(Yicai Global) Oct. 9 -- China's State Administration for Market Regulation has ordered new-energy vehicle makers to report accidents involving fires to the watchdog within 12 hours of their occurrence in a bid to make electric cars safer.

The carmakers should report incidents within six hours if they lead to casualties or have a major social impact, the regulator said in a statement directed at companies that make, sell and import cars in China. The accident log should include the time and place of the event and give a preliminary judgment on how the fire started.

The State Regulation Platform for New Energy Vehicles found 79 NEV accidents involving 96 cars from May to August this year, according to a report published Aug. 18 by the National Big Data Alliance of New Energy Vehicles.

The firms should send a detailed description within 48 hours, furnishing information such as photos and videos of the accident site and monitoring data from the vehicle collected remotely seven days prior to the incident, the SAMR added. These and the above rules also apply to accidents caused by a loss of control or accidental acceleration.

After a car catches fire, its maker should take the initiative and check whether vehicles of the same model, from the same batch or with the same parts have had similar issues and recall those at risk, it said.

The SAMR's Quality Supervision Bureau said it will out and penalize any NEV maker that fails to adhere to the requirements.

Editor: James Boynton