China to ban hidden car door handles made popular by Tesla in world first
Chinese By banning concealed door handles on all cars sold in the country, it becomes the first country in the world to target the feature, which was popularized by Tesla but has raised concerns about safety risks for years.
Hidden door handles are a signature feature of Tesla’s vehicles, and the ban comes at a time when Elon Musk’s company has reported declining sales worldwide and is struggling with fierce competition in China, its second-largest market.
Outside, power door handles sit flush on the side of the door, and the user must press down on the handle to release it; From inside, riders press a button to reopen the door.
Although Tesla is the company best known for this type of door handle, other Electric vehicle manufacturers in China It has adopted similar designs, including some models from heavyweights Xiaomi and Aion.
The new policy, which does not single out any specific company, now requires all cars sold in China to have a mechanical release for both interior and exterior door handles.
In a statement published on Monday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology laid out specific requirements for how these door handles should operate, citing “the difficulties in operating external door handles and their inability to open after an accident.”
Exterior door handles must have sufficient room for one hand to operate the mechanical release from any angle. And it was stated that the interior handles must be “clearly visible from the position of the relevant passenger”.
The new rules will come into force on January 1, 2027.
CNN has reached out to Xiaomi, Aion and Tesla for comment on the new regulations.
This feature has previously come under intense scrutiny both in China and elsewhere.
Last September, Tesla announced that I’m thinking of redesigning Way to open car doors in an emergency, after many accidents where passengers in burning vehicles were reported killed or seriously injured because rescue workers were unable to open the doors.
Other Tesla owners reported having to break their own car windows after strapping their children into the car and never being able to get in the car again. investigation By the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
An investigation by Bloomberg 140 people identified as being trapped in their Teslas due to problems with door handles; many of which resulted in horrific injuries.
Tesla cars have a manual door opening mechanism inside the vehicle when regular door handles fail.
Similar problems arose in China. Xiaomi saw its stock value fall last year after a fatal crash involving its sedan killed three people in March; Local media and government affiliates reported problems unlocking the car door.
Later the Chinese government tightened rules It’s about marketing and testing driver assistance features.
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