Earned 5,000 yuan and got a suspended sentence: Is repairing new energy vehicles now a high-risk occupation?

There is a boss of an auto repair shop in Shanghai named Lao Li. He has good skills and can almost repair most brands of new energy vehicles on the market. However, he only takes on Tesla repair jobs now.

The reason is very simple: He is afraid of being sued by car manufacturers if he repairs other brands.

In August 2024, the brothers Da Liu and Xiao Liu in Guangzhou were reported to the police by a car manufacturer because they used tools to crack the battery management system (BMS) data of a certain new energy vehicle and helped the car owner unlock it. Eventually, they were sentenced to probation for the "crime of disrupting computer information systems". The two brothers earned a total of 5,000 yuan in illegal income.

In 2025, the auto repair blogger "Brother Long Repairs Tesla" was jointly sued by three new energy car manufacturers because he helped car owners of three brands repair their vehicles and posted the videos online.

This is not an isolated case. As of the end of 2025, the number of new energy vehicles in the country has reached 43.97 million. However, there are less than 30,000 stores with professional repair capabilities.

This is not a technical problem, but a battle for ownership over who actually owns the car you bought.

Why has car repair become a high - risk profession?

Let's start with the "three electrics": The battery, motor, and electronic control of new energy vehicles are the three most expensive components of the whole vehicle, and also the three components that third - party repair shops cannot touch at all.

The reason they can't be touched is not because the technology is too difficult. It's because car manufacturers have blocked the way through two methods.

The first method is technical blockade. The battery management system, thermal management algorithm, and high - voltage interlock logic of electric vehicles are deeply coupled with software and hardware, and car manufacturers have encrypted them. Without the manufacturer's special diagnostic tools and software permissions, you can't even read the vehicle's fault codes. Du Wei (a pseudonym), the owner of a Shanghai store of an auto aftermarket platform, told Yicai Global: "For many new energy vehicles, after repair, the vehicle data needs to be matched using a special inspection system. This is equivalent to monopolizing the aftermarket repair from a technical perspective."

The second method is legal deterrence. If you forcefully crack it, the car manufacturer will sue you. Legal professionals point out that there is still a controversy over whether the "crime of disrupting computer information systems" is applicable in the context of new energy vehicle repair. The essence of the repair behavior is to restore functions, not to damage the system. However, before the legal precedents are clear, the entire industry has chosen the safest approach - not to touch it.

There is also a more hidden "soft bundling". Sina Auto reported that some brands stipulate that non - authorized channel repairs will result in the loss of the lifetime warranty qualification. Even if the vehicle is out of warranty, car owners are still reluctant to choose third - party repair shops easily. A XPeng car owner said: "The money saved on charging is all spent on repair fees."

Why are car manufacturers reluctant to open up?

The answer lies in the profit structure.

According to the 2025 National Automobile Dealer Survival Status Survey Report of the China Automobile Dealers Association, the after - sales gross profit contribution rate of new energy dealers reached 37.1%, far higher than the 26.5% of new car sales. In the current situation where new car sales are in a price war and the profit is extremely thin or even at a loss, after - sales is the real "cash cow".

A recent article in Sina Finance stated that the deeper reason why car manufacturers are reluctant to open up after - sales is the competition for digital sovereignty in the era of "software - defined vehicles". The vehicle's driving data, battery status, and user habits are all stored in the car manufacturer's cloud server. Opening up repair technology is equivalent to giving away the entrance to this data ecosystem. Yuan Shuai, the deputy secretary - general of the Zhongguancun Internet of Things Industry Alliance, pointed out that "under the software - defined vehicle architecture, the core intellectual property rights such as the battery management system control strategy, thermal management algorithm, and high - voltage interlock logic are deeply coupled with physical components, forming a de facto technical barrier."

This is highly similar to the "right to repair" dispute in the mobile phone industry. Apple and Samsung also restricted third - party repairs on the grounds of safety and intellectual property rights. However, after the United States and the European Union legislated successively, the "right to repair" is becoming a basic right for consumers.

What loopholes does the new regulation break?

On April 1, 2026, the Interim Measures for the Recycling and Comprehensive Utilization of Waste Power Batteries of New Energy Vehicles (hereinafter referred to as the Interim Measures) officially came into effect.

This document is not specifically designed to break the repair monopoly. Its main goal is the full - life - cycle management of power batteries. However, the spill - over effects of two of its clauses may be more far - reaching than the original intention.

Article 11 requires that power battery enterprises shall provide battery codes and necessary disassembly technical information to motor vehicle repair enterprises, etc.

The second paragraph of Article 13 requires that new energy vehicle production enterprises shall timely and effectively disclose vehicle repair technical information in accordance with relevant national regulations.

Wang Qi (a pseudonym), an expert involved in the formulation of this measure, told a Yicai Global reporter that the new regulation has made "more detailed regulations" on the disclosure of repair technical information, clearly requiring the submission of battery disassembly information to the national unified platform and granting compliant repair enterprises the right to query. "It is expected to break the industry monopoly where batteries can only be repaired at 4S stores."

Violators will face a fine of up to 50,000 yuan. This "submission + query" mechanism provides a legal basis for third - parties to obtain core technical materials for the first time.

But is the loophole big enough?

Frankly speaking, the deterrence of the new regulation is limited. A fine of up to 50,000 yuan is not a pain point for a new energy car manufacturer with an annual revenue of billions and an after - sales gross profit contribution of more than one - third.

Looking back at the history of the global auto repair market, in the 1990s, Massachusetts in the United States was the first to legislate to force car manufacturers to open up repair diagnostic information; in 2002, the European Union passed the Competition Rules for the Automotive Repair Industry to break the monopoly of the brand - authorized system; in 2023, the European Court ruled that car manufacturers cannot restrict access to repair data on the grounds of network security. It took thirty years for this game to gradually reach institutional maturity on a global scale.

China's new regulation is just the first step on this road.

What does it mean for you?

[Car owners who have already bought new energy vehicles] You will benefit most directly. If your car breaks down, after April 1st, compliant third - party repair enterprises can theoretically query the battery disassembly technical information, and you have more options. However, there is still a gap between "theoretically" and "actually", and it depends on the implementation. Before that: Consult whether it will affect the warranty before making a claim, and you can compare prices after the warranty period.

[People who plan to buy new energy vehicles] This change is a positive signal. The loosening of the after - sales monopoly means that the long - term holding cost may decrease, and you don't have to be controlled by a single 4S store forever. However, it's still too early to make a judgment. It is recommended to pay attention to the implementation of the new regulation before making a decision.

[Traditional auto repair masters and repair shops] This is a window period worthy of layout. The policy direction is clear, and the access threshold for transformation to new energy vehicle repair is starting to decrease. However, operating high - voltage electrical systems requires professional certification, and technical investment cannot be saved. The industry seminar held in Ningbo in March 2026 has started to discuss the training standards for repair talents, which is worth paying attention to.

A structural change is taking place: The pattern of the new energy vehicle repair market is changing from a "closed after - sales system" to an "open competitive pattern". This process will be very long, but the direction is certain.

When the choices of 44 million car owners start to loosen, the next thing to be reshaped is the entire auto aftermarket worth hundreds of billions.

This article is from the WeChat public account "BT Finance" and is reprinted by 36Kr with authorization.