China Leads Launch of World's First International Solid-State Battery Standard at IEC

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced on August 21, 2026 that a Chinese-proposed standard — "Secondary Lithium-ion Batteries for Electric Vehicle Propulsion: Application Guide, Test Items and Conditions for Solid-State Batteries" — was successfully initiated as a new work item at the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), marking the world's first international standard project in the solid-state battery field. The project is led by Chinese experts with participation from France, Japan, and South Korea, and aims to establish unified testing specifications and terminology so automakers worldwide are not each defining solid-state performance differently. It follows China's domestic standard GB/T 43568-2026 (solid-state battery terminology and classification), which took effect July 1, 2026. Analysts note mass deployment of all-solid-state EV batteries before 2030 remains difficult even as the standards groundwork accelerates.