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There is a key feature of Elon Musk’s Tesla that faces an industry-wide ban.
This comes after it was revealed by local reports that Chinese regulators are considering putting a ban in place against pop-out door handles.
This is due to concerns about safety issues and the failure rate of the function, but it would be a huge blow to Tesla as it is one of the EV manufacturing firm’s key features.
The potential new restriction will come into effect in July 2027 if it goes ahead, which will mean that all cars sold in the country will need to include mechanical handles.
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It is not yet clear what Tesla’s approach would be but if the firm is to continue selling vehicles in China, it would mean a complete redesign of the handle.
This is something that might become a reality for the company as over a fifth of Tesla’s total revenue came from China in 2024.
The Tesla handles work by popping out when the car is unlocked and then retracting when you start to move the vehicle.
The look is certainly sleek and seems to be part of Musk’s bid to give his EVs a ‘futuristic’ aesthetic.
However, it seems that concerns over safety could prevail over fashion as, according to a report by the Independent, data from one EV manufacturer showed how failures of the door handle design accounted for a whopping 12% of repairs.
This includes reports of people becoming stuck in their cars after the electric handles fail.
Some Tesla owners have also voiced complaints about the handles freezing in the winter, making it difficult to access their vehicles.
A family is suing Tesla after an incident took place where a Cybertruck owner was allegedly ‘trapped’ inside his vehicle in a 5,000 degree inferno.
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Michael Sheehan’s family which claimed that the car burst into flames, causing his bones to disintegrate in a 5,000 degree fire.
The 47 year old died just three months after first purchasing the vehicle back in April 2024.
The incident occurred when the Cybertruck swerved off the road and hit a culvert near Beach City, Texas.
The truck caught fire, leaving Sheehan trapped inside due to the batteries failing, according to the court filings.
Speaking to the Independent, attorney S. Scott West said: “Michael was a Mensa-level guy, very, very smart, but when Tesla delivered this [Cybertruck] to him, the instructions they gave him were woefully inadequate to handle a situation like this.”
According to the filings, the doors of the Cybertruck cannot be opened when the power is cut and instead there are manual release latches which are ‘unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency’.
