China-proposed regulation could ban touchscreens for specific vehicle features
Proposed regulations in China would move away from screens that are popularizing in EVs and require essential safety functions to be controlled by physical switches or buttons, an Automotive News article says.
Regulations, proposed by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, would require features such as turn signals, hazard lights, gear selection, and emergency calling to have fixed buttons and switches with a minimum surface size of 10mm by 10mm.
Some automakers have already been transitioning from touchscreens back to buttons.
Mercedes-Benz’s head of software told Autocar last year that the company was switching back to buttons because data showed the company that physical buttons are better.
Volkswagen also announced last year that physical buttons would be implemented across its lineup after hearing from drivers that touch-based interfaces were cumbersome and distracting.
In 2024, the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) announced it would require more physical controls and fewer touchscreens during its industry-respected safety tests.
The standards are set to start in January 2026. Automakers seeking five stars will be required to use a button, stalk, or dial to control critical tasks, such as direction indicators, hazard lights activation, honking a horn, window wipers, and SOS functions.
MSN also reported that a recently published draft of mandatory safety standards published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology includes banning steering yokes, most recently found in Tesla’s Cybertruck.
The regulations would require impact testing at 10 specific points around the steering wheel rim, according to the article. This would include the top of the steering wheel, which is impossible with a steering yoke, which doesn’t have a rim at the top.
“While a round wheel can absorb or even block the body from impacting certain dash pieces, a steering yoke opens up this area for secondary impacts, regulators contend,” the article says. “Finally, Chinese officials are reportedly skeptical of how a steering yoke will affect airbag deployment, if only due to their largely unproven nature.”
Earlier this month, China banned Tesla-style retractable door handles.
A U.S. Congressional bill also would require the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a final rule that would require electric vehicles, such as Tesla, to have an easy-to-find manual release.
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