Safety in electric vehicles is an issue that is always on the table, but when they refer to batteries, the regulatory field is not very clear. Most countries have shy standards that only validate manufacturers recommendations. But now China has taken “the bull by the horns” and is the one who decides how they should be and this brand has already created the first to fulfill its regulations.
China’s regulations regarding batteries
fire in electric vehicles are rare because they have many effective protections. Despite them, they have occurred and their source, in more than 90 % of cases, have been defective or poorly managed batteries. But there is a potentially dangerous phenomenon that is called the thermal escape or avalanche, which causes fires or explosions.
This is caused by a battery cell, which is excessively heated and can affect others in a chain reaction and generates flammable gases. To avoid these risks, China has created very strict rules that must meet batteries, which include that these events should not produce even in the presence of thermal avalanche and overcome other resistance teststhat the world has accepted.
The first battery that complies with the new standards of the Asian country has been created
The new regulations of China that must meet the batteries of the cars in their territory will enter into force the July 1, 2026but the main manufacturer of the Asian country and one of the most important in the world, Catl, has presented this component that meets these regulations. His name is Qilin and is able to withstand the effect of without exploiting or fire.
It also meets the tests referring to its resistance to an impact at the bottom of the car and receiving up to 300 fast -charged cycles and in the subsequent short circuit tests, They do not fire or explode (These tests are as strict as the ones that passed the so -called “saber batteries”). The results have been endorsed by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center.
-They stand out for their technology Cell to Pack (CTP), which provides an energy density of 255 Wh/kg and the possibility of taking advantage of 72 % of the total volume. According to the manufacturer, it would be able to give a car more than 1000 kilometers of autonomy approved by the CLTC cycle. In its physical part it carries a thermal pad that is elastic, with multifunctional intermediate layer and an inner crossbar.
The liquid cooling system was redesigned and were located, between adjacent cells, functional parts that They quadruplic the heat transfer surfacereducing the effects of thermal avalanche. At the same time, it provides rates close to 5 C, that is, in a fast charging state they can recharge five times in one hour, so they can reach 10 to 80 % in about 12 minutes.
The first vehicle equipped with this new catl battery
This electric car made by China Auto’s manufacturer is the Li Mega, which equips a 102 kWh Qilin battery with 5C loading regime. Under these conditions, the evidence showed that with an 80 % load a 568 kilometers autonomy. It is noteworthy that in this car, the gasoline engine is disconnected from the wheels and only serves as a battery charger.
In conclusion, to try to make electric cars safer, China is now the one who decides what its batteries will be, at least in its territory (although there is already another method that possibly replaces them as we know them). They must comply with these standards regarding that they do not explode or fire, as well as with other tests and the Catl has been the first to comply with them.
