China · NEV traction batteries
China runs the world’s largest battery traceability system. Interim Measures issued in January 2026 and in force since 1 April 2026 give every NEV traction battery a digital identity on a national traceability platform.
All regulations · Last reviewed: 2 October 2026
On 16 January 2026 six authorities — MIIT, NDRC, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce and SAMR — jointly issued the Interim Measures for the Management of Recycling and Comprehensive Utilization of Waste NEV Traction Batteries, effective 1 April 2026. They replace earlier policy documents, including the 2018 interim measures and traceability provisions, with a binding framework.
The Measures establish a national NEV traction-battery traceability information platform and a digital-identity management system, extended producer responsibility for battery and vehicle manufacturers and importers, eco-design duties, and a “simultaneous scrapping” rule under which batteries stay with vehicles when they are scrapped.
Safety is tightened separately: the mandatory national standard GB 38031-2025 (Electric vehicles traction battery safety requirements) has applied to new type approvals since 1 July 2026, requiring that batteries do not catch fire or explode after thermal runaway, with a one-year transition for already-approved models.
Scope
Assign digital IDs, upload traceability data and carry EPR obligations for batteries they place on the Chinese market.
Link batteries to vehicles, support collection networks and comply with simultaneous-scrapping rules.
Report receipt, reuse and dismantling through the traceability platform; MIIT publishes lists of enterprises meeting industry standard conditions.
Data generated in China may be subject to cross-border transfer rules under PIPL and data-security legislation.
Obligations
Ordered roughly by when they apply. Status reflects the position on the review date.
Issued 16 Jan 2026; effective 1 Apr 2026
Digital identity per traction battery, national traceability platform, EPR for manufacturers and importers, eco-design requirements, simultaneous scrapping of vehicles and batteries.
1 Jul 2026 (new approvals); Jul 2027 (existing models)
Mandatory national standard: no fire or explosion after thermal runaway; adds bottom-impact and post-fast-charge-cycle safety tests.
In force since 2021
The Personal Information Protection Law (from 1 Nov 2021), the Data Security Law (from 1 Sep 2021) and automotive data-security provisions govern vehicle and personal data; cross-border transfers require a CAC security assessment, standard contract or certification unless an exemption applies.
Under development
Authorities have announced a national product carbon-footprint management system with priority products that include power batteries. Accounting rules are being standardised; no mandatory battery carbon-footprint declaration was confirmed at review.
Data
The information an operator needs to hold, publish or report, grouped by audience.
EVstring
An honest mapping from obligation to product capability. EVstring supports compliance work; it does not make an operator compliant on its own.
| Obligation / need | EVstring capability | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Unique identity per battery linked to events | Passport ID and token per battery; immutable event history | Available |
| Vehicle–battery linkage | VIN stored off-chain and represented on-chain only as a salted hash | Available |
| Reporting into the national traceability platform | Mapping of passport data to the Chinese digital-ID format and platform interfaces | Roadmap |
| Data localisation | Region-configurable deployment so data generated in China can stay in China | Roadmap |
Full requirement-by-requirement view: compliance mapping.
Sources
Primary texts and regulator pages used for this guide. Last reviewed: 2 October 2026.