BYD Company Limited, Tesla, Xiaopeng, Lixiang, NIO, Chongqing Sokon Industry Group Stock, GAC Aion, Geely Jekih, and Guangqi Ean Collective Rumors.

The "locking the battery" incident of new energy vehicles is fermenting again through remote online upgrades (OTA). On the evening of May 9, in response to the rumors circulating on the Internet about "eight new energy car companies being talked to because of battery locking issues, and three car companies being investigated," the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers stated that the online claims of "new energy car companies being talked to and investigated for battery locking issues" are false information. "We have noticed the messages on the Internet and have verified with the relevant authorities and companies. Based on our understanding, up to now, the relevant authorities have not carried out any talks or investigations related to the online claims, and the information circulating online has no official source and is seriously inconsistent with the facts," said Liu Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. On April 17, a WeChat public account published an article titled "With over 12,000 complaints in a month, an increase of 273% year-on-year, how should the stubborn problem of new energy vehicles be addressed?" In March 2026, the national 12315 platform received over 12,000 complaints related to car companies' OTA battery locking within a month, with a 273% year-on-year increase. Eventually, official regulatory intervention took place, with eight car companies being talked to and three investigated for violations. Two car companies withdrew controversial upgrade packages and promised to restore performance. Over half a month later, the article stirred up on the internet, attracting industry attention. Although the article did not disclose the list of companies talked to, on May 9 noon, a netizen inquired an AI application on the internet and posted the "list" of the eight car companies that were talked to on social media. Subsequently, the eight companies involved - BYD Company Limited, Tesla, Xiaopeng Motors, Ideal Motors, NIO, Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, Jili Extreme, GAC Aion - released statements denying the rumors, stating that the information was malicious rumors generated by AI and there was no talk with the authorities. Among them, the "BYD Company Limited News Demystification Office" official Weibo post stated that the rumors of BYD Company Limited being talked to or investigated are false and purely fabricated rumors. They urged people not to believe or spread rumors. "Some online accounts maliciously spread false information, deliberately misleading the public and disrupting the online public opinion environment. We have collected evidence and will hold the relevant parties legally responsible." Xiaopeng Motors Legal Department released a message refuting the alleged talk with the authorities concerning battery locking issues, stating that they have not received such false information and there is no investigation by the authorities. Tesla staff responded that the rumors of being talked to were false, and all software updates undergo strict testing and filing. Jili Extreme stated that the company has not received any alleged talks, and for malicious attacks and rumors, they have collected evidence and will legally protect their rights. They also expressed a desire to work with industry partners and users to maintain a good development atmosphere in the automotive industry. The so-called "locking the battery" refers to some car companies, without the consent of consumers, using OTA remote upgrades or in-store software updates to modify the parameters of the vehicle's battery management system, restricting the maximum charging limit, depth of discharge, charging and discharging power, etc., causing issues such as reduced range, slow charging, and decreased performance. "In the era of 'software-defined vehicles,' OTA upgrades have become an important way for car companies to provide optimized services to consumers." An industry insider said that when consumers purchase a car, the performance parameters such as the vehicle's range are core content of the purchase contract. If a car company unilaterally reduces the vehicle's performance without the owner's consent, it constitutes a breach of contract and essentially a unilateral change to the contract. "In fact, 'locking the battery' is a low-cost, dynamically adjustable security or remedial strategy. Companies cannot sacrifice performance or degrade the user experience for the sake of so-called product quality and safety." On March 22, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration of Market Regulation jointly issued a notice on regulating the behavior of OTA upgrades for new energy vehicles, explicitly stating four strict constraints: prohibiting silent forced upgrades, requiring OTA to inform content, risks, and impacts seven days in advance, and giving owners the right to refuse; prohibiting battery locking and downgrading capabilities, not limiting battery capacity or reducing vehicle performance through OTA in any form unless with written consent from the owner; prohibiting covering up defects and avoiding recalls, not using software modifications to avoid hardware defects, and following the recall process if problems are discovered; full filing and regulatory acceptance, all OTA upgrade content must be filed in advance with supervisory authorities and undergo full supervision. Additionally, the mandatory national standard "Vehicle Internet of Things Online Upgrade Security Technical Requirements and Testing Methods" (GB/T47325-2026) released on March 31, stipulates the security requirements and testing methods for the online upgrade process, which will officially be implemented on October 1. The reporter noted that the original report content on "eight new energy car companies being talked to because of battery locking issues" has been modified. The content stating that "eight car companies were talked to, three were investigated for violations, and two withdrew controversial upgrade packages and promised to restore performance" has been deleted. It was corrected in the comments section, saying that the issue of "locking the battery" for certain car companies has received widespread attention, and some wording in the original article has caused misunderstandings. According to incomplete statistics from this website, from 2020 until now, eight car companies have been talked to for issues such as abnormal acceleration, battery fires, and OTA upgrades, three have been investigated for violations, and two have withdrawn controversial upgrade packages and promised to restore performance. This article is a reprint from Caixin News, GMTEight Editor: Chen Yufeng.