GB/T 36972-2026, Performance technical specification for lithium-ion batteries for electric bicycles, is China’s updated national performance standard for e-bike lithium-ion battery packs. It replaces GB/T 36972-2018 and took effect on 1 September 2026.
Disclaimer: This is not a definitive guide, just an indication, and it is important that you always go back to the source for legislation.
Purpose and Scope
GB/T 36972-2026 sets performance requirements — capacity, cycle life, discharge behaviour, and related electrical characteristics — for lithium-ion battery packs used in electric bicycles. It carries the “GB/T” (tuijian, recommended) prefix, so it is a voluntary performance specification rather than a mandatory safety regulation. It sits alongside, and is distinct from, GB 17761-2024, which is the mandatory safety standard covering electric bicycles and their battery and charger systems more broadly.
The revision was published in early 2026, superseding the 2018 edition that had been the reference performance specification for e-bike packs for close to eight years — a period in which cell energy density, fast-charge capability, and the scale of the Chinese e-bike fleet all changed substantially.
Why It Was Updated
The 2018 edition predates the rapid growth in e-bike battery fires that has driven regulatory attention in China, the US, and Europe over the past several years. GB/T 36972-2026 updates the core performance indicators battery packs must meet, aligning the performance specification more closely with the mandatory safety expectations already in force under GB 17761-2024 and with the higher energy-density cells now typical of the e-bike market.
Relevance to Battery Engineering
For designers of e-bike battery packs and BMS targeting the Chinese market, GB/T 36972-2026 is the baseline performance specification a pack needs to be tested and rated against, separate from the safety testing required under GB 17761-2024. Manufacturers exporting into China, or supplying packs to brands that sell there, should treat the 2026 edition — not the 2018 edition — as the current reference when specifying cycle life, capacity retention, and discharge performance targets.
The update is also part of a wider pattern of tightening e-bike battery regulation happening in parallel across multiple markets: China’s own mandatory GB 17761-2024 safety standard, the US CPSC’s proposed federal lithium-ion battery rules for micromobility products (built around UL 2849, UL 2271 and UL 2272), and the EU’s existing conformity requirements are all converging on stricter, more testable requirements for e-bike battery packs and chargers.
Related Standards
GB 17761-2024 is the mandatory Chinese safety standard for electric bicycles, covering the battery and charger system as part of the complete vehicle. UL 2849 and UL 2271 are the closest US equivalents for e-bike electrical systems and batteries respectively.
References
- GB/T 36972-2026, Performance technical specification for lithium-ion batteries for electric bicycles, effective 1 September 2026 (replaces GB/T 36972-2018).
- China Issues New GB/T Standards for Vehicle Components, China Certification, 2026.
- GB/T 36972-2018 (English Version) — prior edition for reference, Code of China.
- GB 17761-2024, Safety requirements for electric bicycles, Battery Design.
See also: Chinese National Standards (GB)