The Biden administration has proposed a ban on Chinese vehicle software and hardware sold in the U.S. On Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department put forward a plan that would keep software and hardware sourced from China off American roads, citing national security concerns. If enacted, the ban could potentially affect several major automakers, including General Motors and the Chinese-built Buick Envision.
“When foreign adversaries build software to make a vehicle that means it can be used for surveillance, can be remotely controlled, which threatens the privacy and safety of Americans on the road,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, per a Reuters report. “In an extreme situation, 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, blocking roads.”
Back in February, the Biden administration ordered an investigation into the potential dangers of Chinese companies influencing U.S. infrastructure and connected vehicles, including data collection. The proposed ban would include a block on autonomous vehicle testing by Chinese companies on U.S. roads, as well as a block on software and hardware produced by other rival foreign nations, such as Russia.
According to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, there is evidence that American infrastructure has already been infected with Chinese malware.
“With potentially millions of vehicles on the road, each with 10- to 15-year lifespans the risk of disruption and sabotage increases dramatically,” Sullivan said.
The proposal floats a potential ban on Chinese-sourced vehicle software by 2027 and a hardware ban by the 2030 model year. Meanwhile, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which includes representation by GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai, has responded to the proposal by stating hardware and software changes would take some time to implement.
The latest ban proposal follow a 100-percent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, as well as increased tariffs on various EV components, such as EV batteries and the raw materials required to assemble EV batteries. The White House framed the increases as necessary in light of a “very significant unfair cost advantage that Chinese electric vehicles in particular are using to dominate car markets at a breathtaking pace in other parts of the world,” per White House economic advisor Lael Brainard. The new round of tariffs also include a 25-percent increase for steel and aluminum, and a 50-percent increase on solar cells and semiconductors.
The Buick Envision sold in North America is currently built at the SAIC-GM Jinqiao South plant in China.
