Retractable door handles, popularized by Tesla, are now found on many electric vehicles. However, if automakers want to do business in China, they will have to adjust their approach to handling door handles in the country. As noted by the outlet Autoblog, under new draft rules released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, all vehicles in the country weighing under 3.5 tons must have interior and exterior handles with a mechanical emergency release. SEE ALSO: Apple removes popular gay dating apps from China’s App Store This move will effectively ban all retractable EV door handles on new cars released in the country. The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2027. Mashable Light Speed Regulators didn’t have to work too hard to make their case that electric-only retractable door handles are a safety issue. A recent Bloomberg analysis tied 15 auto deaths directly to Tesla’s doors not opening. Although many EVs feature mechanical releases within the vehicle, there have been numerous cases where owners were unable to locate or operate them in the event of an …