China has published a draft of new requirements for car door handles, restricting "hidden" design
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has unveiled a draft of a new standard for car door handles, aimed at tackling new electronic and hidden designs.
Here's What We Know
The document, "Technical Requirements for the Safety of Automotive Door Handles", was published on 24 September for public consultation. Feedback and suggestions will be accepted until 22 November 2025.
According to the explanatory document, the standard aims to regulate new electric concealed door handles and improve vehicle safety.
Key requirements:
- Every door (except boot lids) must have an external handle with a mechanical release function
- In the case of accidents involving thermal events of electric vehicle batteries, doors on the non-collision side must be able to be opened by external handles without tools
- External door handles, irrespective of their design, shall provide sufficient space for hand operation - at least 60×20×25 mm.
- Each door must have internal handles with a mechanical release function that can open the door without external tools.
- Where electric internal handles are fitted, mechanical back-up mechanisms should also be provided
- Internal handles must be easily identifiable, clearly visible, located within 300 mm of the door edges, and located in defined areas relative to seating positions
MIIT conducted a comprehensive study of door handle configurations for more than 230 vehicle models and tested more than 20 models. More than 100 Chinese and international automakers, component suppliers and institutes participated in the development of the standard.
Source: Carnewschina
