Flush-mounted door handles are potentially facing a complete ban.
Recently， “Mirrorspro” reported that sources within the automotive industry revealed discussions between regulatory authorities regarding flush-mounted door handles. It is understood that future regulations will prohibit fully flush-mounted handles， while permitting semi-flush and traditional handles， all of which must incorporate mechanical redundancy.
This initiative not only proposes a ban but also includes a planned timeline for its implementation.
The current arrangement suggests that the draft discussion for mandatory door handle standards will be completed this month， potentially leading to a complete prohibition of fully flush-mounted door handles. A one-year transitional period is anticipated， with the regulations expected to take effect by July 2027.
This means that in approximately two years， new vehicles on the market will no longer feature flush-mounted door handles.
Upon enquiring with industry contacts， it has been confirmed that the meeting did indeed decide to ban fully flush-mounted door handles and mandate mechanical redundancy. The regulatory authorities’ stance is reportedly firm， with official documents likely to be issued within a week or two.
While the news of an outright ban may seem sudden， there have been prior indications from the authorities regarding action against flush-mounted door handles.
In May of this year， the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology publicly solicited feedback on the revision plan for the mandatory national standard “Technical Requirements for Automotive Door Handles，” which explicitly mentioned the safety hazards exposed by flush-mounted door handles in practical application.
Coincidentally， many automakers have recently revised their new vehicle designs， replacing previous flush-mounted door handles. For example， the new AITO M7 has transitioned from pop-out flush handles to semi-flush ones.
Similarly， Zeekr’s upcoming 9X features a traditional door handle design.
Furthermore， this author advocated in 2023 for making flush-mounted door handles an optional feature.
Today， this impractical design is finally being addressed. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!
Previously， automakers heavily promoted flush-mounted door handles primarily for their sleek aesthetics to enhance a vehicle’s futuristic appeal， along with the purported benefit of reducing aerodynamic drag. However， analysis from a 2014 paper titled “Re-designing door handles to reduce aerodynamic drag in road vehicles” investigated the impact of different door handle designs on drag coefficients.
The study concluded that while flush-mounted door handles do offer some reduction in aerodynamic drag， their effect is minimal – a mere 0.0001 reduction in the drag coefficient， translating to a 0.12% decrease in air resistance. For perspective， implementing aerodynamic wheel covers or optimizing side mirror designs could yield drag reduction benefits many times greater than those offered by flush-mounted door handles.
Therefore， relying on flush-mounted door handles for significant aerodynamic improvements is largely ineffective.
Despite this negligible aerodynamic benefit and the pursuit of a more streamlined appearance， consumers have been burdened with numerous usability issues.
One significant drawback， particularly in colder climates， is the potential for these handles to freeze shut during heavy snowfall， rendering them inoperable without considerable effort. In extreme cases， a tool might be needed to dislodge them.
Over the past couple of years， designs for flush-mounted door handles have evolved， but they consistently present usability challenges.
Current flush-mounted door handles can generally be categorized into rotary types and electric pop-out push-type handles， each with its own set of problems.
Rotary types are inconvenient for daily use， with many users unsure of the correct operation. For instance， the Tesla Model 3 requires pressing the rear of the handle to lift the front， which is then pulled.
The Toyota bZ3 features a design where the handle is pushed inwards and downwards before being opened from the bottom.
The Xiaomi SU7 utilizes a different approach， requiring users to push upwards on the handle before pressing the top section.
It’s a bewildering array of 365 different operating mechanisms across various automakers， making it impossible to intuit where to press. Even for reviewers accustomed to testing vehicles， each new model requires a moment of consideration to decipher the unique handle design.
While Tesla’s system is purely mechanical， allowing the door to be opened with a bit of searching for the activation button， electrically actuated pop-out handles are more prone to failure， leading to doors that cannot be opened.
Traditional door handles are externally mounted with a lever that can be pulled， requiring no electrical assistance. In contrast， these push-type handles lack a physical deployment mechanism and rely entirely on electric motors to extend. The depicted design， for example， augments a conventional handle with a motor for activation and two capacitive position sensors.
To fully recess the handles within the door panel， the design necessitates occupying internal door space. This makes the deployment mechanism susceptible to obstruction from impact or compression.
Furthermore， designs heavily reliant on a vehicle’s low-voltage electrical system can lead to inoperable door handles in the event of a power failure caused by an accident.
Although national standards stipulate that after a collision， vehicle doors should remain closed and unlocked， meaning automatic unlocking is mandatory.
Many automakers claim their vehicles feature automatic unlocking post-collision. However， compared to purely mechanical systems， the extended electronic pathway for unlocking and deployment introduces a higher risk of failure. Damage to wiring harnesses or the auxiliary battery can prevent the door handles from extending.
Moreover， the additional motors and associated circuitry can malfunction due to electronic system failures. There have even been documented cases of gear lubricants leaking， causing damage to door handle motors.
In essence， the presence of an electronic control system makes door handle mechanisms significantly more complex than traditional mechanical ones， thus increasing the risk of failure. Collision tests conducted by the China Insurance Automotive Safety Index (C-IASI) show that vehicles equipped with electronic door handles have a success rate of only 67% for door deployment after a side impact， a stark contrast to the 98% success rate of mechanical door handles.
Last year， the AITO M7 experienced an incident where its door handles failed to deploy after a rear-end collision.
Beyond functionality and reliability concerns， the repair costs for flush-mounted door handles are also substantially higher.
According to a report by China-Singapore Jingwei， the replacement cost for a mechanical external door handle on mainstream internal combustion engine vehicles in the 100，000-200，000 RMB price range typically falls under 300 RMB， with some costing as little as just over 100 RMB. In contrast， the material cost for flush-mounted door handles on models from brands like Lynk & Co， BYD， and NIO can range from 400 to 1000 RMB， exclusive of labor charges.
Beyond these two types of flush-mounted door handles， there are even more radical designs that eliminate door handles altogether.
Vehicles like the Zeekr MIX 01 feature entirely flush body panels， with a button integrated into the window frame to operate. This approach embodies all the aforementioned drawbacks， and fortunately， few manufacturers have adopted this method.
Considering that flush-mounted door handles first appeared on the original Tesla Model S， over ten years have passed since their introduction.
Throughout this period， consumers have expressed dissatisfaction， and media outlets have consistently called for change. Finally， regulatory intervention is forthcoming. The proposed regulations not only mandate a ban but also require the inclusion of mechanical redundancy， ensuring that even if electronic actuators fail， external occupants can still open the doors manually.
It is sincerely hoped that with these stringent requirements， instances of doors failing to open after a collision will become a thing of the past.
Ultimately， flush-mounted door handles represent a design driven by innovation for innovation’s sake. Automakers sought to differentiate their vehicles and project a sense of advanced technology， but in doing so， they overlooked fundamental aspects of safety， reliability， and user convenience.
In recent years， Chinese automakers have introduced numerous new features and designs that have significantly enhanced the user experience. However， automobiles are fundamentally industrial products directly related to personal safety. Any new feature must undergo thorough validation before being implemented in a vehicle.
It is also hoped that with the ban on flush-mounted door handles， unnecessary innovations of this nature within vehicles will be minimized.
