Amidst concerns on EV fires, China drafts new guidelines to regulate and improve safety

Soon, electric vehicles (EVs) in China will be subjected to stricter safety checks.

According to Automotive News China, this development comes after issues like battery fires, brake failures, and sudden loss of power, which have become a major concern for Chinese buyers looking to purchase an EV or an NEV. New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) are plugged-in electric vehicles referred to by the Chinese government (including plug-in hybrids, PHEVs).

Recall that earlier this year, reports coming from China were ablaze with Teslas suffering from brake failure issues.

Also Read: Failed brakes spark protest at Tesla’s booth in 2021 Auto Shanghai

As such, according to draft guidelines by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, these EV and NEV manufacturers are required to improve safety monitoring and management system. These manufacturers also need to improve overall vehicle quality.

But that’s not all – EV and NEV manufacturers have to set up a 24-hour helpline for major accidents. Failure to do so will result in penalties such as being removed from government subsidies or worse, production suspension.

EVs are not at any higher fire risk than regular combustion engine cars, but when they do burn, they burn spectacularly, in ways combustion engine cars don't. Short of dunking an EV in a large container of water, it's difficult to extinguish fires on EVs because the lithium battery may reignite hours later.

Also Read: EVs could catch fire days after crash, and keep reigniting for up to a week

This could potentially spell the end for little-known EV and NEV manufacturers that jumped into the EV bandwagon with nothing more than amped-up golf carts, also known as “industrial garbage” in China.

Also Read: Caution: Seiyong S1, a Chinese industrial garbage could end up in Malaysia