The National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee released three GB amendment drafts, proposing to increase NEV reliability test mileage from 15,000 km to 30,000 km, aligning with fuel vehicle standards. Meanwhile, MIIT issued a mandatory GB requiring 19 core functions to have physical buttons.
The 30,000-km Reliability Red Line
The National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee recently opened three NEV type-approval test regulation amendment drafts for public comment, proposing to increase reliability test total mileage to no less than 30,000 km for BEV, HEV, and FCEV. This ends the 21-year-old "half-mileage rule" (15,000 km for pure electric).
Specific test requirements:
- BEV: Total mileage ≥30,000 km, DC charging cumulative mileage ≥90% (27,000 km)
- HEV: Total test mileage ≥30,000 km
- PHEV: Pure electric reliability test mileage ≥10,000 km
- FCEV: 30,000 km in hybrid drive mode
The 30,000 km is not simple road accumulation—it covers reinforced bad roads and high-speed ring tracks. At an average speed of 50 km/h and 16 hours of daily operation, pure driving time is approximately 38 days; including charging, inspection, maintenance, and scheduling, the full cycle typically requires 6 to 9 weeks.
19 Core Functions Mandated Physical
Almost simultaneously, MIIT issued the mandatory GB "Controls, Indicators and Tell-Tales" (GB 4094-2026), requiring 19 core safety functions to be equipped with physical buttons or levers, prohibiting touchscreen-only or voice-only operation.
| Category | Items | Specific Functions |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting | 7 | Turn signals, hazard lights, horn, high/low beam, position lights, rear fog lamp, light master switch |
| Gear control | 4 | P/R/N/D gear shift—pure screen shifting prohibited |
| Visibility | 2 | Wiper (incl. speed adjustment), front defrost/defog |
| Safety emergency | 4 | Window switches, emergency call AECS, HV disconnect, emergency unlock |
| Smart driving | 1 | ADAS activation/deactivation—must be independent of screen |
Physical button requirements: Effective area ≥10mm×10mm; permanently fixed position; tactile or auditory feedback; functional even when infotainment crashes or power is lost.
Dual Regulation Industry Impact
These two new regulations tighten NEV entry thresholds from different dimensions:
Impact on R&D cycles:
- Extended development cycles and higher validation costs
- Significant pressure on second-tier brands relying on rapid launches
- Head OEMs with complete development systems gain "policy moats"
Impact on product design:
- Full-touchscreen cockpit designs face hard braking
- Large screens and physical buttons will move toward "coexistence"
- Mercedes, Audi, and VW have stated they will optimize button layouts
Impact on competitive landscape:
- Low-end "fast-track" capacity accelerates exit
- Industry concentration shifts further toward leading enterprises
- H1 2026 auto industry profit margin only 3.8%; only 40 of 768 models averaged 10K+ monthly sales
Fundamental Industry Logic Shift
From the 2005 "half-mileage support" to the 2026 "30,000-km parity," the moving standard line measures industrial stages:
- When annual sales were below 10K, half mileage left room for innovation
- When penetration exceeded 60%, parity set quality baselines
- As policy incentives phase out, "equal treatment of fuel and electric" becomes the trend
Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of CPCA, noted that halved test mileage was special support during the cultivation period; now that the industry has matured, low-threshold support is no longer needed. Both regulations point to one core objective—strictly controlling compressed product development cycles and elevating long-cycle validation from corporate self-discipline to mandatory entry requirements. Visit EX1000.COM for more.
