China has introduced new regulations to strengthen the management of recycling and comprehensive utilization of retired power batteries from NEVs.
On January 16, China’s six government departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly released the Interim Measures for the Management of Recycling and Comprehensive Utilization of Retired Power Batteries from New Energy Vehicles.
The new rules will take effect on April 1. They are designed to better control the flow of retired batteries, requiring power batteries to remain with vehicles at the time of scrappage and mandating full lifecycle management of retired power batteries.
Under the measures, NEV manufacturers and importers are required, within six months of obtaining mandatory product certification, to submit technical information on battery dismantling and necessary disassembly. This information will serve as a foundation for downstream recycling and reuse.
Power battery manufacturers are required to assume recycling responsibility for batteries sold and used in the domestic market.
They are not allowed to refuse retired batteries transferred from battery leasing, battery swapping, repair, or maintenance channels.
The authorities clarified that the current measures do not apply to battery-swapping models and similar cases.
Specific management rules for battery swapping and other emerging business models are still under study.
The introduction of the policy is closely linked to the rapid expansion of retired power battery volumes.
At a press briefing, Wang Peng, head of the Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization Department at MIIT, said that China’s comprehensive utilization of retired NEV power batteries exceeded 400,000 tonnes in 2025, up 32.9% year on year.
He added that leading companies have reached internationally advanced levels in recycling efficiency for metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
Meanwhile, China’s NEV industry has continued to grow rapidly in recent years, with production and sales steadily rising.
In 2025, NEV production and sales reached 16.626 million units and 16.49 million units, up 29% and 28.2% year on year, respectively.
As batteries in vehicles already sold and in use enter retirement due to capacity degradation, the volume of retired power batteries is expected to continue increasing.
China is approaching a phase of large-scale battery retirement. According to estimates from research institutions, annual retired power battery volumes are expected to exceed 1 million tonnes by 2030.
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