LCQ17: Regulating door handle designs of electric vehicles
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Question:
Amidst the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years, it is learnt that a number of manufacturers, in pursuit of a minimalist design and reduced aerodynamic drag, have hastened to adopt a "concealed door handle" design. But as reported, this electricity-dependent design may result in the failure of door handles to pop out and the jamming of vehicle doors in the event of a power failure resulting from a severe collision or a fire and therefore seriously impede rescue operations, and it has also drawn criticism from vehicle owners due to its high failure rate and repair costs. Earlier on, the Mainland promulgated the mandatory national standard entitled "Safety technical requirements for automotive door handle" (GB 48001-2026) to stipulate that motor vehicles sold from January 1, 2027, onwards must be equipped with a mechanical release device to ensure the manual opening of vehicle doors in the event of a power failure. At present, about 70 per cent of the new motor vehicles in Hong Kong's market are EVs, and over 140 000 such motor vehicles are involved. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the total number of traffic accidents in Hong Kong involving EVs equipped with "concealed door handles" or "purely electronic door locks" over the past three years;
(2) as most EVs in Hong Kong are supplied by the Mainland or manufactured with reference to international standards, whether the authorities will draw reference from the Mainland's practice and update the local Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations in a timely manner, so as to make door handles fitted with a "purely mechanical release function" a mandatory installation requirement for imported EVs;
(3) as the Mainland is a major EV supplier to Hong Kong, how the Government will ensure that the supply of spare parts and repair services for EVs adopting "concealed door handles" or "purely electronic door locks" will be able to meet local demand in the future;
(4) as the "Notice on promulgation of manual door releases for vehicle electronic door handle" issued by the Transport Department requires vehicle owners to submit teaching documents on the manual operation of electronic door handles at the time of vehicle inspection (i.e. pre-registration inspection) with effect from October 1, 2025, whether the authorities have shared with the Fire Services Department and ambulance personnel the information collected on the "manual door releases" of the electronic door handles on various vehicle models given the great variety of electronic door handle designs; and
(5) apart from requiring vehicle owners to submit the aforesaid teaching documents on the relevant manual operation at the time of vehicle inspection, whether the authorities will require vehicle manufacturers to update vehicle designs (such as ensuring the automatic release of door locks in the event of an accidental power failure of vehicles or installing an emergency mechanical button for releasing door locks), and whether they will formulate standardised "evacuation guidelines" for owners of EVs adopting "concealed door handles"?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to vehicle safety and safeguards the safe operation of vehicles through measures such as mandatory vehicle examination. The Government also closely observes the development in vehicle technology and standards in the Chinese Mainland and around the world, including vehicle door handle design, with a view to timely reviewing and updating local vehicle safety standards. Having consulted the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Fire Services Department (FSD), a consolidated response to the question raised by Dr the Hon Chan is as follows:
(1) In 2025, there were 107 traffic accidents involving newly approved private cars equipped with electronic door locks. These accounted for approximately 1.2 per cent of accidents related to private cars throughout the year, and were mainly associated with inattentive driving, following too close to the vehicle in front, and poor lane discipline. The Transport Department (TD) does not maintain a record of the number of private cars with electronic door locks approved before 2025 and therefore is unable to provide the figures from earlier years.
(2), (4) and (5) According to the requirements of the TD, all vehicles with electronic door locks sold in Hong Kong must be equipped with manual door releases for passengers to open the doors when necessary in case of malfunction of electronic door locks caused by power outages of the vehicles.
Currently, all relevant vehicles comply with the requirements. The TD issued the "Notice on promulgation of manual door releases for vehicle electronic door handle" to the local automobile industry in May 2025, reiterating that vehicle manufacturers must ensure that the vehicle models imported into Hong Kong be equipped with manual door releases. The TD also requires that, with effect from October 1, 2025, vehicle manufacturers registered with the TD must provide vehicle owners with operating instructions or relevant information during the sale of vehicles with concealed manual door releases, for the owners to note and refer to the procedures of manually operating door locks, in order to enhance vehicle safety.
The TD also noted that the Chinese Mainland has previously published the mandatory national standard entitled "Safety technical requirements for automotive door handle" (GB 48001-2026), which requires that mechanical door handles (i.e. manual door releases) be installed on both the interior and exterior of doors for vehicles sold from 2027 onwards, focusing on addressing issues such as failure in operating door handles after accidents. The TD has consulted the trade on the relevant requirements, with a view to updating related local vehicle safety standards in a timely manner, and ensuring that the vehicle standards in Hong Kong remain current.
In emergencies, rescue procedures do not vary for vehicles with different door handle designs. The TD has also shared relevant information on vehicle door handles with the FSD and ambulance personnel. Meanwhile, the TD maintains communication with the automobile industry to ensure that vehicles are equipped with emergency manual door releases and that vehicle owners understand their correct operation during emergencies.
(3) Regarding maintenance of electric vehicles (EVs), the TD requires all registered vehicle manufacturers to guarantee their authorised dealers provide after-sales services including maintenance and repair with parts.
In addition, the EMSD introduced EV maintenance services to the Voluntary Registration Scheme for Vehicle Mechanics and the Voluntary Registration Scheme for Vehicle Maintenance Workshops in July 2024. So far, six institutes have launched EV maintenance training programmes endorsed by the Vehicle Maintenance Technical Advisory Committee. Vehicle mechanics will be qualified to register for carrying out the corresponding EV maintenance services after completing the relevant training programmes. For registered vehicle maintenance workshops, they will receive an associated EV maintenance workshop identification signage upon fulfilling the registration requirements for EV maintenance services. It is anticipated that more mechanics and workshops will obtain EV maintenance qualifications to meet the future demand for EV maintenance services.
Ends/Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:00
Issued at HKT 11:00
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