GB/T 43568-2026

GB/T 43568-2026, Electric vehicle solid-state battery — Part 1: Terminology and classification, is China’s first national standard defining and classifying solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. It entered into force on 1 July 2026, the same day as the mandatory GB 38031-2025 and GB 18384-2025 safety standards, though GB/T 43568-2026 itself is a voluntary (recommended) standard rather than a mandatory one.

Disclaimer: This is not a definitive guide, just an indication, and it is important that you always go back to the source for legislation.

Scope and Applicability

GB/T 43568-2026 applies to traction batteries for electric vehicles that use a solid or predominantly solid electrolyte. Its purpose is definitional rather than a safety or performance requirement: it establishes the terminology and a quantitative classification framework that other standards, subsidy programmes, and marketing claims can reference consistently. It is Part 1 of a planned multi-part series; further parts covering performance, safety, and durability requirements for solid-state batteries are expected to follow.

Unlike GB 38031-2025 and GB 18384-2025, which carry the mandatory “GB” prefix, GB/T 43568-2026 carries the “GB/T” (tuijian, recommended) prefix. Compliance is voluntary, but the classification it defines is expected to become the reference point for how solid-state products are described, certified, and potentially subsidised in China.

Classification Criteria

The standard classifies batteries into three categories based on liquid electrolyte mass fraction, replacing loosely used marketing terms such as “semi-solid”, “quasi-solid” and “pseudo-solid” with quantitative thresholds:

  • Liquid battery: liquid electrolyte mass fraction greater than 20%
  • Hybrid solid-liquid (semi-solid) battery: liquid electrolyte mass fraction of 5% to 20%
  • All-solid-state battery: liquid electrolyte mass fraction below 5%, and no more than 0.5% weight loss after 6 hours of vacuum drying at 120°C

The vacuum-drying weight-loss test is the key enforcement mechanism: it gives a repeatable lab method for verifying the electrolyte content claim rather than relying on cell teardown or supplier declarations alone. A cell must pass both the mass-fraction threshold and the weight-loss test to be labelled “all-solid-state” under this standard.

Development and Status

GB/T 43568-2026 was developed by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), with CATL, BYD and Gotion among the main drafting units. The draft was completed in December 2025, the public comment period closed on 28 February 2026, the standard was reviewed and approved in April 2026, and it took effect on 1 July 2026.

Relationship to GB 38031-2025 and Future Parts

GB/T 43568-2026 does not replace or amend GB 38031-2025 — a solid-state traction battery pack must still meet GB 38031-2025’s safety requirements (thermal propagation, bottom impact, fast-charge durability, and the rest of the 2025 edition’s test suite) regardless of its electrolyte classification. GB/T 43568-2026 instead supplies the terminology that future safety and performance standards, including likely solid-state-specific amendments to GB 38031, are expected to build on. Parts 2 to 4 of the series, expected to cover performance, safety, and durability requirements specific to solid-state chemistries, had not been published as of this standard’s effective date.

International Context

GB/T 43568-2026 is the world’s first national standard formally classifying solid-state EV batteries. ISO and IEC working groups are exploring solid-state terminology and test methods, but as of this standard’s effective date neither body had published an equivalent classification standard, so there is no direct international counterpart to compare it against yet.

References

  1. GB/T 43568-2026, Electric vehicle solid-state battery — Part 1: Terminology and classification, effective 1 July 2026.
  2. China to release solid-state battery standard in July 2026, CarNewsChina, February 2026.
  3. Global Landscape Analysis of Solid-State Battery Regulations, Policies, and Standards (Q2 2026), Shanghai Metals Market.
  4. GB 38031, Electric vehicles traction battery safety requirements, Battery Design.

See also: Grain Boundary Dendrite Growth in Solid-State Electrolytes, Three-Electrode All-Solid-State Battery Cycling