Are Chinese-made EVs ‘spy machines”?

Experts raise alarm that vehicles could pose an invisible’ security threat to Canada

- ROBERT BENZIE

Ottawa is gearing up to slap hefty tariffs on “artificially cheap” Chinese electric vehicles amid mounting concerns the cars also pose a security threat.

With Canada widely expected to impose levies on China-made EVs next month, industry expert Michael Dunne warned “a connected car is a kind of invisible threat because it is hiding in plain sight — right there in our driveway.”

Mitra Mirhassani, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Windsor, said Thursday the EVs pose far greater risks than Chinese-made smartphones or laptops.

“EVs are connecting to our power grids,” said Mirhassani, a co-founder of the university’s SHIELD Automotive Cybersecurity Centre.

“Your cellphone is … protected by different networks and firewalls. EV networks are not that secure yet. They haven’t reached that maturity of a cellphone network, the IT network,” she said.

The warnings come after Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed last month the federal government is studying “the national security aspect … which is heightened when we’re talking about imports of very high-tech vehicles like EVs.”

Freeland’s comments echoed those of Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service, who told CNBC this year that consumers “should be very concerned” about the vehicles.

“There’s no question an inexpensive Chinese car has devices under the bonnet, which should concern us. The car could be switched off by the manufacturer,” said Dearlove in April.

“How many cars would it take to completely block the circulation of traffic in a major Western city? Malware can be put into the computer in the car and the collection of data right down to bugging the car internally is a possibility,” the former spymaster said.