(Yicai) Nov. 13 -- China has issued draft rules toughening vehicle safety standards, seeking public feedback as it moves to curb risks linked to electric cars and driver-assistance technology.

Drafted by the Ministry of Public Security and published yesterday by the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, the new rules will replace those issued on 2017 and address safety risks emerging from the fast-growing adoption of electric and smart vehicles, including accidents linked to acceleration, battery fires, autopilot systems, and electronic door handles.

New energy vehicle sales in China climbed 33 percent to 12.94 million in the first 10 months of the year from a year ago, accounting for almost 47 percent of all vehicle sales, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

A key requirement of the new standards is that a vehicle’s acceleration from zero to 100 kilometers per hour should take more than five seconds.

To prevent instances where drivers mistakenly press the accelerator instead of the brake pedal, the draft mandates that pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs must have a system that stops the car from speeding up if the wrong pedal is pressed. When the vehicle is stationary or creeping, the system must detect pedal errors, reduce power, and issue a warning.

With regard to battery safety, the draft requires pure and hybrid EVs to monitor the state of the power battery and alert occupants when a thermal runaway occurs. For pure electric or hybrid buses more than six meters long, the battery compartment should not catch fire or explode within five minutes of the alarm.

Drivers of cars with assisted driving capabilities should be able to activate such a function only after having completed system-use training and having confirmed their identities through biometric identification or account login.

On the topic of driver assistance systems, the draft stipulates that drivers must confirm through biometric identification or account login that they have completed training on how to use it before being able to turn on the function.

When it is on and the vehicle is traveling at more than 10 km/h, the system must continuously monitor whether the driver is performing the necessary dynamic driving tasks, using at least hand-off and gaze-off detection methods. And once the speed is over 10 km/h, the driver-side display screen must be turned off and the entertainment video or game functions must be disabled.

Nearly 78 percent of new energy passenger vehicles in China were equipped with Level-2 or higher assisted driving capabilities in the first four months of the year, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association.

In response to a spate of casualties resulting from hidden or electronically controlled door handles locking and obstructing escape, the draft also requires that cars must be equipped with mechanical release handles inside and outside, plus an emergency manual handle inside. In the event of an accident, doors on the non-collision side must automatically unlock, even if the vehicle is locked.

Editor: Futura Costaglione