Car Crash In China Shows How Terrifying EVs Can Be

A fatal crash involving a Chinese electric vehicle is adding urgency to a regulatory push that could reshape how cars are built in the world’s largest auto market.

On March 19, 2025, a Dongfeng Voyah 007 electric sedan crashed in Yunnan province and caught fire almost immediately, according to local reports. The vehicle’s electronic door systems reportedly failed after the impact, leaving the doors jammed shut as flames spread. Bystanders were forced to smash the windows to pull passengers out.

Three people seated in the back survived the crash. The front seat passenger did not.

The incident has quickly become a flashpoint in China’s ongoing debate over software heavy vehicle design, especially as automakers race to replace traditional mechanical components with electronic systems. Flush door handles, capacitive switches, and fully electronic latches have become common in modern EVs, marketed as sleek, futuristic upgrades. In emergencies, however, those systems can become liabilities.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a sweeping new requirement aimed squarely at that risk. Starting January 1, 2027, all new cars sold in China must be equipped with mechanical door release systems for both interior and exterior handles. In other words, doors must be openable even if the vehicle loses power or suffers electrical failure.

The rule applies across the board, including electric vehicles, hybrids, and traditional internal combustion cars. It marks one of the clearest signals yet that regulators are growing uneasy with how far software defined vehicles have pushed safety critical functions into code.

China has been a global leader in EV adoption and innovation, but it has also seen a growing number of high profile crashes involving battery fires and post crash access issues. While automakers often include hidden manual releases, those mechanisms are frequently poorly labeled or difficult to access, especially for passengers unfamiliar with the vehicle.

For EV startups and legacy automakers alike, the new mandate will likely require design changes and retrofitting of future platforms. It could also influence standards beyond China, as regulators in Europe and the United States closely watch how software driven vehicle designs perform in real world emergencies.