China’s New Rule on Car Door Handles Signals a Significant Shift for Tesla

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China published a draft of new regulations mandating that all cars weighing up to 3.5 tons sold in the country must feature internal and external door handles with mechanical emergency opening systems. Effectively, this means a ban on retractable door handles, which have gained popularity thanks to Tesla, on new electric vehicles manufactured in China. The ban will take effect on January 1, 2027. The tightening of safety requirements stems from concerns that in the event of an accident or power loss, opening an electric vehicle with retractable handles might prove difficult. A Bloomberg analysis identified a link between 15 fatalities in vehicles and problems with opening Tesla doors. Although many electric vehicles are equipped with mechanical emergency opening systems from the inside, in some cases, owners were unable to use them in critical situations.

The new rules will affect all electric vehicle manufacturers, including the Chinese company BYD. However, it will likely impact Tesla the most, as all models from this company feature retractable door handles. To continue operations in China, Tesla will need to start producing cars with a different type of handles within a year. Problems with Tesla’s door handles might not be limited to China. American regulators are also investigating safety issues related to electronic door handles, following reports from owners who could not access their cars or exit them due to battery power loss. In some cases, rescuers had to break car windows to reach children trapped inside Tesla vehicles.