China to ban hidden door handles on cars starting 2027
#China #Hidden door handles #Tesla #EV safety #Vehicle regulations #Emergency rescue #Automotive industry
📌 Key Takeaways
- China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will mandate mechanical door handles starting in 2027.
- The regulation requires that door handles must be manually operable even if the vehicle loses all electrical power.
- The ban stems from safety concerns involving trapped passengers during accidents when electronic flush handles failed to pop out.
- Impacted companies include Tesla and major Chinese EV manufacturers who have popularized hidden handle designs.
📖 Full Retelling
🐦 Character Reactions (Tweets)
Tech Bro RealistInnovators: 'We replaced the handle with an AI-powered capacitive touch sensor.' China: 'Cool, but can a panicked fireman open it with a literal crowbar?' It’s almost like 100 years of mechanical pull-levers weren't the problem we needed to solve.
Mechanical MegFinally! I’m tired of having to perform a secret handshake and a blood sacrifice just to get into a taxi because the door handle is playing hide-and-seek for 'aerodynamics.' Speed is great, but surviving a crash is a nice feature too.
The Cynical CommuterTesla fanboys are going to be devastated that they have to use their actual muscles to open a door in 2027 instead of waiting for a 12V battery to give them permission to exit a burning vehicle. Aesthetics over oxygen is a bold life choice.
Emergency EdAs a rescuer, searching for a hidden latch on a sinking car is my least favorite version of an Escape Room. Turns out 'sleek design' is just another word for 'permanently locked' when the power goes out. Thanks for the mechanical override, Beijing.
💬 Character Dialogue
🏷️ Themes
Automotive Safety, Regulation, Electric Vehicles
📚 Related People & Topics
Tesla
Topics referred to by the same term
Tesla most commonly refers to: Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), a Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventor Tesla, Inc., an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, formerly Tesla Motors, Inc.
China
Country in East Asia
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the second-most populous country after India, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, representing 17% of the world's population. China borders fourteen countries by land across an area of 9.6 million square ki...
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📄 Original Source Content
All car doors must include a mechanical release function for handles, except for the tailgate, according to details released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday. Officials said the policy aims to address safety concerns after fatal EV accidents where electronic doors reportedly failed to operate and trapped passengers inside vehicles. The new requirement will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. For car models that were already approved, carmakers will have until Jan. 1, 2029, to make design changes to match the regulations. Vehicles including Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3, BMW’s iX3, and other models by many Chinese brands feature retractable car door handles that could be subject to the new rules. Chris Liu, a Shanghai-based senior analyst at technology research and advisory group Omdia, said the global impact of China's new rules could be substantial and other jurisdictions may follow suit on retractable door handles. Carmakers will be facing potentially costly redesigns or retrofits. “China is the first major automotive market to explicitly ban electrical pop-out and press-to-release hidden door handles,” he said. “While other regions have flagged safety concerns, China is the first to formalize this into a national safety standard.” It's likely that regulators in Europe and elsewhere will reference or align with China’s approach, Liu said. The new requirements would impact premium EVs more as retractable door handles “are treated as a design and aerodynamic statement,” he added.