Complaints began to multiply in forums, social networks and technical services. Electric vehicle owners in China assure that, after receiving remote software updates, their cars started to offer less range and slower charging times.

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The issue took such a dimension that local authorities are already analyzing whether some brands crossed a delicate line by modifying key functions of vehicles already sold.

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The controversy revolves around OTA updates, the system that allows manufacturers to send improvements or tweaks without the need to go through a workshop. What was born as a he tool to fix bugs or add features is now being flagged by thousands of users who claim to have lost up to 200 kilometers of range from one day to the next.

Some of the cases exposed by Chinese state media show especially striking situations. Drivers of approved models with close figures at 500 kilometers under the CLTC cycle they assure that, after the updates, they barely manage to travel less than 300 kilometers in normal conditions of use.

The “battery lock” raises suspicions

In the Chinese market there is a term for this practice. It is known as “battery locking” or battery locking. The expression refers to mod modifications made to the battery management system, known as BMS, that would alter parameters related to useful capacity or fast charging.

Users maintain that these changes come without clear explanations and directly affect the driving experience. elatan that before they could charge their vehicle at more than 100 kWh and that, after an update, the system only allows about 80 kWh.

Added to that is a significant increase in fast charging times, which in certain cases would have gone from 40 to 70 minutes.

What confuses many owners is that the vehicle continues to show high battery health percentages, even when the performances are clearly inferior to the original.

Brands defend modifications

Sector specialists consider that behind these decisions there could exist a technical reason. Researcher Zhang Xiang explained that lim Increasing the charging intensity or reducing the usage window of the battery would help reduce risks of overheating and premature degradation.

The logic would be to prioritize safety and extend the useful life of batteries, even though that implies giving up autonomy and charging speed. The debate appears at an uncomfortable moment ra the Chinese electric vehicle industry, especially after several recent discussions linked to ultra-fast and high-temperature charging in high-capacity batteries.

China tightens control over OTA updates

The growth in complaints led to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration of Re regulation of the market to take measures. In March new rules were approved for remote updates applied to electric vehicles.

Among the provisions appears the prohibition of performing battery locks without priorly informing the user, in addition to preventing mandatory silent updates or software changes used to avoid official review campaigns.

Meanwhile, rumors also circulated about alleged investigations against eight manufacturers, although the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers ended up denying those versions.

Several companies rapidly defended themselves. BYD, Tesla and Zeekr denied having hidden software restrictions and some even warned that they could take legal actions against those who spread these allegations.