US proposes ban on smart cars with Chinese and Russian tech

CNN —

The US Commerce Department on Monday will propose a ban on the sale or import of smart vehicles that use specific Chinese or Russian technology because of national security concerns, according to US officials.

A US government investigation that began in February found a range of national security risks from embedded software and hardware from China and Russia in US vehicles, including the possibility of remote sabotage by hacking and the collection of personal data on drivers, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told reporters Sunday in a conference call.

“In extreme situations, a foreign adversary could shut down or take control of all their vehicles operating in the United States, all at the same time, causing crashes (or) blocking roads,” she said.

The rule would not apply to cars already on the road in the US that already have Chinese software installed, a senior administration official told CNN. The software ban would take effect for vehicles for “model year” 2027 and the hardware ban for “model year” 2030, according to the Commerce Department.

The proposed regulatory action is part of a much broader struggle between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, to secure the supply chains of the key computing technology of the future, from semiconductors to AI software.

China, in particular, has invested heavily in the connected car market, and inroads made by Chinese manufacturers in Europe have worried US officials.

The Chinese government has its own concerns about the data gathered by Tesla (TSLA) vehicles, and some Chinese government authorities have barred the vehicles from entering their compounds, CNN has previously reported.

The Commerce Department’s proposed rule is on