China will be the first country in the world to ban hidden door handles, which have become popular with Tesla and an indispensable element of modern electric cars.
Elchi.az reports that this decision was made due to the inability to open doors, especially in the event of accidents, as a result of the failure of the electrical system, and the increase in related deaths.
According to the new rules announced by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, cars will be required to have mechanical mechanisms that can be opened both from the inside and from the outside with physical intervention.
The new rules are being implemented in China after tragic incidents involving Xiaomi electric vehicles, in which passengers could not be evacuated due to the doors locking after the accident.
During recent accidents in Chengdu and Tongling, although those around tried to help, the failure of the electronic door handles caused the rescue operations to fail. According to state media, approximately 60% of the 100 best-selling new generation cars in China currently use this controversial design.
According to the rules that will come into force on January 01, 2027, there must be a gap of at least 6 cm x 2 cm x 2.5 cm in car doors (excluding the trunk) and the door handle must be held manually.
In addition, it will be mandatory to have clear signs indicating the location of the mechanical opening handles inside the car. For models that have already been approved and are about to go on sale, an additional two-year period will be given until 2029 to update their designs.
China’s move, the world’s largest electric car market, will affect not only local brands but also global manufacturers such as Tesla.
Experts predict that manufacturers may return to standard mechanical handles in their global models instead of incurring additional design costs for the Chinese market. On the other hand, safety authorities in the US and Europe continue to investigate hidden door handle systems based on similar complaints.
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