China wants slimmer EVs after batteries and features made them too heavy for parking spaces

China wants its electric vehicles to go on a diet. The average passenger car in the country weighed 1,704 kg in 2024, roughly a third more than in 2012, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday. Many popular SUVs and MPVs now approach or exceed 2 metres in width, squeezing into parking spaces designed a decade ago for smaller cars.

One vehicle measured by CCTV was nearly 2.3 metres wide. The current standard parking space is 2.4 metres. That leaves 10 cm of clearance, barely enough to open a door.

The weight problem starts with batteries. Some manufacturers market vehicles with ranges up to 1,000 km on a single charge, which can require battery packs weighing as much as 800 kg, according to experts cited in the report. Heavy batteries are not unique to China, but the scale of the problem is, given that the country produces more EVs than any other nation.

Feature bloat is also a factor. China’s crowded EV market has pushed manufacturers to differentiate by turning cars into mobile living spaces. Some models let users work, watch videos, drink coffee, and rest inside. A few even come with in-car toilets, CCTV reported. Each feature adds weight.

Beijing has already responded. On 1 January 2026, China became the first country in the world to enforce a mandatory energy consumption standard for electric vehicles. The rule caps two-tonne EVs at 15.1 kWh per 100 km under the Chinese CLTC cycle, tightening limits by approximately 11% compared with previous recommendations. New EV models that fail the standard cannot be produced, sold, or registered.

The regulation pushes manufacturers toward efficiency rather than simply adding bigger batteries. Better aerodynamics, lighter materials, and drivetrain optimisation become more important than raw range figures. With battery capacity unchanged, compliance is expected to increase an average EV’s range by about 7%.

The timing matters. China produced 16 million electric cars in 2025, according to the IEA, and exports are surging into new markets. Lighter, more efficient vehicles would not only ease domestic infrastructure pressure but also help Chinese automakers meet emissions and efficiency standards in export markets like the US and Europe, where regulations are tightening in parallel.