Recently, the "Secondary Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicle Propulsion – Guidelines, Test Items, and Conditions for Solid-State Battery Applications," proposed by China, was successfully registered as an international standard project by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This marks the first time China has taken the lead in formulating an international standard in the field of solid-state batteries. Industry insiders believe that the approval of this standard is not only a technological breakthrough but also signifies a historic shift in the rule-making power of the global automotive industry.

Experts from China's leading new energy battery enterprises serve as project leaders for this international standard, with experts from France, South Korea, Japan, and other countries jointly participating in its development.

The aforementioned project leader stated that during the era of fuel-powered vehicles, Europe, the United States, and Japan, leveraging their century-long accumulation in the automotive industry, have long dominated global automotive regulations and standards systems. China's automotive industry started relatively late and has long been in a follow-up position of benchmarking, adapting, and passively conforming to existing rules.

In the new energy era, this landscape is being rewritten. Currently, China accounts for over 70% of global battery material shipments and over 60% of global power battery installations, providing solid industrial support for its participation in international rule-making. From UN global technical regulations on autonomous driving to the IEC international standard on solid-state batteries, China is accelerating its march to the forefront of global automotive industry rule-setting.

The aforementioned project leader believes that the automotive industry is in a critical window period before the large-scale mass production of next-generation power battery technologies. By seizing this opportunity and taking the lead in promoting the establishment of a globally unified technical "yardstick," China's R&D accumulation, testing concepts, and industrial logic in the field of solid-state batteries will be incorporated into the rule framework jointly followed by the global industry. The fact that experts from multiple countries are jointly participating in the development demonstrates that this international standard is not a one-way output but rather a full recognition by international peers of China's technological reserves and industrial coordination capabilities.

"The approval of this standard project will help put an end to conceptual confusion and establish a globally unified technical evaluation system," the aforementioned project leader said.

Currently, the global solid-state battery industry is plagued by conceptual chaos, with terms such as "semi-solid-state," "quasi-solid-state," and "solid-state-like" being easily confused. Companies and research institutions in various countries have developed their own testing protocols, leading to incompatible product parameters and mutually unrecognized test results. This not only drives up industry R&D and validation costs but also distorts market judgment.

Previously, China had already issued national standards that clearly define the technical boundaries between all-solid-state, hybrid solid-liquid, and liquid batteries through quantitative indicators. Industry insiders believe that the approval of this IEC international standard project will establish a common "yardstick" at the international level, unify test items and conditions, guide the industry to reject concept hype, and focus on tangible industrialization. At the same time, it will help lower barriers to overseas market entry and consolidate China's first-mover advantage in the supply chain. In the past, domestic companies expanding into overseas markets had to additionally adapt to rules dominated by foreign countries, incurring high communication and verification costs. The successful approval of the IEC standard led by China means that China's practically validated solid-state battery technologies and testing methods are expected to go global, significantly shortening overseas certification cycles, reducing institutional transaction costs for product exports, and promoting a shift for domestic companies from "product export" to "technology and standard export."

Experts state that standards development is a prerequisite for large-scale industrial development. The year 2027 is regarded as a key milestone for the mass production of solid-state batteries. The initiation of the international standard's development will drive global automakers and battery manufacturers to accelerate R&D efforts and experimental validation.

"It must be emphasized that the approval of a standard project does not mean comprehensive technological leadership, nor does it mean that large-scale mass production is imminent," the aforementioned project leader said. An international standard typically takes 2 to 3 years from project approval to official release, with some projects taking even longer. All-solid-state batteries still face numerous challenges in terms of fundamental materials, interface stability, and engineering, and the industry generally expects large-scale commercialization to occur after 2030. Standards are more about clarifying the direction for industrial development, and they do not imply that the relevant industry has already matured.