Tesla-style retractable door handles will be banned in China

Retractable door handles, popularized by Tesla, are now found on many electric vehicles. However, if automakers want to do business in China, they will have to adjust their approach to handling door handles in the country.

As noted by the outlet Autoblog, under new draft rules released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, all vehicles in the country weighing under 3.5 tons must have interior and exterior handles with a mechanical emergency release.

This move will effectively ban all retractable EV door handles on new cars released in the country. The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2027.

Regulators didn’t have to work too hard to make their case that electric-only retractable door handles are a safety issue. A recent Bloomberg analysis tied 15 auto deaths directly to Tesla’s doors not opening. Although many EVs feature mechanical releases within the vehicle, there have been numerous cases where owners were unable to locate or operate them in the event of an accident.

China’s ban will affect all EV companies, including BYD, which is based in the country. However,  no company will likely be more affected by the ban than Tesla. Every Tesla model features these retractable door handles, which means that if Elon Musk’s EV company wants to continue operating in China, it has roughly one year to start producing cars with a different handle.

Tesla’s woes regarding its door handles might not end with China either. US regulators are also investigating safety concerns related to Tesla’s flush-mounted electronic door handles, following reports from owners who were unable to enter or exit their vehicles due to battery power loss. In fact, in some cases, first responders had to break the car windows in order to get to children who were trapped inside a Tesla vehicle.