China issues national standards for downcycling of automotive traction batteries

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and Standardization Administration on August 20 issued two sets of recommended national standards (GB/T) for the recycling of automotive traction batteries. Their names are as follows.

Both of them will come into effect on March 1, 2022. Here is an overview.

GB/T 34015.3-2021 — Echelon using requirement

Scope

• • The GB/T sets out general and performance-related requirements on the downcycling (梯次利用) of automotive traction batteries, and general requirements on downcycled products.
  • The GB/T applies to the downcycling of cells, modules, battery packs and systems of waste automotive traction batteries.
  • The GB/T can be used for the downcycling of waste automotive nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) batteries.

The GB/T is established so that downcycling companies can determine based on the standards whether waste batteries are worth downcycling or should be recycled as materials.

GB/T 34015.4-2021 — Labels for echelon used battery products

Scope

• • The GB/T sets rules for labeling products using downcycled automotive traction batteries; namely, rules for the elements of a label, labeling requirements, where and how to put the label and what to state on the label.
  • The GB/T applies to labeling for products using downcycled waste automotive traction batteries.

You can see basic information on these GB/T standards (in simplified Chinese) at the following links (the details are not available in Japan and probably other countries):

http://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/gb/newGbInfo?hcno=63DC6E1C2DED9258F22FF91EBF61C7CE

http://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/gb/newGbInfo?hcno=78C8CDEC23989903F399E8137B9689D6