Xiaomi: After crash with fatalities, door handles on electric cars come under fire
Following a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi electric car, a previously often overlooked part of modern vehicle technology is coming under the scrutiny of authorities: electronic door handles. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology wants to establish new safety standards for door handles that fit flush with the body and extend automatically only when needed.
The reason is tragic: In March, three people died in an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7, in which the doors reportedly locked after impact, making escape impossible. The victims' families claim the electronic handles stopped working after the power outage. The car was apparently in autopilot mode at the time of the crash and subsequently burst into flames.
DER AKTIONÄR reported (see articles at the end of the article).
According to its own statement, the Chinese ministry sees a "risk for escape and rescue" in electric vehicles with retractable door handles, reports Bloomberg . While these are widely used for aesthetic and technological reasons, problems arise primarily when the vehicle runs out of power or the handle is difficult to operate.
In the future, manual emergency unlocking, uniform signage and clearly defined testing standards will become mandatory.
The case is particularly controversial because Xiaomi's entry into the EV market in spring 2024 was actually quite successful. The SU7 sedan is intended to be a Tesla competitor "Made in China." Even if the Chinese government were to take regulatory action, the impact on Xiaomi is likely to remain manageable based on current circumstances. It is unclear whether Xiaomi can even be blamed for any failure. Regulation of door handles on electric vehicles would affect all automakers that want to sell in China. The recent recovery in Xiaomi shares was strong, and DER AKTIONÄR had timely issued a buy recommendation in its issue.
deraktionaer.de
