China attacks the handles of certain electric cars

In China, the Government wants to supervise the pulses of the flip -flop, accused of posing a problem in the event of an accident as reported by the local media IT Home. An initiative that could make oil task far beyond Chinese borders.

This is a trend that has imposed itself on electric cars and some premium thermal models for ten years. Popularized by Tesla on the Model S in 2012, the rushing (or retractable) door handles have become a sign of modernity: they smoothed the sides, optimize aerodynamics, and participate in the high -end image of a vehicle.

But this style gadget could well be caught up in a much more pragmatic reality in terms of security. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technologies (MIIT) has just announced its intention to strictly regulate these devices.

A project is in public consultation until June 7, 2025. His name: ” Technical safety requirements for car holders ». The tone is set.

Security at the heart of the debate

Behind this initiative, a series of worrying observations. The MIIT pin in particular: failures in the event of an electric cut (the handles become unusable without redundancy mechanism); a lack of signaling (we do not always see them clearly, especially in an emergency); Risks of pinching; insufficient mechanical resistance.

In short: everything that can be problematic when every second counts to get out of a vehicle, in the event of an accident or fire.

The file becomes all the more magnitude in China as the debate was recently relaunched by the Xiaomi SU7 affair. After a fatal accident having raised doubts about the difficulty of opening the doors or windows, Lei Jun, CEO of the brand, spoke to defend the on -board electrical system of the sedan.

Note that when the opening of the doors is done electrically (you press a button, and that unlock the mechanism with an electric motor), there is a plan B to open the doors, using a mechanical latch. But very often, this alternative is not known to the occupants of the car.

As the owner of Tesla Model 3, it is not uncommon for a person who wants to enter or go out in my car does not know at all how to open the door, whether electrically or mechanical. Clearly, when we do not know this kind of mechanism, it is not intuitive.

What China offers: concrete standards

The Chinese ministry wants to impose four main requirements for all future vehicles sold on its territory: allowing the opening of doors even without electricity; Clarify the location of the handles, including outpouring; mechanically strengthen the opening devices; Reduce the risk of pinching, especially during automatic retraction.

In other words, there is no question of prohibiting the output handles. But they will have to become as reliable, visible and robust as classic handles.

And above all, the opening and closing mechanism should be clearly indicated, for example by the use of pictograms. It is the same for the alternative mechanical opening mechanisms, as on a Tesla or a Xiaomi SU7.

To go further
“No fire, no explosion”, China imposes indestructible batteries for electric cars

If this standard will only officially apply in China, it could inspire regulators elsewhere in the world. Especially in Europe, where the rise of Chinese manufacturers already raises questions of regulatory convergence. We see it in particular with the new standard on anti-fire batteries.