Industry "Major Overhaul"! Involving Power Banks/E-bikes/Power Batteries

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently launched a comprehensive national supervision and random inspection campaign for product quality in 2025, targeting 164 types of products. Samples will be extensively collected from production, distribution, and online platforms, totaling over 16,000 batches.

It is reported that this inspection campaign is problem-oriented and further emphasizes products related to people's livelihood. The number of inspection batches for products such as power banks (portable power supplies), e-bikes, and gas appliances has significantly increased. To ensure the healthy and orderly development of emerging industries, power batteries, drones, PV modules, and EV charging piles have also been included in the inspection scope this time.

Meanwhile, in recent times, several power bank companies have successively recalled their products, attracting widespread attention from the industry.

On June 16, the Shenzhen Market Supervision and Administration Bureau issued an announcement stating that due to issues with the raw materials of some battery cells, a very small number of products might overheat during use, posing a combustion risk under extreme scenarios and thus presenting safety hazards. Consequently, Shenzhen Romoss Technology Co., Ltd. plans to recall multiple models and batches of portable power supply products, totaling 491,745 units, manufactured between June 5, 2023, and July 31, 2024.

Prior to this, another company, Anker Innovations (Anker), had already initiated a recall program in the US for its PowerCore 10000 portable power supply with model number A1263. According to a notice issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), some of the above-mentioned portable power supplies manufactured by Anker have an overheating risk in their internal lithium-ion batteries. According to market news, the number of products recalled by the company is expected to reach 1.158 million units.

In the domestic market, on June 20, Anker Innovations issued an announcement stating that due to safety risks in some batches of basic portable power supply products, and with the approval of the market supervision department in Hunan Province, it will voluntarily recall certain batches of products with model numbers A1642/A1647/A1652/A1680/A1681/A1689/A1257, totaling over 710,000 units, starting from the announcement date.

Anker Innovations stated, "During recent quality and safety inspections, we discovered that some batches of industry-standard battery cells from a certain supplier had undergone unauthorized changes in raw materials. This might lead to the failure of separator insulation in a very small number of products after long-term cycling use, thereby posing safety hazards such as overheating or even combustion."

Meanwhile, Anker Innovations disclosed that it has ceased cooperation with the supplier and switched to other battery cell suppliers.

In addition, it has been reported that in recent months, iWalk recalled approximately 27,500 magnetic wireless power banks in the US, while Baseus Technology recalled approximately 55,380 65W 30000mAh portable power supplies in the US...

Data from the National Certification and Accreditation Information Public Service Platform of the SAMR shows that since the beginning of June, the 3C certification certificates for multiple products of well-known portable power supply brands such as Romoss, Anker Innovations, Baseus, and UGREEN have been in a "suspended" state.

Data shows that the 3C certification (China Compulsory Certification) is a product conformity assessment system implemented by the Chinese government in accordance with laws and regulations to protect consumers' personal safety and national security, and to strengthen product quality management. Products that have not obtained the 3C certification certificate are not allowed to leave the factory, be sold, imported, or used in other business activities.

From the market perspective, firstly, the national supervision and random inspection of product quality in 2025 will increase the intensity of random inspections on end-use products related to consumer and power batteries, as well as power batteries themselves. Combined with the recent large-scale recall of power banks and the "suspended" status of some 3C certifications, it highlights the urgency of quality and safety governance in the battery industry, which may lead to a "major reshuffle" in the industry.

Secondly, it will reduce potential market risks. This round of random inspections emphasizes people's livelihoods. Products such as power banks, power batteries, and e-bikes are closely related to people's daily lives. To a certain extent, it will prevent battery cells with quality defects from entering the end-use market and reduce future safety hazards caused by battery cell defects.

Thirdly, it will lead to the exit of low-quality battery cell capacity. The national random inspections coincide with the exposure of common safety hazards such as battery cell defects and thermal runaway in multiple power bank enterprises. In the future, end-user enterprises of consumer and power batteries may choose battery cell suppliers more cautiously, rather than blindly pursuing low prices. Some battery cell enterprises may face the risk of being eliminated due to their capacity.

Meanwhile, the safety assurance of battery cells will be upgraded. Through random inspections, battery cell enterprises will be forced to increase investment in safety technology R&D, accelerate the implementation of innovative technologies such as battery thermal management and solid-state batteries, and strengthen the quality control system in the manufacturing process.

China Battery has always believed that for end-use devices containing battery systems, whether they are power banks, e-bikes, or NEVs, battery cell safety is the top priority. Under the dual "pressure tests" of "regulation + market," the battery industry will transition to a new stage of competition focused on quality and safety.