The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has recently revised and formed the Standard Conditions for Lithium Battery Industry (2024 Edition) (Draft for Comment) (the "Draft") and the Administrative Measures for the Announcement of the Standards for Lithium Battery Industry (2024 Edition) (Draft for Comment) to solicit public opinions by May 13, 2024.
The Draft specifies that, lithium battery enterprises shall have independent production, sales and service capabilities for the products related to the lithium battery industry, and their annual expenses for research and development (R&D) and process improvement shall not be less than 3% of the main business income. Enterprises are encouraged to obtain independent R&D institutions, engineering laboratories, technology centers or high-tech enterprise qualifications at or above the provincial level; to set up green factories; to build pilot test platforms independently or jointly. Their main products shall have technical invention patents, and their actual output in the previous year at the time of application shall not be less than 50% of the actual production capacity in the same year. Compared with the previous edition, there is a significant increase in mandatory standards mentioned in the Draft; it also encourages enterprises to formulate and implement product technical standards or specifications that are higher than the national or industry standards.