LTA monitoring developments in hidden car door handle standards

Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it is closely monitoring the development of the relevant standards for hidden car door handles.

This comes after China said it will ban hidden car door handles on electric vehicles starting Jan. 1, 2027, due to safety risks.

Under the new Chinese standards, vehicle doors must be fitted with mechanical release mechanisms on both the interior and exterior.

The hidden car door handle design, first popularised by American electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla, has been adopted by Chinese EV makers, such as Xiaomi.

They are typically activated via a key fob, mobile phone, or by manually pressing on the door.

Bloomberg reported that there were two fatal EV fires involving Xiaomi's cars.

Power failures during the crashes were suspected to have prevented the doors from opening, trapping occupants and hindering rescue efforts.

Responding to queries from Mothership, an LTA spokesperson said that it regularly reviews vehicle technical requirements to keep pace with industry and technological developments, including hidden electronic door handles.

"We are aware of global developments relating to hidden electronic door handles and are closely monitoring the development of relevant standards for local adoption," the spokesperson added.

LTA is also engaging the industry on emergency mechanical door release features in vehicles with electronic doors and the lead time required for models without such features to comply.

LTA advised drivers of vehicle models with emergency mechanical door release features to familiarise themselves with the location and operation of such features.

This includes going through the owner's manual for instructions and seeking advice from retailers or the last owners of the vehicles.

Top image via Unsplash