China’s GB 44240 national standard for energy storage batteries reshapes industry competition law
I.China’s energy storage battery technology iron law: 23 tests delineate the survival of the red line
GB 44240-2024, as a mandatory national standard for lithium storage batteries in China, upgrades safety from a “recommended option” to a “survival threshold”. Its core breakthrough lies in:
Full coverage of testing dimensions: cell→battery pack→system level safety, with new high-risk tests such as vibration, accelerated impact, shallow stabbing, forced discharge, etc.;
Upgraded fusion of international standards: incorporating key clauses such as IEC 62619 (industrial battery safety), UN38.3 (transportation of dangerous goods), etc., with some indexes surpassing the international standards;
Extreme safety verification: taking shallow stabbing test as an example, it requires that the tungsten needle of Φ5mm is pierced by 0.1mm/s. The test is performed with the help of a tungsten needle. 0.1mm/s into the core 10mm (or 30% thickness) for 1 hour without fire or explosion.
Engineer’s insight: the shallow stabbing test simulates the most dangerous working condition of short circuit within the battery – the 0.1mm/s “slow stab” is more likely to trigger chain exothermic than fast stabbing, and the thermal runaway suppression ability of the battery cell needs to be increased by 300% through this test.
II.The first batch of breakthrough enterprises: safety technology benchmarking analysis
1. Certification list (some head representatives)
| company | Technical Highlights | Certified Product Features |
|---|---|---|
| Yuanjing Power | First certification worldwide (February 2025) | Needle penetration test upgraded to “penetration,” with the longest overcharge duration in the industry |
| CATL | Sulfide solid-state battery technology reserves | Dual certification through UN38.3+ IEC 62619 |
| PaiNeng Technology | Participating standardization organizations | Passed all drop, vibration, and needle puncture tests |
| Ganfeng Lithium | High energy density battery cells (280Ah/314Ah) | Suitable for large-scale energy storage power stations |
Full list: Ningde Times, Vision Power, Penghui Energy, Haichen Energy Storage, Zhongxin Innovation Aviation, Ruipu Lanjun, Pai Energy Technology, Ganfeng Lithium, and more than 20 other companies, covering more than 40 models.
2. Leading enterprises’ “over-standard” test
- Vision Power: the depth of shallow puncture is raised from 10mm to full penetration, and the high-temperature short-circuit current is increased to 5 times the standard value;
- Ningde Times: the overcharge test voltage exceeds the national standard by 20%, and the thermal runaway suppression time exceeds 60 minutes.
III.The industry reshuffle accelerated: from price war to safety competition
1. Low-quality production capacity clear countdown
Cost truth: 2025 energy storage system average bid price of 0.48 yuan / Wh (down 30% year-on-year), the core accounted for 60% of the cost, some companies rely on “thin diaphragm / simplify the circuit” price pressure;
phase-out warning: the new national standard certification needs to increase the cost of 15-20% of the materials and processes, 30% of small and medium-sized enterprises are facing exit.
2. Concentration of resources to technology leaders
Market share: market share of TOP5 enterprises from 58% to 72% (first half of 2025);
International discourse: China’s energy storage global market share of more than 70%, GB 44240 may become a reference standard for overseas project bidding.
3. Policy combinations to end the “involution”
February: “Action Program for High-Quality Development of New Energy Storage Manufacturing Industry” to combat patent infringement;
July: NDRC’s “Exposure Draft” to point out low price dumping;
August: GB 44240 mandatory implementation → safety becomes a bidding ticket.
Conclusion: China’s “Year of Safety” in Energy Storage
When Vision Power maintains “0 major accidents” with 50GWh shipment volume, and when Ningde Times sulfide battery passes UN38.3 certification – GB 44240 is forging China’s energy storage safety standard into a global standard.
Industry prediction: after eliminating 30% of low-quality production capacity in 2025, the share of head enterprises will exceed 80%. The essence of this reshuffle is to tear off the “low-price disguise” with the mandatory national standard, so that safety technology becomes the only pass.
Attachment: Comparison of Technical Advantages of the First Batch of Certified Enterprises
Enterprises Safety design breakthroughs International certification progress
Vision Power Nano self-healing diaphragm UL 9540A (US) + JIS (Japan)
Ningde Times Double cathode passivation coating UN38.3 + IEC 62619
Pai Neng Science & Technology Multi-stage thermal management liquid cooling system CE (Europe) + KC (Korea)
Ganfeng Li-power Solid state electrolyte pre-coating layer BIS (India) + UKCA (UK)
Data source: enterprises’ public information
