EV Safety Concerns: China Moves To Mandate Mechanical Car Door Handles

China is moving to tighten vehicle safety rules, and this time the spotlight is firmly on car doors especially after several high-profile crashes involving Xiaomi’s SU7 electric sedan raised concerns about whether doors can still be opened in emergencies.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has now released a draft national safety standard that would require car doors to remain mechanically operable after a crash, even in extreme situations such as airbag deployment or an EV battery thermal incident.  At the heart of the proposal is a simple idea. Doors must open when people need to get out. Under the draft, every side door excluding tailgates must have a mechanical exterior door handle that works without electricity or tools. 

This applies even to cars that rely heavily on electronic or automatic door-locking systems. In other words, if power is lost or systems fail, occupants or rescuers should still be able to open the door by hand.

The ministry has also set clear rules on where door handles can be placed, making sure they sit within reachable areas and always leave enough space for a hand to grip. This is meant to prevent designs that look sleek but become unusable after an impact or system shutdown.

Inside the car, the rules are just as strict. Each side door must have at least one mechanical interior handle, and if there are multiple handles, each one must be able to open the door on its own. 

At least one interior handle must be clearly visible, properly positioned, and marked with standardised symbols that are easy to recognise even in low light. These markings must be permanent and high-contrast, reducing confusion during emergencies.

To make sure the rules actually work in real life, the draft introduces detailed testing requirements. Exterior handles must withstand forces of at least 500 newtons without breaking, while most interior handles must handle 200 newtons. 

Tests will simulate crashes, power cuts, and post-incident conditions to confirm that doors can still be opened after something goes wrong.

The regulation also lays out a phased rollout. New vehicle models will need to meet certain spatial handle requirements 13 months after the rules take effect, while existing approved models will be given up to 25 months to comply fully.

Source: CarNewsChina.