Biden administration proposes ban on Chinese vehicle technology
Published: 14:56 23 Sep 2024 EDT
The Biden administration has proposed a ban on key Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on US roads due to national security concerns.
The new rules, out of the US Commerce Department, would effectively ban Chinese cars and trucks in the US.
The software ban would be effective in the 2027 model year, with the hardware ban taking effect in the 2030 model year.
The ban would also extend to software and hardware produced in Russia.
"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," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.
"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."
The new rules would also require American and other automakers to remove Chinese software and hardware from vehicles in the US, a Commerce Department official confirmed to Reuters.
Under the rules, American automakers General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) would need to halt Chinese vehicle exports.
GM’s Buick Envision and Ford’s Lincoln Nautilus are both assembled in China for the US market.
"We anticipate at this point that any vehicle that is manufactured in China and sold in the US would fall within the prohibitions," said Liz Cannon, head of the department’s information and communications technology office.
She added that GM and Ford are aware that "going forward" production in China for the United States market "would need to be shut down in China and moved elsewhere."
Members of the public have 30 days to comment on the proposal, with the Commerce Department hoping to finalize it by January 20, 2025.
