An NEV manufacturing line in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Photo: VCG

China is ramping up efforts to advance new-energy vehicle (NEV) safety through proactive recalls, a move that will make major contributions to helping shape standards that the global NEV industry needs, a Chinese industry representative said on Wednesday. 

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently issued multiple recall notices involving several NEV makers, including Tesla, Xiaomi Auto, Leapmotor, XPeng, Geely and Chery. 

The recalls related to emergency mechanical interior door releases involved a total of 4,275,743 vehicles, of which 2,975,910 were Tesla vehicles, accounting for 69.6 percent of the total, according to some media reports. 

The notices showed that most of the affected vehicles had emergency mechanical interior door releases or covers that were similar in color to the interior trim, making them difficult to identify and operate. 

In extreme situations, such as a severe collision that causes the vehicle's low-voltage system to fail, this could make it more difficult for occupants to quickly open the doors and escape, or for rescuers outside the vehicle to provide assistance, posing potential safety risks, according to the SAMR.

Door-release and door-handle issues have also been a concern in the US and Europe, although authorities have yet to take action, Reuters reported.

In July, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, responding to a petition seeking a defect investigation into the emergency mechanical door release on about 180,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles, said that the issue would be more appropriately addressed through an ongoing rule-making process, Reuters reported.

"New designs such as hidden door handles and electronic door locks can bring new safety risks that were less common in traditional vehicles. Chinese regulators are responding to these emerging issues through measures including recalls and updated technical standards, adapting the regulatory system to rapid technological changes in the auto industry," Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

While the US and Europe are still studying rules for some of these emerging safety issues, China has already taken concrete action, putting it at the forefront of NEV safety regulation and standard setting, Cui said, noting that as Chinese NEVs expand their presence in global markets, China's regulatory experience and technical standards could also provide useful references for other countries and help shape the development of global NEV safety standards.

China's annual NEV sales have risen to 16.49 million units, and China accounts for more than 70 percent of the global output of NEVs, power batteries and key materials, according to an official of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

China has the world's largest NEV market and a complete industrial chain, where many new technologies and designs are adopted on a large scale relatively early. Cui said that this means China may also encounter new safety challenges earlier than many other countries and gain more experience in addressing them.

"In the future, the global competitiveness of China's NEV industry will be reflected not only in sales, manufacturing and technological innovation, but increasingly in its growing role in shaping global industry standards and rules," said Cui.

Global Times