Chinese EVs have surged in popularity across the UK, with Chinese-owned and China-built electric and hybrid vehicle brands capturing a quarter of the UK new car market from a standing start, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

As such they have been welcomed as a, generally, cheaper way to aid the adoption of greener technology, but the House of Commons business, innovation, science and trade committee has reported that caution might be wise.

Whilst the EU has imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs, the UK, in part because of a desire to speed electrification, has not acted with the same force, leaving the UK an outlier. Apart from the concerns for European car making, the Committee has raised concerns over the ability for manufacturers can send data to connected devices via over-the-air (OTA) with the risk of manufacturers controlling or disabling (bricking) the devices remotely.

The fear is that the Chinese security services could require China-based manufacturers to grant access to such systems and use this access to disrupt foreign countries’ transport and logistics systems.

Then there is intelligence. Modern EVs contain sensors including cameras and microphones.

The Committee concludes that EVs, and other connected devices with a Chinese origin or mot, “needs stronger safeguards. In the case of connected cars, vendors should only receive and send data strictly necessary for the maintenance of the vehicle, and not data that allows the vendor to control or disable a vehicle remotely.”

How, and if, that can be implemented is a whole different issue.

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