China issues mandatory safety standard for electric motorcycle batteries from July 2027

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (Standardization Administration of China) has approved and issued the mandatory national standard "Safety Requirements for Lithium-ion Batteries for Electric Motorcycles and Electric Mopeds" (GB 36672—2026), which will take effect on July 1, 2027, China News Service reported, citing the regulator's website. With this revision, the previous recommended standard is upgraded to a mandatory standard. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

According to the reports, China's electric motorcycle industry has developed rapidly in recent years, lithium-ion batteries have been used more and more widely in electric motorcycles, and the related safety risks have risen. To raise the level of safety technology for these batteries, the market regulator worked with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to speed up updating the standard, setting out safety technical requirements and test methods for lithium-ion batteries used in electric motorcycles and electric mopeds. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

The reports describe three main features. First, the standard revises safety assessment requirements at three levels, the battery cell, the battery pack and the battery system, covering the full safety chain from cell to system. It refines the assessment standards at each level, clarifies what is assessed and strengthens the links between indicators across levels. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

Second, based on real operating conditions such as low-temperature charging, collision impact and battery thermal runaway, the standard adds test items including heating after low-temperature cycling, crushing, handle strength, thermal propagation, flame retardancy and markings. It sets requirements covering electrical, mechanical and material safety and covers more real-vehicle use scenarios, according to the published texts. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

Third, the standard sets rules for determining what counts as the same type and standardises test procedures and judgment criteria. The texts say this addresses past problems in the industry of inconsistent test judgments and non-standard operations, and provides technical support for product testing, quality supervision and compliance. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

The reports say the issuance and implementation of the standard will further improve the safety performance of lithium-ion batteries for electric motorcycles and electric mopeds and protect consumers' travel safety and legitimate rights. Yicai attributed its report to CCTV News, while CLS and Jiemian published shorter versions focused on the effective date and the move to a mandatory standard. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]