Chinese EVs banned from UK military sites over spying concerns

UK Government officials and military personnel have been instructed to keep Chinese EVs away from military sites. Staff were also advised to avoid having official conversations within electric cars from China over security concerns that Beijing could be using its vehicle exports to spy on the UK.

Sources have told the ‘i’ newspaper that personnel working at Cambridgeshire's RAF Wyton – the UK’s top defence intelligence base – have been instructed to park “at least two miles away” if they are driving a vehicle housing Chinese components. This has been implemented as a result of fears the sat-nav and sensors in the cars could be gathering information about the surroundings and even tracking people’s movements.

The revelation from RAF Wyton comes shortly after military chiefs were told to refrain from holding sensitive conversations within Chinese vehicles, as officials are concerned that microphones mounted within the car which are supposed to be used for voice activation systems and phone calls, could instead be used to eavesdrop by the Chinese state.

As mentioned, the ban doesn’t just concern Chinese EVs, but also other models from non-Chinese manufacturers like JLR, BMW and Volkswagen that use Chinese components. Nevertheless, it’s the Chinese brands that are in the spotlight; Auto Express asked Chinese giant, BYD, whether it would like to refute allegations that its cars could house spyware, but the manufacturer declined to comment.

In the meantime, the government has been heavily criticised for its use of Chinese EVs, with Conservative Shadow Security Minister, Alicia Kearns MP, last month stating that: “The military and government know the risks of Chinese espionage, but we cannot maintain our security with half-hearted measures.” Kearns continued, pushing for what she described as “a full pivot away from Chinese produced EVs in the British military and Government fleets.”

The Ministry of Defence did not deny these latest rumours, instead saying in a statement that “Protecting national security is the foundation of everything we do. We have strict security procedures in place to ensure all sensitive information is protected.”

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