During a press conference held in Beijing, China, Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Xin Guobin unveiled plans to revise and enhance the existing “Interim Administrative Measures for the Recycling and Utilization of Power Batteries of New Energy Vehicles.” This measure, which was introduced in 2018, will now be upgraded to a comprehensive regulation.
The current measures have played a vital role in the expansion of China’s battery recycling capacity, fostering the growth of reuse and recycling companies and encouraging investments in advanced technologies such as automation and recovery systems. Key components of the existing measures include regulations governing the establishment of battery recycling chains by electric vehicle (EV) producers, the implementation of a battery passport and traceability system, and defining recovery rate benchmarks that recycling companies must achieve to be included in the industry’s white list.
Xin highlighted three key areas that are expected to be improved through the updated regulation:
Implementation of standards and certification for the second use of batteries, aimed at accelerating the development of this market. This initiative was already announced in March of this year, along with measures to address insurance and financing aspects related to second-life batteries. MIIT aims to increase both the supply of batteries and the capacity to process them to meet high technical standards.
Strengthening the recovery rate of lithium, with a target likely exceeding 90%. The current requirement stands at 85%, and MIIT expresses concern over certain companies only achieving rates of 70%-80%. The new regulation is expected to raise the requirements and enforce them more rigorously, thereby eliminating subpar recycling operations.
Providing increased support for technical innovation in both battery reuse and recycling, with a focus on fostering collaboration between industry and academia. MIIT aims to encourage non-destructive testing of decommissioned batteries and explore high-value second-use applications. Additionally, the ministry intends to publish a catalogue of advanced and applicable technologies and equipment while actively promoting their adoption.
No specific timeline was provided for the announcement and implementation of the new regulation.
Source http://english.www.gov.cn
