China investigates remote battery restrictions after EV owners report range drops from 500 km to below 300 km
By Eve
Chinese state broadcaster China Media Group has reported on complaints from NEV owners whose vehicles experienced significant range reductions following over the air software updates, with some cars originally rated at around 500 km CLTC range falling below 300 km in real world use. Owners also reported DC fast charging times rising from approximately 40 minutes to 70 minutes, and one driver said usable capacity dropped from over 100 kWh to around 80 kWh despite battery health showing 95%. Industry researcher Zhang Xiang explained that automakers can remotely adjust battery management system parameters to reduce thermal runaway risks and slow degradation, though this limits usable capacity and charging power, often without clear prior disclosure to owners.
Why it matters
The investigation highlights regulatory and transparency risks around remote battery management changes that can materially affect vehicle performance, a concern for fleet operators and charge point operators planning infrastructure around declared vehicle specifications. If similar practices spread or face regulatory limits, CPOs may need contractual clarity on how OTA updates could alter charging demand profiles and dwell times at their sites.
Source
- Original title
- “China investigates EV OTA range cuts: owners say 500 km drops below 300 km”
- Published
- 11 May 2026 (date approximate)
- Updated
- 22 September 2026
In this story
- Topic
- Electric Vehicles
- Place
- China
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