by China is preparing a new technical regulation that could become one of the most significant for the modern auto industry. Among the key innovations is a restriction on the 0-100 km/h acceleration time to no less than 5 seconds. Thus, electric cars have officially “raced past” the point of common sense.
The reason is simple: modern electric cars and series hybrids are becoming so powerful and explosive at start-up that the pace of development of their characteristics has already begun to outpace both the road infrastructure and the average driver. Chinese officials have decided: from the moment the car stops, the system must forcibly activate the “minimum 5 seconds to 100 km/h” mode. The driver can turn it off — but only manually and each time they will have to do it again after stopping.
Essentially, this is something like a permanently activated stability control system or a speed limit reminder: you can turn it off if you want, but the responsibility is on you. The goal is to make road traffic more predictable and the behavior of the car more controllable.
And, frankly, such an initiative looks logical if you look at what is happening in the market. Electric cars are massively moving out of the “economical transport” category and transitioning into the class of high-speed projectiles. Hundreds of Newton-meters of torque, incredible acceleration, instant response — all of this is great until there is a novice on the road nearby or a person experiencing the “electric thrust” for the first time.
And here an important point for Ukraine arises. Our market is actively electrifying, especially thanks to the mass import of Chinese models. Many of them have excellent dynamics — sometimes even excessive for drivers. China’s experience could become a litmus test: if electric cars become even more powerful, the question of their behavior in the city will inevitably arise here as well, sooner or later.
For now, Ukrainian roads are not preparing any regulations regarding acceleration restrictions, but the growth rate of the number of “electric vehicles” in the country already hints: the discussion about power control is only a matter of time. Especially if models that can do in two to three seconds what only hypercars were previously capable of continue to enter the market.
