Recently, the Ministry of Public Security unveiled an updated version of the mandatory national standard, Technical Conditions for Safety of Motor Vehicles in Operation (GB 7258-2017), a set of regulations that had remained largely unchanged for nearly a decade. The ministry has also opened the floor for public comments on this update.

This revision comes as a response to the swift evolution of new energy vehicles and intelligent technologies. The existing standards, having fallen behind the rapid advancements, have inadvertently led to a rise in safety risks.

The newly proposed regulations delve into various facets of vehicle safety. For instance, passenger cars will now be required, as a default setting, to have an acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h of no less than 5 seconds. This measure aims to mitigate accidents stemming from overly rapid acceleration. Additionally, pure electric and plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles will need to be outfitted with pedal misapplication acceleration inhibition functions. When a vehicle is cruising at speeds exceeding 10 km/h, the driver-side display screen will automatically disable entertainment video and gaming capabilities to minimize distractions.

Furthermore, the power batteries of new energy vehicles must adhere to stringent safety regulations, and the vehicle's body should incorporate pressure relief and balancing mechanisms. Beyond these, the new standards also mandate that control components integral to vehicle operational safety, such as gears and lights, should feature physical controls. This is to prevent an over-reliance on touch-based interfaces, which may not always be the most intuitive or safe option, especially in critical driving situations.