Electric cars threaten national security, defence chiefs warn

Telegraph

17-04-2025

Electric cars pose a potential threat to national security as they are vulnerable to Chinese spying, according to an official defence assessment by the Government's spy lab.
A report by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) found that there were concerns Beijing – which dominates the market – could effectively eavesdrop on conversations using the vehicles, which are to be introduced for all ministers and officials by the end of 2027.
The warning in the report, which was delivered to the previous Tory government, contributed to fears at senior levels in Rishi Sunak's administration that electric cars were 'basically mobile spying platforms' and even those made in the West using Chinese parts were susceptible.
The concerns were raised amid the government fleet going green, given China's dominance in electric vehicles.
Fears of Chinese spying were sufficiently high that the DSTL, an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence, was commissioned to look at so-called 'connected vehicles' and whether they were vulnerable to spying by Beijing.
All electric vehicles are deemed to be ' connected ', meaning that data and information are sent out beyond the vehicle, sometimes over the internet. Increasingly, petrol and diesel cars are also 'connected'.
It is understood the first assessment from the defence scientists flagged broad concerns that electric vehicles and other connected cars could be used by the Chinese state to spy.
A second, more detailed examination was then commissioned by the Sunak government. That report had not been returned when the snap general election was called for July 2024, leading to the Tories being removed from office.
One source in the Sunak government close to the conversations called it an 'oh s---' moment when the implications of the government's electronic vehicle push were realised.
The source said: 'They are basically mobile spying platforms. The array of data you can pick up from these things is extraordinary, particularly conversations that happened in the car.'
In 2023, it was claimed by a Tory MP that Mr Sunak's car had been found to have a hidden Chinese tracking device. The claim was not denied by Downing Street at the time.
A security exemption does exist for the scheme to make all government vehicles electric by 2027, but it appears to be narrowly drawn.
The Government has publicly said 'vehicles that must regularly conduct covert surveillance operations' can be excluded.
To get this additional security exemption, a government body must 'provide evidence to demonstrate it has explored all available options to meet the commitment'.
The Government is publicly committed to making its fleet of 40,000 vehicles electric by 2027, but many are still petrol-run. The private assessment raises the possibility that the plan could yet be ditched.
It could also have ramifications for the wider electric vehicle push, with consumers expected to increasingly demand assurances over security.
The Department for Transport responded by insisting that it remains committed to the 2027 government electric vehicles target.
There is no blanket ban on Chinese-made electric vehicles being purchased for the government fleet, despite concerns about potential spying.
There are some signs of changes inside Whitehall, however, with the i newspaper revealing on Wednesday that electric cars with Chinese components are now banned from sensitive military sites.
The concerns have surfaced after claims that the Chinese company that was preparing to close blast furnaces run by British Steel was committing 'industrial sabotage'.
Sir Keir Starmer stepped in to take over control of British Steel. Chinese government figures have pushed back on suggestions of any wrongdoing.
The row is now widening out into a public debate about the degree of involvement Chinese companies and the Chinese state have in areas of UK critical national infrastructure.
The government fleet, comprising 40,000 cars and vans, is used not only to drive Cabinet ministers between meetings but for all types of government activity.
Hitting the 100 per cent electric vehicle by 2027 target could prove challenging. In 2022, about a quarter of the government fleet was electric.
Campaigners calling for a tougher stance towards China called for a 'rethink' on the push to make the government fleet electric by 2027.
Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: 'Any device requiring remote software update is vulnerable to manipulation.
'The issue with Chinese electric vehicles is that Beijing's regulations make it possible for the Chinese government to use this capability for ill. With China having already been accused of spying on a ministerial car, this is a risk we should not take.
'If we can only meet the 2027 target by purchasing Chinese electric vehicles, with attendant security risks, the policy needs a rethink. National security comes first.'
Charles Parton, an adviser to the Coalition of Secure Technology, which campaigns to raise awareness of the threat posed by technology produced by potentially hostile states, said about the government fleet: 'Do not use a car that is Chinese. And do not use a car that has a Chinese cellular module.
'If you have ministers talking in the back of their cars then that information is vulnerable.'
A DfT spokesman said: 'We remain committed to ensuring all central government car and van fleets are zero emission by the end of 2027'.