discussing limitations for connected vehicles and even banning the introduction of cars on the US market.
U.S. representative Elissa Slotkin, states, “Today’s vehicles are more sophisticated than ever, carrying cameras, radars, and other sophisticated sensors, plus the ability to process, transmit, and store the data they gather from the United States. (...) If allowed into our markets, Chinese-connected vehicles offer the Chinese government a treasure trove of valuable intelligence on the United States, including the potential to collect information on our military bases, critical infrastructure like the power grid and traffic systems, and even locate specific U.S. leaders should they so choose. (...) so now is the time to make sure our defenses are up”.
The congresswoman is a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official who made sure Congress was aware of the threat of China-built connected vehicles. Slotkin stated that Chinese cars now come with many technologies such as cameras, radars, chips, and even map history. This smart feature gives them the ability to report back to Chinese authorities, stating that “China owns a fast-growing share of the connected auto market in Europe and Mexico”.
This comes as a response to the trade war that is happening between the U.S. and China after the Biden administration decided to quadruple import duties for electric vehicles coming from China to 100%. The bill proposed by the congresswoman, if moved, can allow the US to review EVs and autonomous vehicles.
Even more so, if this bill possesses over, it would give the US Department of Commerce the right to review any sale, import, or transaction that can be related to vehicles that are “designed, built or supplied” for any company that is connected with China or any country that might be considered as a concern.
This bill would give the Department of Commerce and any related federal department and agencies the power to protect and administrate any possible risks more easily. “With that in mind, we’ve worked with the Commerce Department on this bill to establish a formal national security review of Chinese-made connected vehicles. The legislation would also codify the Department of Commerce’s authority to ban any connected vehicles from the U.S. market if the review makes clear they pose a risk to national security.” said Slotkin.
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