The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology interprets the measures for the Management of echelon Utilization of Power batteries for New Energy vehicles

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Ecological Environment, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Market Supervision jointly issued the measures for the Management of echelon Utilization of Power Storage batteries for New Energy vehicles (Joint Section of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (2021) No. 114) (hereinafter referred to as the "Management measures"). In order to promote the effective implementation of the Management measures, the relevant contents are interpreted as follows:

Question 1: what is the background, purpose and significance of the Administration measures?

After the new energy vehicle power battery is decommissioned, it still has 70-80% of the remaining capacity, which can be downgraded for energy storage, power reserve and other scenarios to maximize the utilization of residual energy. Power battery cascade utilization is a process of necessary inspection, classification, separation, battery repair or reorganization into echelon products for decommissioned power batteries of new energy vehicles, so that they can be applied to other fields.

The echelon utilization of power battery is a new field of comprehensive utilization of resources. the echelon utilization enterprises are mainly concentrated in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and other regions with large amount of battery decommissioning and obvious advantages of technical resources. In order to cultivate and strengthen the backbone enterprises of echelon utilization, on the basis of the voluntary declaration of the enterprises, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced a list of echelon utilization enterprises that meet the "norms and conditions for the comprehensive utilization of waste power batteries for new energy vehicles". At present, echelon utilization detection, disassembly, reorganization and other technologies have been more mature, battery residual value assessment, remote monitoring and early warning technology has been continuously optimized and improved, echelon products have been used in energy storage, power reserve and other fields. In order to further standardize and guide the high-quality development of the industry, we have studied and formulated "management measures" to clarify the relevant requirements in the whole process of production, use, recycling and utilization of echelon products, and improve the management mechanism of echelon utilization.

Question 2: what principles are followed in the formulation of the Management measures?

We take guiding the high-quality development of the industry as the starting point, organize and carry out the compilation of the "Management measures". In the process of compilation, we mainly follow the following principles: first, highlight the main responsibility of the echelon utilization enterprise, requiring the enterprise to fulfill the producer responsibility in the whole life cycle of echelon product design and production, packaging and transportation, recycling and utilization, and implement the corresponding management requirements; The second is to emphasize product quality and environmental protection disposal, and clarify the requirements of echelon utilization enterprises in product research and development, test verification, production quality management, scrap recycling and so on, so as to ensure the electrical performance and reliability of echelon products, as well as standardized recovery and disposal of products after scrapping. Third, strengthen the coordinated development of the industry, put forward principled requirements for industrial chain cooperation, data sharing and intellectual property protection, guide the standardized and orderly development of the industry, and improve the overall technical level; fourth, attach importance to giving full play to the role of market mechanism, through product certification and other measures to promote the industry to improve the quality of echelon products; Fifth, pay attention to policy linkage, it forms a policy joint force with the implemented "New Energy vehicle waste Power Storage Battery Comprehensive Utilization Industry Standard conditions", "interim regulations on traceability Management of New Energy vehicle Power Battery Recycling", "New Energy vehicle Power Battery Recycling Service Network Construction and Operation Guide", as well as the certification system of the General Administration of Market Supervision.

Question 3: what is the process of compiling the Management measures?

Since the end of 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has organized industry forces to carry out special research to start the drafting of the management policy on the echelon utilization of power batteries for new energy vehicles.

First, carry out special research. Through extensive research, we understand the current situation of the development of echelon utilization industry in China, and in view of the existing problems in the development of echelon utilization industry, we put forward the relevant policies and measures to guide the standardized development of echelon utilization industry, and formed the first draft of the document.

The second is to forge industry consensus. In the process of policy drafting, we have extensively absorbed the participation of enterprises, trade associations, research institutions, and other relevant parties, organized numerous symposiums of industries and experts, repeatedly discussed the manuscripts, and solicited the opinions of relevant departments.

The third is to extensively solicit opinions from all parties. From October to November 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will solicit opinions from the public through the Ministry's website, revise and improve it according to the opinions of all parties, and formally release it this year.

Question 4: what are the main contents of the Management measures? What are the characteristics?

The "Management measures" includes six chapters: general principles, echelon utilization enterprise requirements, echelon product requirements, recycling requirements, supervision and management, and supplementary provisions. the main contents are as follows: first, the general principles, clear management principles, scope of application and relevant corporate responsibilities, put forward the requirements of coordinated supervision of departments to support technological innovation. The second is to make use of the requirements of enterprises, and the "Management measures" stipulate the technological development, management system construction, product quality assurance and traceability management of enterprises. Third, the requirements of echelon products, the "Management measures" on product design and testing, coding, packaging and transportation, etc., to determine the establishment of echelon product voluntary certification system. Fourth, the requirements of recycling, echelon utilization enterprises should establish a scrapped echelon product recovery system to ensure standardized recycling and compliance disposal of scrapped echelon products. Fifth, supervision and management, clarify the regulatory responsibilities of local industrial and information, market supervision, ecological environment and business departments at and above the county level, and give full play to the supporting role of social supervision and expert committees.

Considering that the echelon utilization is an emerging industry, and in view of the actual situation and demands of the current industrial development, the "Management measures" embodies the following characteristics in the system design:

(1) to implement the extended producer responsibility system. The echelon makes use of the enterprise as the producer of the echelon product to fulfill the producer responsibility and undertake the obligation of ensuring the quality of the echelon product and recycling after the product is scrapped. As a higher-level producer, power battery production enterprises also bear producer responsibility and adopt the product structure design that is easy to use, which is beneficial to their efficient echelon utilization after retirement.

(2) to carry out the whole life cycle management of echelon products. Echelon utilization is an important part of the whole life cycle of power battery. echelon utilization enterprises implement the requirements of power battery traceability management and monitor the production, use and recycling of echelon products to ensure that the whole process is traceable.

(3) to promote the improvement of the cooperation mechanism in the upper and lower reaches of the industrial chain. Consider the status of the echelon utilization industry as a connecting link in the power battery life cycle industrial chain, encourage enterprises to strengthen coordination with upstream and downstream enterprises in the co-construction of recycling system, data information sharing and intellectual property protection, solve the problems of efficient battery recycling and rapid assessment of health status, and form a business cooperation and technological development model adapted to the development of the industry.

(4) to establish a voluntary certification system for echelon products. In order to expand the supply and application of high-quality echelon products and guide the high-quality development of the industry, we will carry out the voluntary certification system of echelon products, give full play to the guiding role of certification mechanism in the market, and cultivate backbone echelon utilization enterprises. drive the improvement of the quality and performance of echelon products.

(5) coordinate to promote the supervision and management of echelon utilization. The departments of industry and information technology, science and technology, ecological environment, commerce and market supervision will strengthen inter-departmental cooperation, strengthen the supervision and management of the echelon utilization of power batteries in accordance with the principle of territorial management, and increase the support for the research, development, popularization and application of technology and equipment. we will promote the formation of a long-term mechanism conducive to the healthy development of the echelon utilization industry.