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International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) | Institution Profile | Solid-State Batteries

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INSTITUTION PROFILE / SOLID-STATE BATTERIES

International Electrotechnical Commission
The global standards body that has yet to decide how solid-state batteries should be measured

The IEC is a not-for-profit membership organisation that writes international standards for electrical and electronic technology. The international standards for battery performance testing and safety requirements are also settled in its technical committees. As of September 2026, however, there is no IEC standard specific to solid-state batteries, and the battery committees have no dedicated work item on them. The IEC also has no power to make anyone follow its standards; whether to use them is up to each country and each company. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence the IEC actually has over solid-state batteries.

Sources: the IEC website (organisational overview, list of members, and technical committee listings, work programmes and project details), the TC 21 Strategic Business Plan, the IEC Webstore catalogue and NEDO's project page. Last updated September 2026.

What this article covers
  1. The IEC in 30 seconds
  2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
  3. What it does for solid-state batteries
  4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
  5. The countries and committees involved
  6. Outlook
  7. Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit

1. The IEC in 30 seconds

FULL NAMEInternational Electrotechnical CommissionUsually shortened to IEC. Founded in 1906
COUNTRY / REGIONInternational (based in Switzerland)Headquarters in Geneva. Not an agency of any one country
TYPE OF BODYNot-for-profit membership organisationIts members are National Committees. Individuals and companies cannot join
MEMBERSHIP92 National Committees64 full members and 28 associate members (one committee per country)
PEOPLEAbout 30,000 expertsSome 170 countries take part. Figure covers all fields
COMMITTEES118 technical committees and 105 subcommittees876 working groups. About 10,000 published standards
ROLE IN SOLID-STATE BATTERIESStandards for battery test methods and safety requirementsNo standard specific to solid-state batteries yet
POWERS IT LACKSEnforcing its standardsAdoption is up to each country and company
The one thing to grasp first

The IEC writes standards; it does not make anyone use them. The IEC itself describes its output as "voluntary, consensus-based" international standards Sourced. Its influence is still considerable, because under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), member countries have undertaken to use international standards as the basis for their national standards and mandatory technical regulations Sourced. Once a country builds an IEC standard into its own standards or regulations, the standard becomes binding in practice in that country.

2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence

Unlike the companies in this series, none of the institutions that appear in solid-state battery coverage makes batteries. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types.

Four types of institution that shape solid-state batteries Institutions do not make batteries. They differ in the route by which they influence the industry Funding Policy & regulation Standards Convening Allocates R&D budgets Strategy, subsidies, law Test methods, safety Trade shows, associations NEDO / DOE METI / DOE IEC InterBattery What gets researched What gets built at home How things are measured Who meets whom Reach: own budget Reach: own territory Reach: member countries Reach: participants The IEC is the standards type: it sets how to measure, but each country and company decides on use Its standards bind a country only once that country writes them into national standards or rules
Fig. 1 Four types of institution involved in solid-state batteries, and where the IEC sits. The classification is our own, and the examples are the five institutions covered in this series Our calculation. The IEC has neither money to hand out nor regulatory powers, so it falls under the standards type alone.

3. What it does for solid-state batteries

Batteries at the IEC are the business of TC 21 (Secondary cells and batteries) and its subcommittee SC 21A. The work programmes as of September 2026 contain no work item with "solid-state" in its title Sourced. The activities that may be relevant are these.

CommitteeScopeActivity relevant to solid-state batteries (as of September 2026)
TC 21
Secondary cells and batteries		Performance, safety and testing of all secondary batteries; standards for lead-acid, flow and high-temperature batteries; and safety of battery installations. The secretariat is held by FranceNone of its 17 active work items concerns solid-state batteries. It is revising the EV lithium-ion cell standards IEC 62660-1 (performance) and IEC 62660-2 (reliability and abuse) to a third edition jointly with TC 69 (publication forecast November 2027). Its Strategic Business Plan (January 2025) names research into solid-state lithium-metal batteries as "a new development" in vehicle applications
SC 21A
Secondary cells and batteries containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolytes		Performance and safety of lithium, nickel and sodium-ion cells and batteriesIts 14 active work items are revisions of existing standards plus new sodium-ion battery standards. None concerns solid-state batteries
TC 113
Nanotechnology		Standards for nanomaterials used in electrical and electronic productsPreliminary work item PWI 113-171, a materials specification for nano-oxide solid electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries (registered December 2024). It is still at the preliminary stage, although its target date for moving to the next stage (December 2025) has passed

A search of the IEC Webstore for "solid-state battery" returned no valid standards (September 2026) Sourced. The TC 113 item is not a battery standard but a template for a materials specification, in which buyers and sellers agree the actual values between themselves.

A materials engineer's view: there is no yardstick yet

Solid-state battery performance depends on conditions that liquid-electrolyte batteries do not have, such as solid-solid interfaces and stack pressure. As of September 2026, no international yardstick for comparing them under identical conditions has become an IEC standard. The third-edition revision of the EV cell standards (the IEC 62660 series) is under way, but the published project information does not show whether solid-state batteries will be in scope Not yet confirmed. In other words, a materials supplier marketing a solid electrolyte cannot yet point to test conditions in an IEC standard.

Links to Japan

ItemWhat we could confirmCategory
Japan's membershipA full member since 1910. Its National Committee is run by JISC (the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee)Sourced
NEDO's earlier programmeNEDO's SOLiD-EV (FY2018 to FY2022) developed safety and durability test methods with Japan-led international standardisation in mindSourced
Japanese proposals at the IECWe checked the work programmes of TC 21, SC 21A, TC 69 and TC 113 and found no solid-state battery work item proposed by JapanNot yet confirmed

4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)

AspectWhat the IEC hasWhat it does not have
PowersThe power to prepare and publish international standards. It approves the scope of technical committees and runs four conformity assessment systems (certification schemes)Any power to enforce the adoption of its standards (that is up to each country and company). Any power to stop products being sold. Any power to fund R&D (none is mentioned in the IEC material we reviewed)
GeographySome 170 countries take part (the 92 National Committees plus a participation programme for developing countries). Under the WTO TBT Agreement, members have undertaken to use international standards as the basis for national standards and technical regulationsThe decision on whether a country builds a standard into its own regulations. Where it is not adopted, it is not binding
Time horizonWork items are planned to take roughly two to four years from registration to publication (for example, about two years for the third edition of 62660-1 and about four years for SC 21A's new sodium-ion battery standards)Any date for a dedicated solid-state battery standard. With no work item, there is not even a forecast
ScaleAbout 30,000 experts, 118 technical committees, 105 subcommittees and 876 working groups. TC 21 has 17 active work items and SC 21A has 14A working group or project team dedicated to solid-state batteries (none could be confirmed)
A note on reading the numbers

"Some 170 countries" is more than the number of National Committees (92), so it appears to include countries that take part without being members, through the participation programme for developing countries Our calculation. The full members with voting rights in the General Meeting number 64 Sourced. The "about 30,000 experts" likewise covers every field the IEC handles; the material we reviewed does not say how many take part in the battery committees Not yet confirmed. IEC experts are also said to take part in a personal capacity, not as representatives of their employers or National Committees Sourced. So the IEC's primary sources cannot tell us which battery makers are involved in its discussions on solid-state batteries.

5. The countries and committees involved

How an IEC standard is made and used (committees relevant to solid-state) National Committees send experts, technical committees write standards, countries and companies decide on use 92 National Committees Japan: JISC (member since 1910) IEC (Geneva, Switzerland) About 30,000 experts; 223 TCs/SCs Voluntary standards About 10,000; adoption varies TC 21 (secondary cells) Li-ion cells for EVs Revising IEC 62660 (Ed. 3) SC 21A (non-acid) Li, Ni and Na-ion cells No solid-state in 14 items TC 69 (EVs) Joins TC 21 in JWG 69 Li Part of the 62660 revision TC 113 (nanotech) Nano-oxide solid electrolyte Material spec, preliminary Once a standard is published Each country decides whether to adopt it WTO TBT: members pledge to base rules on them Companies and labs use it to test and certify Not binding where it is not adopted The battery committees (TC 21, SC 21A) have no solid-state standard or work item The closest is TC 113's preliminary materials work item (registered December 2024). All as of September 2026
Fig. 2 How an IEC standard is made and used, and the committees relevant to solid-state batteries. Sources: the IEC's list of members, list of technical committees and committee work programmes, and its "IEC and global trade" page. Which committees count as relevant to solid-state batteries is our own judgement Our calculation.

The IEC's primary sources do not show how the companies in this series (Toyota, Solid Power, CATL and others) relate to the IEC. As noted in the previous section, IEC experts take part in a personal capacity and do not represent their employers Sourced.

6. Outlook

What the evidence suggestsPrimary information it rests onCategory
For now, solid-state battery test methods will either be handled within the framework of existing lithium-ion standards or wait for a new proposalTC 21 and SC 21A have no dedicated work item. At the same time, TC 21's Strategic Business Plan recognises solid-state lithium-metal batteries as a new development, and the third-edition revision of the EV cell standard 62660 is under wayInference
Even if a new proposal were made, it would not be published as an IEC standard before 2028 at the earliestBattery work programmes take about two to four years from registration to forecast publication (62660-1 third edition: December 2025 to November 2027; SC 21A's new sodium-ion standards: February 2025 to December 2028)Inference
International standardisation of materials specifications for solid electrolytes will not move quickly eitherTC 113's preliminary work item remains at the preliminary stage although its target date for the next stage (December 2025) has passedInference

7. Glossary

National Committee (NC)
The body through which each country belongs to the IEC, one per country. It sends experts to technical committees and casts votes. Japan's is JISC.
TC / SC
Technical Committee and Subcommittee: the units that write standards for each field.
PWI (preliminary work item)
A topic registered for study ahead of a formal new work item proposal (NP), before it enters the formal standards development process.
JWG (joint working group)
A working group set up jointly by more than one technical committee. EV batteries are handled by JWG 69 Li, shared by TC 21 and TC 69.
WTO TBT Agreement
The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. Members undertake to use international standards as the basis for their national standards and technical regulations.
IEC 62660
The series of standards for lithium-ion cells used to propel electric vehicles. Part 1 covers performance testing, Part 2 reliability and abuse testing, and Part 3 safety requirements.
Conceptual illustration of laboratories measuring solid-state batteries with harmonised international test methodsAI-generated conceptual illustration
Figure 3 — Conceptual illustration of the IEC role in harmonising test and measurement methods internationally; it does not imply that a dedicated solid-state battery standard has already been completed. This is an AI-generated conceptual illustration, not a photograph or an exact representation of any facility, equipment or product.

8. References

  1. IEC Who we are: founded in 1906; an organisation that prepares international standards for electrical and electronic technology. https://www.iec.ch/who-we-are
  2. IEC About us: some 170 countries and about 30,000 experts. https://www.iec.ch/about-us
  3. IEC What we do: a not-for-profit membership organisation, about 10,000 published standards and four conformity assessment systems. https://www.iec.ch/what-we-do
  4. IEC Contact IEC Secretariat: headquarters in Geneva. https://www.iec.ch/contact
  5. IEC National Committees: 64 full and 28 associate members, 92 in total; one committee per country; individuals and companies cannot become members; experts take part in a personal capacity and do not represent their employers; Japan's year of accession and National Committee. https://www.iec.ch/members
  6. IEC Technical committees and subcommittees: 118 technical committees, 105 subcommittees and 876 working groups, and the publication of standards as voluntary, consensus-based international standards. https://www.iec.ch/technical-committees-and-subcommittees
  7. IEC IEC and global trade: under the WTO TBT Agreement, members have undertaken to use international standards as the basis for national standards and mandatory technical regulations. https://www.iec.ch/what-we-do/iec-and-global-trade
  8. IEC TC 21 Dashboard - Scope: the scope for secondary batteries, the division of work with SC 21A, cooperation with TC 69 and others, and France as secretariat. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:7:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1290
  9. IEC TC 21 Dashboard - Work programme: 17 active work items, the third-edition revision of IEC 62660-1 and 62660-2, and new sodium-ion battery standards. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:23:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1290
  10. IEC TC 21 Dashboard - Publications: the titles of IEC 62660-1:2018, 62660-2:2018 and 62660-3:2022, Part 3 covering safety requirements. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:22:0::::FSP_ORG_ID:1290
  11. IEC Project details for IEC 62660-1 ED3: JWG 69 Li, registered December 2025, publication forecast November 2027, revision of IEC 62660-1:2018. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:38:0::::FSP_ORG_ID,FSP_APEX_PAGE,FSP_PROJECT_ID:1290,23,137087
  12. IEC TC 21 Strategic Business Plan (SMB/8365/R, January 2025): the division of work between TC 21 and SC 21A, JWG 69 Li, and the passage describing research into solid-state lithium-metal batteries as a new development in vehicle applications. https://assets.iec.ch/further_informations/1290/SMB_8365e_R.pdf
  13. IEC SC 21A Dashboard - Work programme: 14 active work items, including the new sodium-ion battery standards IEC 63635 and IEC 63636. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:23:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1410
  14. IEC TC 69 Dashboard - Work programme: participation in the revision of the EV lithium-ion cell standard 62660. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:23:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1255
  15. IEC TC 113 project details, PWI 113-171, “Nanomanufacturing - Product Specification - Part 5-7: Nano-enabled energy storage - Blank detail specification: Nanomaterials oxide solid-state electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries” (a planned part of IEC TS 62565), registered December 2024, with a target of December 2025 for the next stage. https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:38:0::::FSP_ORG_ID,FSP_APEX_PAGE,FSP_PROJECT_ID:1315,23,130582
  16. IEC Webstore Catalogue search results for "solid-state battery": no valid standards (September 2026). https://webstore.iec.ch/en/iec-search/result?q=solid-state%20battery&p=1
  17. NEDO Project page for Advanced and Innovative Battery Materials Evaluation Technology Development (Phase 2), known as SOLiD-EV (in Japanese): development of safety and durability test methods with Japan-led international standardisation in mind. https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100146.html

9. Claim-to-source audit

Claim in the articleCategorySource
Founded in 1906SourcedReference 1 https://www.iec.ch/who-we-are
Participation by some 170 countries; about 30,000 expertsSourcedReference 2 https://www.iec.ch/about-us
A not-for-profit membership organisation; about 10,000 published standards; four conformity assessment systemsSourcedReference 3 https://www.iec.ch/what-we-do
Headquarters in GenevaSourcedReference 4 https://www.iec.ch/contact
92 National Committees (64 full, 28 associate); individuals and companies cannot join; experts take part in a personal capacity; Japan's membership (1910, JISC)SourcedReference 5 https://www.iec.ch/members
118 technical committees, 105 subcommittees and 876 working groups; standards published as voluntary, consensus-basedSourcedReference 6 https://www.iec.ch/technical-committees-and-subcommittees
International standards as the basis for national standards and technical regulations under the WTO TBT AgreementSourcedReference 7 https://www.iec.ch/what-we-do/iec-and-global-trade
TC 21's scope and secretariatSourcedReference 8 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:7:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1290
No solid-state battery item among TC 21's 17 active work items; the third-edition revision of 62660SourcedReference 9 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:23:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1290
Titles of IEC 62660 Parts 1 to 3 (Part 3 covering safety requirements)SourcedReference 10 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:22:0::::FSP_ORG_ID:1290
The JWG responsible for the third edition of 62660-1, its registration and its publication forecastSourcedReference 11 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:38:0::::FSP_ORG_ID,FSP_APEX_PAGE,FSP_PROJECT_ID:1290,23,137087
TC 21's Strategic Business Plan naming solid-state lithium-metal batteries as a new developmentSourcedReference 12 https://assets.iec.ch/further_informations/1290/SMB_8365e_R.pdf
No solid-state battery item among SC 21A's 14 active work items; registration and forecast publication dates of the new sodium-ion standardsSourcedReference 13 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:23:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1410
TC 69's participation in the 62660 revisionSourcedReference 14 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:23:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1255
The content and registration date of TC 113's PWI 113-171, and its remaining at the preliminary stageSourcedReference 15 https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:38:0::::FSP_ORG_ID,FSP_APEX_PAGE,FSP_PROJECT_ID:1315,23,130582
No valid solid-state battery standards in the WebstoreSourcedReference 16 https://webstore.iec.ch/en/iec-search/result?q=solid-state%20battery&p=1
NEDO's SOLiD-EV developing test methods with international standardisation in mindSourcedReference 17 https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100146.html
The four types of institution, the choice of committees relevant to solid-state batteries, and the time from registration to forecast publication (about two to four years)Our calculationOur own classification, and our calculation from the dates in references 11 and 13
Solid-state battery work items proposed by Japan, whether the third edition of 62660 will cover solid-state batteries, and how many people take part in the battery committeesNot yet confirmedNot stated in references 5 or 9 to 15; this article does not speculate
The three points in the outlook (section 6)InferenceThis article's reading of the work programmes and dates in references 9, 12, 13 and 15

Last updated 23 September 2026 / Troy Technical
All figures and work programmes come from the IEC website (as viewed in September 2026) and TC 21's Strategic Business Plan. IEC work programmes are updated continually. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by the IEC.

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