Eight questions about the "Power Bank New Regulations"

Ask AI · How does the new national standard improve the safety threshold of power banks through puncture tests?

The mandatory national standard “Technical Specifications for the Safety of Mobile Power Sources” (hereinafter referred to as the “Technical Specifications”) was officially released on April 3 and will take effect on April 1, 2027. This means that, since June 28 last year, after passengers carrying power banks on flights within China must have clear and valid 3C certification marks, China will further regulate the mobile power bank market, promote industrial upgrading, and protect consumers’ rights and interests with more stringent technical requirements.

What basic requirements does the new standard set to comprehensively improve product safety levels? After the implementation of the mobile power bank new national standard, can already purchased power banks that have CCC certification still be taken on airplanes? A reporter interviewed relevant officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Q: Why does the new standard place so much emphasis on the risk of internal short circuits in batteries? What provisions does it mainly make regarding safety issues related to internal short circuits in batteries used in power banks?

A: Internal short circuits are the main cause of battery fires and explosions, and are one of the key items considered in this standard. There are mainly three factors that cause internal short circuits in batteries: (1) external stresses such as compression; (2) aging of internal electrodes and lithium precipitation; and (3) impurities mixed in during material and manufacturing processes. This standard assesses safety issues related to internal short circuits in batteries used in power banks through the following four aspects:

First, stricter compression test conditions. The compression test causes an internal short circuit between the battery’s positive and negative terminals/electrodes through external force. Compared with the previous standard GB 31241—2022, this standard changes flat compression to round-rod compression and tightens the applied compression force; the maximum pressure is uniformly increased from 13kN to 20kN.

Second, adds a puncture test. The puncture test can directly simulate internal short circuits inside the battery and the battery’s response after an internal short circuit occurs. For the first time, this standard introduces a puncture test for consumer batteries, greatly raising the entry threshold for batteries used in power banks.

Third, adds detection of lithium precipitation after cycling. During charge and discharge use, lithium metal may precipitate and cause the separator to be punctured, leading to an internal short circuit between the battery’s positive and negative electrodes and further triggering battery fires and explosions. The new standard newly introduces detection of lithium precipitation after 300 charge-discharge cycles, which can effectively improve battery manufacturers’ capabilities in battery design, raw material management, and process control, thereby improving the intrinsic safety of power bank products from the source.

Fourth, adds incoming material inspection and production-process management. Metal impurities mixed inside batteries are also an important cause of internal short circuits; they may come from raw materials or from the production process. This standard stipulates requirements for impurity content in key materials such as the cathode and anode, as well as requirements for controlling the manufacturing process in factories.

Q: Regarding safety issues of power banks after long-term use, what provisions has the new standard made?

A: As power banks are used more times, not only does their capacity decline, but safety also gets worse due to issues such as lithium precipitation. For safety issues of power banks after long-term use, this standard sets the following three provisions:

First, adds detection of lithium precipitation after cycle aging. The new standard introduces detection of lithium precipitation after 300 charge-discharge cycles to avoid safety issues caused by lithium precipitation during cycling.

Second, requires intelligent regulation of the power bank’s charging voltage. The new standard requires that after a certain period of time or number of uses, power banks proactively reduce the charging voltage, greatly lowering the safety risks of the power bank.

Third, requires marking the recommended safe usage lifespan. This requirement is intended to remind consumers that the safety of a power bank decreases with the passage of time, and that they should replace power banks with poor safety in a timely manner.

Q: Does overcharging affect battery safety? How does the new standard regulate this?

A: Overcharging the battery easily leads to temperature rise and electrolytes decomposing into flammable gases, which can then cause fires or explosions. This standard reduces safety issues caused by overcharging from the following three aspects:

First, improves the intrinsic safety of overcharged batteries. Compared with GB 31241—2022, the new standard increases the battery overcharge test voltage to 1.3 times the charging limit voltage, significantly improving the battery’s intrinsic safety level under overcharge conditions.

Second, reduces the probability of a battery being overcharged. This standard requires that, based on the existing one layer of protection-circuit design, an additional layer of protection circuit be added to reduce the probability that the battery will be subjected to high-voltage overcharging.

Third, adds an overvoltage disabling function. This standard requires that, in the event of overcharging, the power bank must have a “lock” function and be unable to continue charging or discharging, eliminating the possibility of “sick” operation.

Q: Consumers are highly concerned about the high-temperature safety of power banks. What provisions does the new standard make for this?

A: Batteries exposed to excessively high temperatures can cause the electrolyte to decompose into flammable gases; meanwhile, the separator may shrink, which can also trigger internal short circuits. This standard reduces safety issues arising from high-temperature use of power banks through the following aspects:

First, at the level of raw materials. The separator can provide insulation between the positive and negative electrodes. This standard specifies the separator’s requirements for thermal shrinkage rate to prevent internal short circuits caused by thermal shrinkage of the separator.

Second, at the level of the battery. This standard increases the test temperature for thermal abuse testing from 130℃ specified in GB 31241—2022 to 135℃. For “outdoor power source” products, it also adds a requirement that heating must not cause ignition or fire, improving the thermal stability of power bank batteries.

Third, at the level of the protection circuit. This standard stipulates that when the battery temperature exceeds the maximum temperature specified by the manufacturer for charge/discharge, the power bank should immediately stop charging/discharging, reducing the probability that the battery temperature continues to rise.

Fourth, at the level of human-machine interaction. This standard requires that the power bank should have functions to monitor and store abnormal temperatures, so that consumers can read abnormal temperature records and improve transparency regarding safe use.

Q: What safety requirements does the new standard set for misuse and abuse of power banks?

A: During the use of a power bank, consumers inevitably may encounter misuse and abuse such as short circuits or drops. In addition to meeting the misuse-safety requirements specified in GB 31241 and GB 4943.1, this standard also stipulates safety for power banks in the following misuse scenarios:

First, requirements for port misoperation. At present, the input/output ports of power banks tend to have similar shapes; some ports are unidirectional output ports. Consumers may accidentally insert an output port as if it were an input port while charging. This standard specifies safety requirements for port mis-insertion.

Second, requirements for undervoltage disable. When a power bank battery is left idle for a long time, it may experience undervoltage due to normal self-discharge; undervoltage will accelerate lithium precipitation. In addition, if there is a micro short circuit inside the battery, undervoltage may occur in a short time. This standard requires that power banks have an undervoltage disable function (lockout) to prevent power banks with potential safety hazards from being used further.

Q: What new regulations does the new standard introduce for power bank-related markings?

A: Markings on power banks are the best way for consumers, regulatory departments, and others to obtain product information directly. This standard makes the following provisions for markings:

First, rated energy. This standard clearly requires marking the rated energy, to facilitate verification by security screening personnel in civil aviation, railways, and so on.

Second, unique coding. This standard requires that the power bank’s product coding be marked, and that the coding must include the battery manufacturer used in the power bank. This not only helps consumers choose products, but also enables traceability across the full life cycle of the product.

Third, recommended safe usage lifespan. Mark the recommended safe usage lifespan to remind consumers to pay attention to the safety of older products and replace them with new power banks in a timely manner.

Q: Why does the new standard set a 12-month transition period for implementation?

A: By convention, the transition period after the release of a mandatory national standard is generally 6 to 12 months. This standard substantially increases requirements in areas such as power bank batteries, protection circuits, battery raw materials, and battery manufacturing processes. Therefore, the standard sets a 12-month transition period, meaning it will be formally implemented 12 months after the date of release. During the transition period, enterprises may choose to follow either the new standard or the previous standard; however, after the transition period ends, enterprises must manufacture and sell products in accordance with the new standard.

The core purposes of setting a transition period are mainly twofold: first, to leave time for enterprises to conduct R&D, design work, and adjust production lines, ensuring that products meeting the new standard can be introduced to the market in a timely and orderly manner after the standard takes effect; second, to give time to channels and terminal distributors to absorb existing inventory products, avoiding waste of social resources and industry fluctuations, and ensuring stable market supply.

Q: After the implementation of the mobile power bank new national standard, can a power bank with CCC certification that was purchased earlier still be taken on a plane?

A: While taking into account both safety risk management and passengers’ need to travel, the Civil Aviation Administration issued a notice: starting from June 28, 2025, passengers are prohibited from carrying power banks without CCC labels, with unclear CCC labels, or those of models or batches that have been recalled on flights within China. After the implementation of the new national standard, previously purchased power banks that have CCC certification can still be carried for boarding as long as they comply with the relevant current civil aviation regulations. It is necessary to emphasize that if a power bank is used improperly—such as being involved in a collision, suffering severe compression, or being overcharged—its usage risk will also increase. Passengers are advised not to take such power banks on board.

(Source: People’s Daily Client)