Chinese-made electric cars in UK could be jammed remotely by Beijing
Beijing could gridlock Britain’s roads by remotely stopping electric vehicles made in China, posing a “major security threat”, MPs have been warned.
Electric vehicles can potentially be controlled, adjusted and ultimately even stopped, a vulnerability that could be exploited by China if its relationship with the UK badly deteriorated, an economic security review was told.
Beijing, which has ambitious plans to expand sales of Chinese-made cars in Europe, could also use the cars to steal sensitive data from motorists.
China boasts the world’s bestselling maker of electric cars, BYD, which outsold Elon Musk’s company Tesla by 4,000 sales in the final quarter of last year.
Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, separately called on the government to consider banning the use of Chinese electric vehicles on sensitive national infrastructure sites and by cabinet ministers.
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He told The Times that the issue was “the next Huawei”, referring to the Chinese firm that was banned from the 5G network after security concerns were raised.
Last year Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former conservative leader who has been outspoken about Beijing, claimed that Chinese tracking devices were installed in Rishi Sunak’s prime ministerial car, which had to be stripped down. No 10 refused to comment at the time.
A new submission to MPs from the Institute of the Motor Industry has warned of a general threat from electric vehicles, which is exacerbated by those manufactured by Chinese companies.
Professor Jim Saker, the institute’s president and director of the Centre for Automotive Management at Loughborough University, warned Chinese-made electric cars could give access to “big data” as well as personal data.
Saker’s submission to the parliamentary national security strategy committee, which is investigating the UK’s economic security, said: “We know that at the moment connected vehicles can be stopped remotely. If this happened on a motorway at 70mph and the automatic braking system was applied to a vehicle the traffic would simply pile in the back. If this occurred at strategic points it could gridlock cities.”
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It went on: “Chinese-connected EV’s flooding the country could be the most effective Trojan horse that the Chinese establishment has to impact the UK.”
Intelligence officials have repeatedly warned of the increased threat from Beijing, while a major report said last year that China had infiltrated virtually every sector of the British economy.
Dearlove acknowledged that the trading relationship with China was crucial and it was important to engage, adding: “I’m not saying don’t trade with China. I’m saying, trade with China with eyes wide open and take account of the potential downside. And make sure one has in place a strategic answer to the problem of what might be a malign influence.”
On the issue of electric vehicles, he said the “threat is extremely real”. He added: “The Chinese ban Tesla from their own sensitive areas and sites — they understand the problem, and they are putting us in a situation where it could be done to us.
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“If there was a severe deterioration [in the relationship] how would they behave, what would they do, would they exploit and would they cause a problem? They could bring roads to a grinding halt very, very quickly.”
Charlie Parton, a former diplomat who spent 22 years working in China and is a senior associate fellow at the think tank Rusi, has repeatedly warned of the potential threat from Chinese-made cellular modules [CIMs], which connect cars to the “internet of things”, whereby devices in objects such as appliances and vehicles transmit and receive information through computer networks. CIMs act as a gateway for information in and out of the cars.
While Chinese-owned manufacturers say they are independent and would not send data back to Beijing, Parton has highlighted the security issue because ultimately all Chinese companies have obligations to the Communist Party, including to play a role in national security. Parton also points out that the Communist Party is aware of this potential security risk, because it has banned Tesla cars from military and sensitive areas.
This month the Biden administration announced an investigation into whether Chinese cars pose a national data security risk because electric vehicles “collect large amounts of sensitive data on their drivers and passengers [and] regularly use their cameras and sensors to record detailed information on US infrastructure”. The White House said the investigation would examine the issue of vehicles being remotely disabled or piloted.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy said the accusations were baseless and full of ideological bias. He added: “The Chinese government takes data privacy and security very seriously. It has never asked and will never ask any company or individual to collect or provide data, information or intelligence located abroad against local laws.
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“Co-operation and communications in different sectors between the UK and China, which are in the fundamental interests of both countries, have brought tangible benefits to the two peoples.
“We urge the relevant individuals and institutions to stop overstretching the concept of national security, respect the laws of market economy and the principles of fair competition, stop smearing Chinese companies and uphold an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment.”
BYD did not respond to requests for comment.
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