The three national mandatory standards for electric vehicles that have been studied since 2016 have finally been finalized. Starting next year, electric vehicles will wear a "tightening curse."

Last week, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized and formulated GB 18384-2020 "Safety Requirements for Electric Vehicles", GB 38032-2020 "Safety Requirements for Electric Buses" and GB 38031-2020 "Safety Requirements for Power Batteries for Electric Vehicles". Three mandatory national standards (hereinafter referred to as the "Three Compulsory Standards") were approved and released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration Committee, and will be implemented from January 1, 2021.

The three mandatory standards are also the first batch of mandatory national standards in the field of electric vehicles in my country. The issuance of the three documents sets out the entry thresholds from three aspects: complete vehicles, batteries, and electric buses.

From 12,700 vehicles in 2012 to more than 1.2 million vehicles in 2019, my country's new energy vehicle production and sales have climbed to the first place in the world in 6 years. As the base of new energy vehicles grows rapidly, safety issues have become increasingly prominent.

Last year's consecutive spontaneous combustion incidents of multiple brands, as well as three spontaneous combustion accidents of new energy vehicles within a week, have also caused many consumers to worry about purchasing new energy vehicles.

As a manufacturer of new energy vehicles circulating in the market and intended to be consumed by users, there are at least three most important factors to consider. The first is safety and reliability, the second is driving range, and the third is that the cost must be appropriate. Of course there are other factors. These three need to find an appropriate balance. Before power battery technology has made breakthrough progress, there is a certain contradiction between energy density and safety. That is, when the energy density is too high, safety risks increase. In this case, safety is the first priority.

After the promulgation of these three mandatory standards, they will replace the previous recommended standards and become the basic requirements for the approval of electric vehicles in China. The three mandatory standards respectively put forward requirements for technical details such as improving safety standards for electric vehicles, strengthening test and detection accuracy, and adding battery system thermal event alarm signals to electric vehicles.

Specifically, the "Safety Requirements for Power Batteries for Electric Vehicles" not only optimizes the safety requirements for battery cells and modules, but also focuses on strengthening the thermal safety, mechanical safety, electrical safety and functional safety requirements of the battery system. . The "Safety Requirements for Electric Vehicles" mainly stipulates the electrical safety and functional safety requirements for electric vehicles. Not only does it increase the battery system thermal event alarm signal requirements, it also strengthens the vehicle waterproofing, insulation resistance and monitoring requirements. Since electric buses have the characteristics of carrying a large number of passengers, large battery capacity, and high driving power, the "Safety Requirements for Electric Buses" puts forward more stringent safety requirements for battery compartment collisions, charging systems, and vehicle waterproof test conditions.

It is worth noting that the three mandatory national standards released this time all set requirements for the thermal event alarm signal of the battery system. They also require that after the thermal runaway of a battery cell occurs, the battery system must It will not catch fire or explode, leaving time for safe escape for the occupants. Luo Junjie, deputy director of the Equipment Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said, "Without safety, there will be no future for the development of my country's new energy vehicle industry."

So for the industry, how much impact will the introduction of mandatory standards have on existing companies and products? As the three mandatory standards are more stringent than international standards, will there be a large number of companies and products that do not meet the latest standards in the future?

Many people from new energy vehicle companies said that the three mandatory standards introduced this time are just to refine and strengthen various indicators on the basis of the original recommended standards. For those with good domestic sales, For car companies, they have basically been able to meet the goals set by these three standards. However, compared with new energy vehicles and new car-making forces of mid- and downstream traditional car companies that do not have deep accumulation, the impact is relatively greater.

Some people in the industry have said that electric vehicles must not only implement mandatory standards in the production process, but also must take precautions in use and maintenance to form a safer system. In addition to mandatory standards, industry self-regulation is very important.

Since this year, the country has successively introduced many new energy stimulus policies, and the subsidy policy will also be extended for another two years. The introduction of the "three mandatory standards" will improve the R&D and manufacturing standards of the electric vehicle industry to a certain extent, and will fundamentally reduce the probability of accidents such as spontaneous combustion of new energy vehicles, thus promoting the safety of electric vehicles. At the same time, the state will continue to improve the charging convenience in the use process, determination of residual value and other subdivisions, and gradually promote the development from policy guidance to market-led development.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.