China’s Electric Vehicle Safety Regulations Take a Leap Forward
BEIJING, April 15 – China is set to enforce stricter battery safety standards for its automakers, aiming to mitigate the risks of fires and explosions in the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled a set of technical standards for batteries in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on Monday, mandating companies to adhere to rigorous tests to prevent batteries from catching fire or exploding within a specified timeframe.
These standards, which were approved by regulators in March but only made public recently, are slated for implementation in July 2026. They update the existing standards from 2020, which required a five-minute warning before an EV is at risk of catching fire. The new regulations also introduce additional tests related to crash impacts and fast-charging tolerance.
The move comes as sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids, collectively known as new energy vehicles (NEVs), have been intermittently surpassing those of gasoline cars on a monthly basis in China since last year. This growth has exceeded Beijing’s initial 2015 goal for NEV sales to constitute 20% of total sales by 2025, a target later revised in 2020 to more than 50% by 2035, thanks to over a decade of government policy support.
A CCTV report in June 2024 highlighted that the likelihood of EVs and hybrids catching fire is lower than that of gasoline vehicles, despite the prevalence of unverified NEV fire accidents on social media in China. However, a fatal crash in March involving an SUV made by Xiaomi – which caught fire after colliding with a roadside pole at 97 km/h with its advanced driving assistance system enabled – sparked widespread discussions about EV safety in China. In response, state media cautioned automakers against exaggerating their smart-driving capabilities.
The new standards aim to reduce the risks associated with “thermal runaway,” the most common cause of battery-related fires, thereby enhancing safety for drivers, passengers, and surrounding properties. With these regulations, China continues its efforts to balance the rapid growth of the EV sector with stringent safety measures.
