The Chinese government has responded to Electric Vehicle (EV) safety concerns by expanding its requirements for monitoring of new-energy vehicles. The new requirements were triggered by an incident in Hangzhou when an EV taxi caught fire. The fire in the Zotye Langyue was blamed on a faulty battery installation.

Original plans within the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) call for monitoring of EVs while they are being introduced to the market. This monitoring requires vehicle manufacturers to provide the MIIT with real-time data on battery and drivetrain performance. The MIIT is now additionally requiring the collection of tracking information on the location of these new EV models.

The MIIT requirements only affect introductory prototypes, once an EV is considered to be a mature product monitoring is no longer demanded.“Although the MIIT has not specified how the data is collected from the vehicle, this is a significant opportunity for telematics-based remote diagnostics solutions,” says Stephen Longden, ITS and telematics specialist at SBD. “Domestic vehicle manufacturers including Chery, JAC and SAIC have already developed monitoring systems for their prototype new-energy vehicles,” he adds.

“Legislative issues have a strong impact on the emerging telematics industry in China. Not just for monitoring EVs, but also for commercial telematics services planned by many vehicle manufacturers,” says Longden. The government requirements and legislation affecting the implementation of telematics, including the MIIT EV scheme, are analysed in SBD’s report The Great Wall ~ Overcoming the legislative hurdles to telematics in China. To learn more about legislation in China or to buy this report contact Kavitha at kkuppuswamy@sbd.co.uk.