On October 28, 2025, Taiwan’s Standards Inspection Bureau (SMI) held a special briefing and officially announced revisions to inspection regulations for 13 secondary lithium-related products and 1 information product. Meanwhile, "non-power secondary lithium battery packs for road vehicles" were incorporated into the mandatory inspection scope. The core highlight of the new regulations is the mandatory factory inspection requirement for battery packs and power banks. The new rules took effect on the announcement date, with a transition period until July 1, 2027.

I. Product Categories

• Lithium-ion power banks
• Lithium-ion single cells (excluding button-type)
• Lithium-ion battery packs/modules/battery systems (limited to ≤100kWh)
• Lithium-ion energy storage battery packs/modules/battery systems (limited to ≤1kWh)
• Lithium-ion battery packs for electric motorcycles
• Lithium-ion battery packs for electric bicycles
• Lithium-ion battery packs for electric assist bicycles

II. Inspection Standards & Certification Models

Inspection Standards

Note 1: Lithium-ion power banks are limited to total weight ≤18kg, non-fixed equipment with wheels or other mobile devices, and equipped with output interfaces for charging products.

Certification Models

III. Factory Inspection Requirements (Core Highlight)

Mandatory Factory Inspection Rule

For lithium battery packs and power banks (excluding lithium-ion cells), BSMI certification applications require factory inspection OR possession of an ISO 9001 certificate issued by a BSMI-recognized institution.

Key Requirements for 2+7 (Factory Inspection Mode):

• Initial factory inspection must be completed after test passing and before certificate issuance.
• The initial factory inspection is valid for 1 year.
• Subsequent factory inspections must be conducted at least once a year to maintain certificate validity.
• Inspection content includes: completeness of quality control system, consistency of key components, and traceability of production records.

Factory Inspection Exemption Conditions:

• Possession of a valid ISO 9001 certificate (issued by a BSMI-recognized institution, with certification scope covering the applied products).
• The certificate must be within its validity period and cover the product manufacturing factory.

IV. Implementation Date & Transition Period

Timeline

• Effective Date: October 28, 2025 (announcement date).
• Transition Period End: July 1, 2027.
• Existing Certificates: Products with existing certificates under old standards can be used until the certificate expires; relevant filings can still be applied for during the certificate validity period.
• Certificate Extension: Before June 30, 2027, eligible applicants can apply for certificate extension, with a 3-year validity period after extension (eligibility: apply 3 months before the certificate expires, i.e., [month-3, date+1], before the old standard is discontinued).

V. Key Updates to Inspection Standards

1. Enhanced requirements for electrical safety, mechanical safety, and thermal safety.
2. Added Battery Management System (BMS) function tests, including overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and overheating protection.
3. New laser thermal runaway propagation test method (replacing the old resistance heating method), with observation time extended to 8 hours.
4. Explicit requirement for battery systems to have a "system lock" function: the system must stop operation and cannot reset automatically when cell parameters exceed safe limits.

VI. Enterprise Compliance Strategies

Short-Term Strategies (0-12 Months)

1. Conduct a comprehensive inventory of product lines to confirm which products require BSMI certification or update.
2. Evaluate and select a suitable certification model (2+4, 2+5, or 2+7) based on enterprise scale and quality management level.
3. Prioritize applying for ISO 9001 certification (if not already held) to exempt from factory inspection and reduce compliance costs.
4. Prepare technical documents in advance: circuit diagrams, BOM lists, user manuals (Traditional Chinese), safety warnings, etc.
5. Contact BSMI-recognized laboratories to understand test requirements and prepare samples (usually 30 batteries + 90 cells).

Mid-to-Long-Term Strategies (12-24 Months)

1. Optimize the quality management system to meet BMS requirements in the CNS 62619 standard.
2. Conduct product design reviews: improve product safety design (especially thermal runaway protection and BMS functions) in line with new inspection standards.
3. Strengthen supply chain control: ensure quality consistency of key components (e.g., cells, protection circuits).
4. Prepare for internal factory inspections: if choosing the 2+7 model, establish a regular factory inspection preparation mechanism with at least one internal audit per year.

VII. Impact Analysis

Impact on Manufacturers

• Increased compliance costs: factory inspection fees, ISO 9001 certification fees, test fees, etc.
• Differentiated product competitiveness: large enterprises with sound quality management systems gain more advantages, while small enterprises face higher entry barriers.
• Higher market access thresholds: the new regulations will accelerate the elimination of non-compliant enterprises and promote industry integration.

Impact on the Supply Chain

• Upstream suppliers: cell and BMS suppliers need to provide more quality certification documents.
• Downstream customers: buyers can obtain more reliable product quality assurance, reducing usage risks.
• Logistics and warehousing: product packaging and labeling need to be updated to meet new regulatory requirements.

VIII. Conclusion & Next Steps

Taiwan SMI’s new regulations mark a new phase in lithium battery product supervision. The mandatory factory inspection requirements and upgraded certification models will significantly raise product safety standards. Enterprises should seize the transition period (October 2025 - July 2027) to plan certification strategies in advance and prioritize obtaining ISO 9001 certification to reduce compliance costs.

Immediate Action List

1. Contact professional certification institutions to assess product compliance.
2. Launch ISO 9001 certification (if not already held).
3. Improve product design and quality management systems in line with new standards.
4. Complete certification updates for major product lines by the end of 2026 to avoid certification backlogs near the transition period deadline.

If you need more specific product certification plans or factory inspection preparation guidance, it is recommended to directly contact BSMI-recognized third-party testing institutions to obtain a detailed compliance roadmap tailored to your enterprise’s products.