Against the backdrop of the continuous rise in the ownership of new energy vehicles, charging piles, as key energy supply facilities, have their safety and reliability directly tied to consumers' lives and property safety as well as the sustainable development of the industry. However, the charging pile industry has long been plagued by the issue of "prioritizing scale over quality", with the market flooded with a large number of unqualified products, which have become invisible barriers to the high-quality development of the industry. In December 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Announcement on Implementing Compulsory Product Certification Management for Electric Vehicle Power Supply Equipment", which for the first time included AC charging piles, DC charging piles and other equipment in the 3C certification catalogue. Starting from August 1, 2026, electric vehicle power supply equipment without a CCC certification certificate and certification mark shall not leave the factory, be sold, imported or used. This policy marks the shift of the charging pile industry from unregulated expansion to standardized development, officially kicking off a full-industry-chain safety compliance assessment.
PART 01 Upholding the Safety Bottom Line and Controlling Full-Life-Cycle Risks
Among these, May 1 is the peak passenger flow day, with an estimated 999,000 passenger trips, representing a 2.0% increase compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a further release of passenger travel demand.
3C certification is far more than a simple "safety label"; instead, it targets potential risks throughout the entire life cycle of charging piles, setting four categories and dozens of mandatory testing requirements, each directly addressing industry pain points. These dimensions fundamentally eliminate safety hazards from the era of "unbridled growth", ensuring that products meet national standards in design, production and usage stages.
Electrical Safety Requirements: Basic Protection to Eliminate Fatal Risks Electrical safety is the core of the certification, covering protection against electric shock, insulation performance, voltage withstand impact, leakage current control and flame retardant performance, among others. The certification requires that in any extreme scenario (such as damaged casing, rainwater intrusion or line short circuit), accessible components must not be live, while internal circuits and casings must meet high-level flame retardant standards—open flames must self-extinguish within 30 seconds. In the past, frequent electric shock injuries or spontaneous combustion accidents in the industry were mostly caused by enterprises cutting insulation structures or using non-flame-retardant materials to reduce costs. 3C certification forces enterprises to solve these problems from the source, avoiding leaving hidden dangers.
Electromagnetic Compatibility Requirements: Invisible Protection to Ensure System Stability This dimension is often overlooked but is crucial. It includes two-way testing: first, electromagnetic radiation and conducted interference generated during the operation of charging piles must be controlled within national standard limits to prevent interference with surrounding electronic devices; second, charging piles themselves must have anti-interference capabilities to avoid downtime or parameter disorder caused by base stations, high-voltage lines or high-power equipment. Historically, unqualified products have caused access control failures, car key malfunctions or power grid harmonic interference, affecting residents' lives. 3C certification ensures the stable operation of charging piles in complex environments through strict testing.
Functional Safety Requirements: Intelligent Control to Improve Charging Reliability Functional safety focuses on the controllability of the charging process, requiring the equipment to have multiple active protection mechanisms such as overvoltage, overcurrent, overtemperature, short circuit, leakage and undervoltage protection. When an abnormality occurs, power supply must be cut off within 100 milliseconds to prevent the accident from expanding. At the same time, charging piles need to have a complete connection confirmation logic: high-voltage power supply is only activated when the gun head is fully inserted, the interface is free of foreign objects and the vehicle system is normal. This solves user pain points such as "burned interfaces due to accidental touch" or "vehicle damage during charging", completely eradicating problems caused by design flaws.
Environmental Adaptability Requirements: Resilient Design to Address Extreme Challenges Considering outdoor installation scenarios, the certification mandates that charging piles meet a protection level of IP54 or above, operate normally within a temperature range of -40℃ to 55℃, and pass tests such as salt spray, vibration, waterproofing and dustproofing. This targets common industry pain points: failure to start in low temperatures in northern regions, short circuits during rainy seasons in southern regions or corrosion from salt spray in coastal areas. Enterprises must optimize material selection and structural design to ensure reliable service of products in harsh environments.
3C certification covers all charging piles produced, sold, imported or used domestically, including public DC piles and private AC piles. Products without certification are prohibited from being sold, eliminating low-quality products from entering the market through the access mechanism.
PART 02 Industry Transformation: Comprehensive Restructuring from Regulation to Market
The implementation of 3C certification is not only a technological upgrade but also a profound industry revolution, promoting regulatory models, market competition and technical standards to shift from "fragmentation" to "systematization".
Regulatory Transformation: From Post-incident Accountability to Pre-incident Prevention In the past, the industry relied on a "post-production random inspection" model, which had strong lag. Unqualified products were only detected after entering the market, and potential risks had already threatened user safety. 3C certification moves the regulatory threshold forward, requiring products to meet standards before being launched, achieving a shift from "closing the stable door after the horse has bolted" to "preventing problems before they occur". This fundamentally protects consumers' rights and promotes the shift of industry responsibility to the front end.
Market Transformation: From Price Competition to Quality Competition Before the certification, the industry was trapped in a vicious cycle of low prices, with some enterprises using inferior materials or simplifying processes to reduce costs, resulting in uneven product quality. 3C certification forces enterprises to shift to quality competition: only by increasing R&D investment and improving product quality can they gain a foothold in the market. This not only eliminates "bad money" but also fosters a healthy ecosystem, promoting the sustainable development of the industry.
Technological Transformation: From Fragmentation to Standardization Previously, technical standards for charging piles were chaotic, with prominent interface incompatibility issues affecting user experience. The certification mandates unified safety standards (such as the GB/T 18487 and GB/T 20234 series), solving compatibility pain points and improving charging efficiency and service consistency. The popularization of standardization lays a solid foundation for industry innovation.
PART 03 Full-Chain Restructuring, Far More Than "Paying for a Certificate"
For charging pile enterprises, 3C certification is far more than simply obtaining a certificate; it is a system upgrade from R&D to quality control. Small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, need to face up to the challenges and avoid misunderstandings.
Restructuring of R&D System: From Simple Assembly to System Integration In the past, many enterprises relied on "public model modification", lacking forward design, and cut EMC filter circuits or protection structures to reduce costs. The certification requires full-process forward R&D: optimizing insulation spacing, adding shielding layers, and improving the response speed of protection logic. R&D investment may account for 5%-10% of annual revenue, and technologically weak enterprises need to cooperate with third parties to achieve the leap from "assembly" to "innovation".
Upgrading of Supply Chain Management: From Price Priority to Quality Priority In the era of low-price competition, enterprises often chose inferior relays, capacitors or wires (such as copper-clad aluminum instead of pure copper). The certification mandates the use of compliant components, with key parts required to obtain 3C certification, the flame retardant grade of casings reaching V0, and the voltage withstand capacity of wires exceeding the design value by more than 20%. The BOM cost of a single 7kW AC charging pile increases by about 15%, and enterprises must establish a strict supplier audit mechanism to ensure supply chain stability.
Upgrading of Production Processes and Quality Control: Extensive Manufacturing to Refined Management Traditional production processes were extensive, with only power-on tests conducted before leaving the factory, resulting in poor product consistency. The certification requires the introduction of advanced equipment and processes, and the implementation of full-link control (such as IP protection testing and functional safety verification). At the same time, quality management shifts from "passive response" to "active management", running through the entire life cycle of design, production and sales, and improving product reliability through employee training and system improvement.
PART 04 Multi-Stakeholder Game, Opportunities and Challenges Coexist
The ripple effect of 3C certification spreads across the entire industry chain, and upstream suppliers, midstream operators and downstream consumers all need to adapt to the new rules.
Upstream Component Suppliers: Compliance Costs and Growth Opportunities Suppliers face higher compliance costs: increasing R&D investment and improving quality control capabilities have increased production costs. However, the standardization of the industry has also spurred demand for high-quality components, and suppliers with strong technical capabilities will gain more market share. The certification accelerates the elimination of low-end enterprises, optimizes the competitive landscape, and brings long-term dividends to innovators.
Midstream Charging Operators: Balancing Cost Increases and Quality Improvement Operators' procurement costs increase due to rising pile prices, compressing profit margins. However, certified products reduce safety risks and improve service reliability and user experience (such as reducing failure rates). Operators need to optimize operation and management, offsetting cost pressures by improving service efficiency (such as shortening charging time) to enhance brand competitiveness.
Downstream Consumers: Safety Enhancement and Cost Trade-offs Consumers benefit from a safer charging environment, with significantly reduced risks of electric shock or fire. However, usage costs may increase: charging service prices rise, and some old equipment needs to be replaced. Consumers need to balance short-term expenditures with long-term safety guarantees, while the industry needs to alleviate user burdens through scale effects and technological cost reduction.
PART 05 Industry Outlook
3C certification is a watershed for the industry, driving charging piles from "chaos and disorder" to a "healthy ecosystem", with clear future trends.
Increased Industry Concentration, Accelerated Survival of the Fittest The certification will eliminate small enterprises with weak technical capabilities, while large manufacturers with scale and innovation capabilities will expand their market share relying on brand advantages. Market concentration will increase, competition will become more rational, and industry resource integration will be promoted.
Technology Innovation-Driven Development, Intelligence Becomes the Focus Driven by the certification, enterprises will increase R&D investment, focusing on fast charging technology, smart grid adaptation and user interaction optimization. Technological innovation will become the core competitiveness, promoting the evolution of products from "functional" to "intelligent".
Upgraded Charging Service Experience, Alleviating User Anxiety The certification ensures equipment reliability, and operators improve operation and maintenance efficiency, reducing waiting times. Combined with standardized interfaces, user experience is significantly improved, and range anxiety is gradually alleviated, facilitating the popularization of new energy vehicles.
Continuous Improvement of the Standard System, Supporting Sustainable Development The state will dynamically revise standards (such as adding data security requirements) to ensure that regulations keep pace with industry development. A sound standard ecosystem paves the way for technological innovation and internationalization, consolidating the industrial foundation.
Conclusion
3C certification for charging piles is a milestone for the industry to transition from "unbridled growth" to "standardized development". Although it brings short-term pains, it lays a solid foundation for long-term health. For manufacturing enterprises, they need to embrace change and win the market with innovation; for operators, they must balance cost and quality and optimize services; for consumers, the improvement in safety is worth a slight increase in cost. Looking forward to the future, driven by both policy and market, the charging pile industry will build a safer and more efficient energy network, injecting lasting momentum into the new energy vehicle industry, and ultimately realizing the beautiful vision of "green travel". This transformation not only reshapes the industry but also guards the safety of millions of users.
