[Editorial] The revised national standards for automobiles emphasize that "safety first" must not be shaken.

Passenger vehicles should be in a default state where their 0-100 km/h acceleration time is no less than 5 seconds after each start-up. Recently, the Ministry of Public Security completed a draft for public comment on the national standard "Technical Conditions for Safe Operation of Motor Vehicles" (hereinafter referred to as the "New National Standard"). The New National Standard adds several important standards for new energy vehicles and assisted driving vehicles, covering key technical indicators such as 0-100 km/h acceleration, door handles, rotating seats, and in-vehicle displays.

In recent years, my country's new energy vehicle industry has achieved leapfrog development, with market penetration continuously increasing. However, behind this prosperity, a series of new safety issues have gradually emerged. These include battery safety risks, reliability of electronic control systems, safety hazards caused by aggressive acceleration performance, and secondary problems that may arise from innovative designs such as electronic door handles. All of these pose challenges to the existing safety standards system. This revision of the "Conditions" is a systematic response to these issues.

For example, specifying a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of at least 5 seconds is very targeted. In recent years, some new energy vehicles have focused on highlighting "breakthroughs" in 0-100 km/h acceleration times, with some even claiming to achieve speeds of less than 2 seconds. While this certainly reflects technological progress, excessively emphasizing extreme acceleration actually harbors significant risks.

It's important to understand that in real life, extreme acceleration not only lacks sufficient safe driving scenarios but also far exceeds the driving skills of most drivers. Allowing automakers to promote such practices without restraint will directly amplify traffic safety risks and create unhealthy competitive trends within the industry. Some car brands, due to their rapid acceleration and inability to brake, have experienced numerous safety accidents, sparking controversy both in the public sphere and within the industry. This revision of the new national standard undoubtedly sends a clear signal of correction.

The new national standard also explicitly requires a "return to mechanical" approach to the long-debated design of car door handles. The regulations emphasize that passenger vehicles must guarantee at least two different doors for entry and exit, and mandate that vehicles equipped with electric door handles must also be equipped with mechanical inner/outer door handles as emergency devices, with prominent signage. This is a direct response to recent incidents where electronic door handles have failed due to circuit malfunctions or power outages after collisions, resulting in people being trapped inside vehicles. Furthermore, it reiterates a basic principle: vehicle design can pursue technological sophistication, but not at the expense of safety.

The new national standard also provides clear responses to the unique battery safety risks of new energy vehicles. For example, it requires that for pure electric buses and plug-in hybrid buses with a length of 6 meters or more, the external battery box must not catch fire or explode within 5 minutes after a battery alarm is triggered. This seemingly simple time requirement is actually to leave a necessary window of opportunity for people to escape in the event of an accident. At the same time, in terms of battery system design, pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are required to have the function of automatically cutting off the power circuit to prevent electric shock and secondary accidents. These all require automakers to consider and design as many details as possible regarding the safety of drivers and passengers.

Furthermore, for combined driver assistance systems, the new national standard requires that vehicles with driver assistance functions must, after startup, confirm that the driver has completed the training on the use of the driver assistance system through biometric identification or account login before they can continue driving. This helps prevent the misuse and abuse of driver assistance systems.

Numerous details indicate that this revision of the national standard is far more than a simple update of technical parameters; rather, it represents a profound adjustment to the automotive safety philosophy in line with the times. It requires the automotive industry, especially in the new energy vehicle sector, to return to a fundamentally sound approach to vehicle manufacturing while pursuing speed, style, and intelligence. Safety must be truly prioritized, and any design that might compromise safety must be approached with caution. Furthermore, effective measures must be taken to strengthen safety safeguards.

It can be said that the significant signal conveyed by the new national standard should be understood and implemented by the entire industry: the core competitiveness of automotive products ultimately rests on safety, reliability, and social responsibility. Only by solidifying the foundation of safety can technological innovation be meaningful and industrial prosperity be sustainable.