A hotel in Zhejiang, China, introduced a new rule in September that prohibits guests from driving new energy vehicles into the underground parking lot, citing the “high risk of spontaneous combustion” associated with these vehicles.
Recently, some netizens complained on social media that when checking into a five-star hotel in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, they found that their new energy vehicles were not allowed access to the hotel’s underground parking lot while conventional fuel vehicles had no restrictions. One netizen remarked, “There are only 8 parking spaces in front of the main entrance of the hotel. Even if all were reserved for new energy vehicles, it wouldn’t be enough. Besides, in hot weather, no one wants to park their car under the scorching sun.”
A reporter from Urban Express visited the hotel to verify the situation and witnessed a woman driving a new energy vehicle being stopped by security while arriving at the hotel for a meal. The woman claimed that she had visited the hotel just last week and this rule was not in place at that time.
At the entrance to the hotel’s underground parking lot stands a blue warning sign stating, “Due to the relatively enclosed space of the underground parking lot and for safety considerations regarding the parking of new energy vehicles, to ensure the safety of your property, the hotel has designated wide parking spaces for your beloved cars.”
According to hotel staff, this rule was implemented starting in September this year. Due to fire safety considerations, only fuel vehicles are currently allowed to park in the underground garage.
One staff member explained, “The occurrence of spontaneous combustion in new energy vehicles is relatively high, and we have also seen news reports of such incidents. To ensure the safety of other customers’ property, we have implemented this rule.”
The hotel’s new rule has sparked discussions online.
A netizen from Xinjiang stated, “I always park far away from new energy vehicles in underground parking lots, as I am really afraid of them catching fire one day.”
User “WindChaser” said, “I support this. With so many incidents of electric cars catching fire, now even taking an electric vehicle makes me nervous.”
User “User5022245289732” commented, “If an electric vehicle catches fire, there’s nothing we can do to save it. Just let it burn out. A hotel of such scale should be cautious and prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.”
User “JustLikeYou” mentioned, “The main concern is that if it catches fire, the compensation costs would be unaffordable. With insurance of only a few million, if the structure of the building burns down, compensation could reach tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, which the car owner cannot bear. This rule is also a way to protect the car owners.”
User “Kakakakason” shared, “In Huizhou, a residential underground parking lot allowed new energy vehicles to park, and as a result, a fire caused the entire underground garage to be scrapped.”
User “Sudai” expressed, “National promotion, life is above everything.”
User “Me666” added, “South Korea has already implemented this nationwide.”