No Fire, No Explosion: The New Standard in EV Batteries

The electric vehicle (EV) industry is rapidly evolving, with safety becoming an increasingly critical factor. In this landscape, a new “No Fire, No Explosion” national safety standard in China is set to redefine battery safety. While Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) recently became the first company to meet this standard, other battery manufacturers like Gotion High-Tech are also making significant strides in battery safety technology. This article delves into the details of this new standard and highlights the innovative approaches companies are taking to achieve it.

What is the ‘No Fire, No Explosion' Standard?

China's new mandatory national standard for battery safety, known as GB 38031-2025, represents a significant leap in safety requirements for EV batteries. Officially released on March 28, 2025, and set to take effect on July 1, 2026, this regulation mandates that batteries must not catch fire or explode following an internal thermal runaway event. This standard aims to enhance the safety and reliability of energy storage systems, especially in electric vehicles.

To understand the "No Fire, No Explosion" standard, it is important to define these terms as specified under the regulatory framework:

• No Fire: The absolute absence of continuous visible combustion or open flames lasting longer than 1 second from any part of the battery pack during or after thermal runaway.
• No Explosion: The absence of rapid, violent pressure releases that cause structural disintegration of the battery pack enclosure or the high-velocity projection of internal components and shrapnel.

From a thermodynamic perspective, containing thermal runaway requires balancing internal heat generation with external heat dissipation. The core mathematical model governing cell temperature rise during an unexpected thermal event is expressed as:

$$\frac{dT}{dt}=\frac{Q_{gen}-Q_{loss}}{C_p\cdot m}$$

Where:

• $T$ is the cell temperature (measured in K),
• t is time (measured in s),
• $Q_{gen}$ is the rate of internal chemical heat generation (measured in W),
• $Q_{loss}$ is the rate of heat dissipation to the surroundings (measured in W),
• $C_p$ is the specific heat capacity of the cell (measured in J/(kg·K)),
• m is the mass of the cell (measured in kg).

To satisfy the "No Fire, No Explosion" standard, battery systems must ensure that even if $Q_{gen}$ spikes rapidly during a single-cell failure, the neighbouring thermal barriers and active cooling loops increase $Q_{loss}$ quickly enough to prevent $T$ from reaching the ignition point of adjacent cells, thereby stopping cascading thermal propagation.

Key Changes in the New Standard

The most significant change in the new standard is the thermal diffusion test requirement. Under the previous standard (GB 38031-2020), manufacturers only had to guarantee a 5-minute warning window to allow occupants to safely evacuate the vehicle before fire or explosion occurred. GB 38031-2025 completely eliminates this compromise, demanding that batteries remain entirely fire- and explosion-free indefinitely during and after a thermal runaway event. Additionally, any smoke or toxic gas emitted must not enter the passenger cabin or endanger vehicle occupants.

To meet these stringent requirements, battery makers must pass new, tougher safety tests. These tests include:

• Bottom Impact Testing: Evaluates the battery pack's physical protection capabilities when the underside experiences a high-speed collision or scraping force, mimicking road debris impacts that could cause internal deformation or short-circuiting.
• Fast-Charging Cycle Safety Testing: Requires batteries to endure 300 intense fast-charging cycles, designed to accelerate lithium plating and degradation, without exhibiting any fire or explosion during subsequent severe short-circuit testing.

CATL: The First to Comply

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), the world's largest battery maker, announced on April 29, that it had obtained the GB 38031-2025 certification. Both battery cells and battery packs were tested, making CATL the first company to meet the new standard. CATL submitted its Qilin battery for inspection, which was first introduced in June 2022. The Qilin battery is the third generation of CATL's cell-to-pack (CTP) technology, boasting a volume utilisation efficiency of 72% and an energy density of up to 255 Wh/kg. CATL says the battery features a stable load-bearing structure and improved protection against thermal runaway.

The key to the Qilin battery's ability to achieve the "No Fire, No Explosion" benchmark lies in its integrated liquid-cooling design. By placing liquid-cooling functional parts between adjacent cells rather than relying solely on a bottom plate, CATL increased the heat exchange area by four times. This design acts as a highly effective thermal barrier, absorbing heat from a failing cell before it can trigger neighbouring cells.

CATL also claims that its first-generation No Thermal Propagation (NP) technology has been in production since 2020. A representative from CATL emphasised that meeting the new requirements demands collaboration between automakers and battery manufacturers and that the new standard will effectively reduce the risk of power battery fires after collisions.

Gotion High-Tech: Innovating for Safety and Performance

While CATL has taken the lead in meeting the new Chinese standard, Gotion High-Tech is also a major player in battery technology, with a strong focus on safety and innovation. Established in 2006 and headquartered in Hefei, Anhui Province, Gotion specialises in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) materials and cells, power battery packs, energy storage systems (ESS), and battery management systems (BMS).

Gotion Guard: Intelligent Battery Protection

In March 2025, Gotion High-Tech debuted its Gotion Guard, an independently developed intelligent battery protection system. This system provides real-time monitoring and early-warning services for both power and energy storage batteries, enhancing safety and reliability across various applications. By continuously measuring voltage fluctuations, temperature profiles, and impedance anomalies, Gotion Guard can predict potential thermal failures before they occur, allowing active cooling measures to intervene.

Key Battery Innovations

Gotion has been making significant investments in R&D and has achieved several breakthroughs in battery technology:

• Gemstone Battery: An all-solid-state battery technology with an energy density of 350 Wh/kg, over 40% higher than conventional NCM batteries. It has passed the 200-degree hot box test, demonstrating enhanced safety features by removing volatile, flammable liquid electrolytes. Gotion began developing solid-state batteries in 2017 and aims for commercial availability of the Gemstone battery by 2030.
• Stellary Battery: Utilises Gotion's second-generation silicon-carbon material and a fast-charging electrolyte, enabling ultra-fast charging from 10% to 70% State of Charge in just nine minutes. This battery pack design dissipates 70% of heat externally within three seconds via high-efficiency thermal channels, preventing thermal propagation. It also features a wireless Battery Management System (BMS) for enhanced reliability.
• G-Current Battery: Designed with 5C super-fast charging technology, the G-Current battery can charge up to 80% in just 9.8 minutes and 90% in 15 minutes. It can be applied to various battery applications, including BEVs and hybrid vehicles, and is compatible with LFP, LMFP, and NCM chemistries.

Commitment to R&D and Global Expansion

Gotion consistently allocates over 10% of its annual revenue to research and development. The company has established eight R&D centres and four validation platforms worldwide, employing over 7,000 R&D personnel and holding more than 10,000 patents globally. Volkswagen Group is now the largest shareholder in Gotion, and the company is establishing four regional business units and twenty overseas manufacturing sites.

Implications of the New Standard

The new “No Fire, No Explosion” standard is expected to have several significant implications for the EV battery industry:

• Enhanced Safety: The most obvious benefit is the increased safety for EV drivers and passengers. By preventing fires and explosions entirely rather than just delaying them, the new standard will significantly reduce the risk of injury or death in the event of a battery thermal runaway, providing ultimate peace of mind.
• Industry Consolidation: The stricter requirements are expected to drive consolidation in the battery industry. Smaller manufacturers may struggle to fund the advanced thermal characterisation facilities and materials research required to meet the new standards, leading to mergers and acquisitions by larger companies with more resources for R&D and manufacturing upgrades.
• Technological Advancements: The new standard will chemical and mechanical engineering innovations. This includes the development of robust aerogel insulation, fire-resistant venting valves, phase-change materials (PCMs) that absorb excess latent heat, and the use of safer chemistries such as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and solid-state systems.
• Increased Costs: Meeting the new standard will likely increase R&D and manufacturing costs for battery manufacturers due to the integration of complex thermal barriers and advanced BMS components. These costs may be passed on to consumers in the form of higher EV prices, at least in the short term, until manufacturing processes are optimised and scaled.

The Future of Battery Safety

The “No Fire, No Explosion” standard represents a crucial step forward in ensuring the safety of electric vehicles. While CATL has currently taken the lead in compliance, companies like Gotion High-Tech are actively innovating to meet and exceed these requirements. As the EV industry continues to grow, expect ongoing advancements in battery technology and a growing emphasis on safety. These advancements promise to make EVs a safer and more reliable transportation option for consumers worldwide, setting a benchmark that other international regulatory bodies are likely to adopt in the coming years.