China's Ministry of Public Security has drafted new national safety standards for motor vehicles, including significant acceleration restrictions and enhanced safety measures for electric vehicles. The draft regulation, titled "Technical Conditions for Motor Vehicle Operation Safety," proposes that passenger vehicles must default to an acceleration time of no less than 5 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standstill. This measure aims to mitigate safety risks associated with excessive acceleration performance.

For electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the draft outlines several specific safety regulations. These vehicles must feature technology to prevent unintended acceleration, capable of detecting and limiting power output when the vehicle is stationary or moving. They must also provide clear audio-visual warnings to the driver to prevent unintended acceleration. Additionally, pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are required to automatically cut off electrical circuits in specific situations: when vehicle speed changes by 25 km/h or more within 150 milliseconds vertically or horizontally, or when irreversible safety devices like airbags deploy.

The Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle has a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 2,78 seconds, according to the manufacturer. Photo: Xiaomi

Battery safety features are a prominent aspect of this proposal. Electric vehicles must monitor battery status, automatically detect, record, and provide early warnings for abnormal conditions in battery cells. Upon detecting thermal issues, vehicles must warn occupants with clear audio and visual signals. Electric batteries must also be equipped with directional pressure relief and pressure equalization devices, with vents designed not to endanger cabin passengers. For fully electric and plug-in hybrid buses 6 meters or longer, the battery compartment must not ignite or explode for at least 5 minutes after a battery alarm, allowing passengers sufficient time to evacuate.

The draft also addresses driver assistance systems, requiring vehicles with these features to verify, via biometric identification or account login, that the driver has completed appropriate training before allowing continued operation. For combined driving assistance systems activated above 10 km/h, the vehicle must continuously monitor driver engagement using at least two methods: hands-off-steering-wheel detection and eye-tracking. To prevent distraction, entertainment video playback and gaming functions on the dashboard screen must be disabled when the vehicle exceeds 10 km/h.

Recent vehicle door safety issues are also addressed. Passenger vehicles must ensure each person can exit through at least two different doors. Each door, excluding the trunk door, must have mechanical opening handles both inside and outside. For vehicles with electronic door lock systems, non-impact side doors must automatically open when airbags deploy or a battery thermal event occurs. Additional regulations include window specifications, prohibiting reflective window film and requiring driver visibility to maintain at least 70% visible light transmittance. Emergency exit windows must use tempered glass no thicker than 5 millimeters and must not have sun-blocking film applied, ensuring they can be easily broken in an emergency.

It is important to note that this new regulation does not aim to completely restrict the 0-100 km/h acceleration capability of cars. Instead, it specifies that the default acceleration time when starting a vehicle must not exceed 5 seconds, meaning users can achieve faster acceleration times through additional operations. For public roads, a 0-100 km/h acceleration capability of 5 seconds is already fast enough. In recent years, brands like Xiaomi and Zeekr have achieved success with rapid acceleration. According to CarNewsChina, if the new regulation is enforced, some brands will no longer be able to use rapid acceleration as a marketing gimmick.

The draft is currently in the public consultation phase as part of the national standard revision process.

My Anh