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Confusing and potentially dangerous electronically operated door handles and their mechanical emergency releases have come under scrutiny from Chinese regulators.
The rise of electronically operated door handles has prompted Chinese regulators to call for an overhaul of electronic latching systems as a required safety measure.
The move to low-profile door handle designs that move to a flat or flush position when a vehicle is in motion, and safety features that prevent doors from being opened into the path of an oncoming cyclist or vehicle, has seen widespread adoption of electronically-operated door releases.
But a number of high-profile cases have emerged where occupants and rescuers have been unable to operate doors in an emergency when a vehicle loses power.
Despite the inclusion of a mechanical override in most new vehicles with electronic handles, the ability to find and operate them in an emergency has come under scrutiny.
As a result, the Chinese government’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has opened an investigation into such systems, running a public consultation period as it drafts a national standard for electronically-latched vehicle doors.
The proposal draft, as it currently stands, proposes that after a collision, side doors must include a mechanically-operated release that can be opened externally without additional tools in situations where a vehicle’s power may be cut.
The proposed regulation also includes a defined area for the positioning of the release, either on the door or on an adjacent panel and provides guidelines for the amount of hand-operating space to allow manual operation.
A framework for interior door handles has also been drawn up, including the inclusion of at least one mechanical door release per door, within view of occupants, with reference points to positioning in relation to the edges of the doors, and occupant seating positions to ensure a uniform application across vehicles.
Standardised markings and the ability to operate interior door handles without power are also provided for in the drafted regulations.
Regulations extend to elements like the amount of force a door release handle can withstand, the ease of operation in a variety of situations, and testing in simulated accident and power-cut scenarios.
While vehicles currently in development won't be immediately affected, the Chinese government proposes that once the regulations are implemented, newly approved vehicles will have 13 months to comply with the new regulations, and cars already on sale will have 25 months to make modifications to achieve compliance.
The move mirrors similar scrutiny of Tesla’s electronic door release system in the United States, with Tesla’s head of design admitting earlier in 2025 that redesigned systems were under development.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
