29/05/2020

On May 12, 2020, SAMR/SAC released three mandatory national standards for electric vehicles’ safety:

  • GB 18384-2020 Safety Requirements for Electric Vehicles,
  • GB 38032-2020 Safety Requirements for Electric Passenger vehicles, and
  • GB 38031-2020 Safety Requirements for Power Batteries of Electric Vehicles.

These standards will come into force on January 1, 2021.

 

GB 18384-2020 mainly stipulates the electrical safety and functional safety  requirements for electric vehicles, and adds the alarm signal requirements for overheating events in the battery system, which can give drivers and passengers a safety reminder; strengthens vehicles’ waterproof, insulation resistance and monitoring requirements to reduce safety risks of the vehicle under normal use, or wading, etc.; optimizes the insulation resistance, capacitive coupling and other test methods to improve the test detection accuracy and ensure high- voltage electrical safety. The standard will be used for safety function testing of electric vehicles, compulsory testing for finalizing new types of electric vehicles, and inspection of imported electric vehicles.

 

For electric vehicles with large passenger capacity, large battery capacity and high driving power, GB 38032-2020, on the basis of GB 18384-2020, puts forward more stringent safety requirements for collision protection on battery compartments, charging systems, and waterproofing tests, and adds flame-retardant requirements for high-voltage components and thermal runaway assessment requirements for the minimum management unit of the battery system.

 

GB 38031-2020, while optimizing the safety requirements for battery cells and modules, stresses on battery systems’ thermal safety, mechanical safety, electrical safety and functional safety. Its test items cover system thermal diffusion, external fire, mechanical shock, simulated collision, damp heat cycle, vibration and soaking in water, external short circuit, over temperature and over charge, etc. In particular, the standard adds a battery system thermal diffusion test, which requires that the battery system not catch fire or explode within 5 minutes after the battery cell thermally loses control, to reserve a safe escape time for occupants.

 

The three standards are the first mandatory national standards in the field of electric vehicles in China. Although international standards, like UN GTR No.20, were studied and used for reference in developing these standards, other homegrown related standards, China’s technological level, application scenarios, and test experiences were also taken into account in developing these national standards, which could affect the market access of electric vehicles in China.

 

http://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/zj/202005/t20200518_315301.html