China To Ban Powered Door Handles Due To Safety

In a rather interesting turn of events, China is set to ban powered door handles on all passenger cars weighing under 3.5 tons. These electrically powered door handles look cool and futuristic, while being hazardous after a fatal crash once the electric supply is cut off. The revision in regulation in China will mandate a mechanical function on door handles from 2027.

China To Ban Powered Door Handles

Modern cars come with flush door handles that operate electrically. Some vehicles even have proximity based auto pop-out functions that welcome the users (with a key) as they approach, lending a futuristic sci-fi vibe. Even in India, flush door handles that pop-out electrically are becoming more common.

For emergency personnel who are trying to rescue occupants after a fatal car crash, these electrically operated door handles are proving to be a nightmare. Especially in China, where the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is banning these electrically operated door handles mandating mechanical door handle functionality after a crash.

Car manufacturers go for these flush door handles for aesthetics, creativity and aerodynamic efficiency. As the name suggests, these door handles sit flush with body panels looking cool and futuristic and reducing air drag by roughly around 0.01 Cd in best case scenarios. OEMs can also integrate these electrically powered door handles with a welcome function that users appreciate.

Fatalities and Inconveniences

However, these electrically operated door handles come with issues of their own and have been in the limelight in China. For starters, these powered door handles tend to not open in freezing icy conditions. Also, they don’t work once the electrical supply is cut off, say in a fatal car crash, making rescue operations difficult.

Many OEMs include a mechanical failsafe in place if the electrical system has failed. However, these mechanical failsafe are not universal and each OEM has a solution of its own. In some crashes in China, bystanders and emergency responders failed to identify or reach these mechanical failsafes, which have led to a few high-profile casualties as well.

If these electrically popping flush door handles are banned in China, this move will have global implications as China is a major car exporter in the world, even surpassing Japan. A ban in China will make Chinese OEMs comply with the domestic market and it will trickle down to their export counterparts.

Similarly, Western OEMs selling vehicles in China will have to comply with China’s updated safety norms as well. It has to be noted that the ban will likely be on the electric function and not on the flush handle design. So, mechanically operated flush door handle design might become the new trend.