New national standard for power banks released! Comprehensive improvement of safety for power banks.

In order to enhance the essential safety level of mobile power sources (commonly known as "power banks"), safeguarding the lives, property, and public safety of consumers, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with relevant departments, organized the development of the mandatory national standard "Technical Specification for the Safety of Mobile Power Sources" (GB 47372-2026, hereinafter referred to as the "Technical Specification"). The "Technical Specification" was officially announced on April 3 and will be formally implemented starting on April 1, 2027, playing an important role in regulating the mobile power source market and driving industry development. Building on the foundation of the two general mandatory national standards, "Safety Technical Specification for Lithium-ion Batteries and Battery Packs for Portable Electronic Products" (GB 31241-2022) and "Part 1: Safety Requirements for Audio, Video, Information Technology, and Communication Technology Equipment" (GB 4943.1-2022), the "Technical Specification" further strengthens the safety level of mobile power sources in five aspects. Firstly, it strengthens the essential safety requirements of batteries, clarifying the enhancement of the safety protection capabilities of mobile power sources in scenarios of high temperature, overcharging, and squeezing, and introducing battery piercing tests to reduce safety risks from the source. Secondly, it introduces lithium detection after cycle aging to reduce the risk of internal short circuits in mobile power sources after long-term use. Thirdly, it proposes intelligent management requirements, specifying real-time monitoring requirements for key parameters such as battery voltage and temperature, as well as the requirement for products to have abnormal information storage and retrieval functions to effectively protect consumers' right to information. Fourthly, it promotes unique product code management, requiring mobile power sources to be labeled with exclusive "identification numbers" through which consumers can query core information such as battery brands, increasing consumer transparency. Fifthly, it enhances full-process control of production and manufacturing, specifying requirements for material and production process control of mobile power sources to fundamentally improve their safety level. After the implementation of the "Technical Specification," the following positive effects will be generated: It significantly enhances the essential safety level of mobile power sources. By tightening battery squeezing tests, introducing needle puncture tests, adding lithium detection after cycle aging, and strictly controlling impurities in materials and production processes, the "Technical Specification" prevents battery fire and explosion incidents caused by internal short circuits, significantly improving the essential safety level of mobile power sources. It enhances the safety of mobile power sources after long-term use. The "Technical Specification" addresses the risks associated with aging of mobile power sources by adding lithium detection after 300 charge and discharge cycles, and requiring products to intelligently adjust (decrease) charging voltage after a certain period or number of uses to actively improve the safety level. Additionally, the "Technical Specification" requires products to indicate "recommended safe usage lifespan," reminding consumers to replace old products in a timely manner to enhance the safety of using mobile power sources. It strengthens the reliability and durability of mobile power sources. The "Technical Specification" enhances the protection capabilities of mobile power sources in common misuse scenarios such as overcharging, undervoltage, high temperature, and port misinsertion by increasing overcharge test voltage, adding an extra layer of protection circuits, strengthening port misinsertion protection, enhancing membrane performance and temperature monitoring protection under high temperature requirements, comprehensively enhancing the reliability of mobile power sources in daily complex use scenarios, and extending their safe service life. It facilitates consumers and regulatory authorities to access safety-related information. The "Technical Specification" requires mobile power sources to have monitoring and storage functions for critical information such as abnormal temperatures, allowing consumers to access relevant records and increase transparency in safety usage. Additionally, the "Technical Specification" requires mobile power sources to have a "unique product code" that includes information on the battery manufacturer, enabling the traceability of products throughout their lifecycle and facilitating quality supervision and recall of problematic products. It meets the demand for safe and high-quality products from consumers. To ensure that consumers can purchase high-quality and cost-effective mobile power source products, companies will develop and manufacture compliant products at different levels, categorizing prices, thereby meeting basic demands for price-friendly products as well as high-end products with more comprehensive functions and performance, providing consumers with more safe and quality choices. During the drafting of the "Technical Specification," opinions and suggestions were widely solicited from consumers, manufacturing companies, sales companies, industry associations, testing and certification institutions, and relevant administrative departments. The drafting group organized multiple rounds of technical seminars, striving to take into account various concerns and achieve the highest degree of coordination and balance. After the official release of the "Technical Specification," mobile power source manufacturing companies will accelerate the development of new products, improve processes, and upgrade equipment in accordance with standard requirements to ensure the timely supply of products that meet the new standards to the market. The "Technical Specification" sets a 12-month transition period, which will officially start 12 months after the publication date. During the transition period, companies can choose to comply with the new standard or the existing standard, providing sufficient space for a smooth transition in the industry. After the end of the transition period, companies must engage in the production and sale of products in accordance with the "Technical Specification". The core consideration for the transition period is to reserve time for the research and development of new products, design adjustments, and production line adjustments for companies, avoiding industry fluctuations and wastage of social resources, ensuring that products compliant with the "Technical Specification" can be introduced to the market in a timely and orderly manner, ensuring an adequate supply. After the implementation of the "Technical Specification," consumers who have previously purchased mobile power source products certified by the 3C certification and comply with the current relevant regulations in the civil aviation sector can still carry them on board. In the next step, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with relevant departments, will continue to strengthen safety management in the mobile power source industry, regulate market order, increase the promotion of the "Technical Specification", guide mobile power source and lithium battery manufacturers to quickly understand the standard requirements, further enhance product quality and safety levels, and accelerate the transformation and upgrading of the mobile power source industry. This article is adapted from the "Industrial and Information Technology Micro Report" WeChat public account; GMTEight Editor: Chen Xiaoyi.