China has turned a recommended standard for electric-motorcycle batteries into a mandatory one, a move that raises the safety floor for a fast-growing two-wheeler segment.
A mandatory standard from July 2027
The State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, has approved a compulsory national standard covering safety requirements and test methods for lithium-ion batteries used in electric motorcycles and mopeds. It takes effect on 1 July 2027. As electric motorcycles have spread and lithium batteries have been fitted more widely, related safety risks have climbed, prompting the agencies to accelerate the update.
What changes
The standard overhauls the safety assessment across three levels, cell, pack and system, building a complete chain from component to assembly with clearer links between tiers. It broadens the test envelope to real operating conditions, adding low-temperature cycling followed by heating, crush, handle strength, thermal propagation, flame retardancy and marking alongside electrical, mechanical and material safety. It also tightens enforcement by setting same-type judgement rules and standardising test procedures, fixing past inconsistency in how the industry tested and passed batteries.
The revision upgrades what was a recommended standard into a compulsory one. For manufacturers it raises the bar on product safety and gives regulators a uniform technical basis for inspection, quality control and compliance, while for riders it hardens the safeguard on short urban trips that millions now take daily.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original Shenzhen News report. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience. The full original (in Chinese) is at https://www.sznews.com/news/content/2026-10/16/content_32193779.htm.