks and foster a safer environment for the adoption of new energy vehicles.