Vehicles, especially EV models, are equipped with automatic doors that use electric power. Many EVs in the Malaysian market have handleless doors that are opened with a button. But Chinese authorities want to mandate doors equipped with mechanical systems on the inside and outside of vehicles for emergency purposes. The doors must also have handles that can be pulled out and not the hidden type (for aerodynamic purposes) as is popularly used now.
What happens in EV accidents is that the power is cut off and passengers are trapped inside the vehicle. The mechanical systems involved are often hidden and in panic there have been several cases of passengers burning to death. Electric doors also do not allow people outside to open the doors.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will refine the requirements for mechanical doors on all vehicles in November. If the proposal is approved, all new vehicles in China will have to include this feature by mid-2027.
China is the world's largest EV market at a time when government orders will bring major changes to vehicle designs in the near future. To continue to be marketed in China, other manufacturers such as Tesla and Hyundai will have to comply with the requirements of local authorities.
