Battery Safety in China: Ready for the updated GB38031-2025?

GB38031-2025 Sets a New Global Standard for Battery Safety

With the updated GB38031-2025, China introduces the world’s most stringent battery safety regulation. For the first time, absolute fire safety after cell failure is mandatory. OEMs must quickly adapt and re-homologate legacy vehicles. This requires a test-based understanding of current performance, the identification of changes needed to comply as well as assessing economic impact, and ensuring strategic compliance — or risk losing any competitive edge left in China’s highly competitive EV market. At the same time, vehicle programmes still under development need to be designed to compliance from the get go. 

What’s New in the Regulation?

The GB38031-2025 regulation introduces several key changes:

• World-first requirement: Batteries must not catch fire or explode within two hours of thermal runaway.
• Three challenging new testing protocols: Thermal propagation, bottom impact, and post-fast-charging safety.
• Dual pressure: OEMs must deliver technical redesigns for existing type approvals while managing economic impact and time-to-market.
• Global ripple effects: ECE R100 v5 is expected to follow China's lead, making GB38031-2025 a global precedent.
• Time-critical: New vehicle type approvals must comply by July 2026; existing models by July 2027.

Strategic Support for OEMs from H&Z and AVL

To meet these demands, H&Z and AVL jointly offer a structured compliance assessment approach. We combine strategic foresight with battery technology expertise to help our clients adapt quickly and efficiently.

Our joint offer: an eight-week fast-track programme tailored to your vehicle programme. This includes:

• Design impact analysis
• Investment and risk evaluation
• Implementation roadmap

This enables you to launch an effective compliance taskforce and avoid costly delays.