CHINESE spies could remotely control electric vehicles in the UK to bring roads to a standstill and steal drivers’ data, experts have said.
The chilling warning comes as Chinese EVs are becoming popular in Britain.
It is feared they might now be used as four-wheeled Trojan horses.
China is expected to dominate the UK market as Britain moves to hit its net zero targets with a ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles being introduced in 2030.
And Beijing could now cause chaos on UK roads by remotely stopping Chinese-made cars.
Professor Jim Saker, president of the Motor Industry, told MPs that electric vehicles “flooding into Britain” could be “the most effective Trojan Horse” at the Chinese Communist Party’s disposal.
The specialist, who is also the head of Loughborough University’s Centre for Automotive Management, cautioned that Chinese-made electric vehicles might provide spies with access to both ‘big data’ and personal data.
Technology embedded in the vehicles could be used to compile huge amounts of information including video footage, audio recordings and location data.
Another threat is “over the air” software updates which are done through a SIM-like card built into cars.
If a malicious actor gained access to the update systems then it is possible they could beam out software that spied on the car and the driver remotely.
In a submission reported by The Times, Professor Saker wrote: “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.”
He added: “Chinese-connected EVs flooding the country could be the most effective Trojan horse that the Chinese establishment has to impact the UK.”
Professor Saker previously said in a report set to be shared with car makers and regulators: “The car manufacturer may be in Shanghai and could stop 100,000 to 300,000 cars across Europe, thus paralysing a country.’”
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said that while regulators are able to test a sample selection of cars for concealed devices he added that it was simply not possible to check thousands of vehicles.
China is home to BYD, the world’s best-selling electric car company. The company sold 526,409 EVs in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 484,507 for Tesla.
Former MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove is among those warning of the possible harm they represent, and he recently urged the government to consider prohibiting government leaders from driving Chinese-made electric vehicles.
Sir Richard warned that the problem was “the next Huawei”, referring to the Chinese telecoms giant that was barred from Britain’s 5G network owing to fears that it would steal customer data.
REALISTIC RISK
It comes as a cross-party group of MPs warned the Government that the UK is ceding control of the “critical infrastructure” of its car market to Beijing “with all the attendant security risks”.
A senior government source told The Telegraph: “If it is manufactured in a country like China, how certain can you be that it won’t be a vehicle for collecting intel and data?
“If you have electric vehicles manufactured by countries who are already using technology to spy, why would they not do the same here?
“They are high-risk products. We know that China always thinks in very long terms.
“So if they were providing a product that could do more than just deliver the consumer’s desire to go from A to B, why would they not be doing it?”
The source added: “It will be used with all of the data that they collect, and that’s how it becomes incredibly valuable and quite dangerous.”
A Government minister told the paper they shared the concerns, saying: “That is the world we’re going into.”
In 2020, the Government banned the Chinese firm Huawei from the UK’s 5G networks, over spying fears.
In January last year, a Chinese tracking device was discovered hidden in a UK Government car, according to an intelligence officer.
The former home secretary Dame Priti Patel said Chinese surveillance in cars posed a “realistic risk”.
She said: “All we have to do is look at how government tied themselves up with things such as 5G.”
Those fears have been heightened by the rapid penetration of Chinese cars into the UK market.
