The American government announced on Tuesday a ban on the sale in the United States of connected vehicles incorporating Chinese or Russian technology, both in terms of components and software, believing that they could represent a risk to national security.
The Department of Commerce launched a public inquiry in this regard at the end of September, which has just ended with the publication of new rules aimed at “securing the supply chain of connected vehicles from external threats”. The ban will be gradual and will begin in 2027 for software, 2020 for equipment, the ministry said.
Currently, no Chinese connected cars are sold in the United States, but ByD sells buses in California, which are not affected by the ban.
Some Western manufacturers, such as Volvo, a Swedish group, but controlled by the Chinese company Geely, Polestar, Buick (GM group) or Lincoln (a Ford subsidiary) sell cars made in China. The American manufacturer Tesla also produces electric vehicles in China for export.
“Cars are no longer just steel on wheels, they are computers. They have cameras, microphones, GPS devices and other technologies connected to the internet,” explained outgoing Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. “With this decision, the Commerce Department is putting in place the rules necessary to protect Americans’ privacy and national security by keeping out our adversaries and their ability to manipulate these technologies to gain access to information sensitive,” she added.
Concretely, the new rules require car manufacturers to do without any equipment or software from suppliers “with a sufficient link with China or Russia”. A ban that only applies to private vehicles, with the Commerce Department estimating that the supply chain for buses and trucks is more complex. “Specific rules will be clarified in the near future” for these vehicles, the press release said.
Electronics are increasingly integrated into modern cars and most vehicles today are connected to the internet through a navigation system.
The emergence of driver assistance and autonomous driving software further increases the risk of unwanted external interventions in the control of a car in circulation.
In mid-September, Washington had already announced that electric cars imported from China would be taxed at 100% from September 27
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