China sets safety tests after EV fires

China is ordering carmakers to conduct checks on electric vehicles (EVs) after cars made by Tesla and NIO caught on fire, spurring anxiety over the safety of the battery-powered vehicles.

Companies need to check for potential safety hazards with battery boxes, waterproof protection in cars, high-voltage wiring harnesses, as well as on-board charging devices, the country’s industry and technology ministry said in a statement posted on its website. Automakers need to submit their findings by the end of October.

 NIO - an EV startup from Beijing - recently revealed one of its ES8 SUVs caught fire, the third time in about two months the model has been involved in an incident, according to Bloomberg.

Tesla said it was investigating its vehicles after a video of one of its cars bursting into flames in Shanghai spread across Chinese social media in April. There are also reports of a Tesla Model S combusting in Hong Kong.

The Chinese ministry said safety checks should also be carried out on cars that have already been sold, with special attention paid to highly used vehicles such as cabs, according to the statement.

Audi has also recalled some of its first electric E-Tron SUVs over battery issues that could cause fires. The recall affects 1,644 E-Trons, only 540 of which have made it to customers.