Biden Calls Chinese Electric Vehicles a Security Threat
Biden Calls Chinese Electric Vehicles a Security Threat
The president ordered an investigation into auto technology that could track U.S. drivers, part of a broader effort to stop E.V. and other smart-car imports from China.
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I have strong suspicions that it's not a threat to security due to cars sending back data, but rather that it undermines the electric car industry in the US. If telemetry was the issue, then block that, not the cars themselves.
I’m more concerned with Chinese cars possibly being built by forced labor and sold at less than cost.
This is not limited to just brands from China.
“ In July 2023, Human Rights Watch wrote to BYD (China), General Motors (US), Tesla (US), Toyota (Japan), and Volkswagen (Germany) to obtain information about their efforts to map their aluminum supply chains and eliminate exposure to forced labor in Xinjiang. “
https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/02/01/asleep-wheel/car-companies-complicity-forced-labor-china
Not really a reason to give China even more money.
TBH, I don't think that there's any way to get away from labor abuses at some point in the supply chain, no matter how good the intentions are once you get to the US. I don't just mean 'no ethical consumption under capitalism', but that GM et al. may be far enough removed from the companies that are mining bauxite that they really might not know what's happening. Or, I dunno, maybe the company that makes the tools that the miners depend on to do the job efficiently is made with slave labor. Obvs. they should try to avoid companies that have abusive practices, I'm just not sure if it's possible to ever get to 100%-human-rights-abuses-free production under a capitalist system.
Don't forget about all the lithium mining going on in Africa to create the massive batteries needed for these vehicles
You’re probably thinking of Cobalt. Which battery manufacturers have gotten away from for the reason you cite. Most Lithium comes from Australia.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/chart-countries-produce-lithium-world/
https://insideevs.com/news/372133/91-of-lithium-three-countries/
Okay that was off the top of my head, but that doesn't mean lithium mining isn't harmful to both people and the planet, and that it won't result in more exploitation and abuse as time goes on and demand for batteries grows. The location and specific mineral being mined doesn't really matter. Human rights abuses arent the only thing to worry about, either. My sources focus on lithium, but just like coal mining and oil extraction; the lithium, cobalt, graphite, etc. mining that is necessary to support battery production is also extremely damaging to the environment.
https://www.dw.com/en/lithium-mining-in-africa-reveals-dark-side-of-green-energy/a-67413188
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/01/18/the-paradox-of-lithium/
Bingo. A threat to national security == a threat to American industry titans. The article even states that non-Chinese EVs are required to use Chinese software in China. So pull an uno reverse on them, requiring foreign EVs to run domestic software here in the states. All this does is preserve the status quo for the heads of American industry and their shareholders.
EV adoption would be more wide spread here in the US if the damn things were affordable. As of now, they're presented as a luxury upgrade, or the environmentally responsible thing to do if you can afford it. You would still have the "Buy American®" crowd that will only go with the big 3 because patriotism, but it'll begin getting us on the right track and away from emissions. But nope, let's keep coddling our 100 year old auto industry that fails to innovate and keeps producing crap.
Not quite regarding security. It's not as simple as software. You can add a compromising software layer but you can't make it safe through software if the chips are soft.
The Chinese chips in the cars can be designed to be hacked from afar to turn them into espionage machines.
And when you connect your phone to the onboard system, now your phone gets jacked.
It's nightmare fuel for security.
Yes he says that in the article that that's a concern too. Concerns from US manufacturers and auto unions.
The measures stemmed from conversations with Detroit automakers, union autoworkers and the E.V. giant Tesla, which was recently supplanted by Chinese company BYD as the world’s biggest seller of electric cars.
“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” Mr. Biden said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.”
Thursday’s action did not immediately impose new barriers on Chinese electric vehicles, which already face high tariffs and have not yet penetrated the growing American market for clean energy cars
I fine with preventing them from entering the market if they're using unfair labor practices that make it impossible for the Ford, GM, and Chrysler to compete. Claims of 'security risks' though, not so much.
Suspicions? It literally says that in the article:
But administration officials made clear it was the first step in what could be a wide range of policy responses meant to stop low-cost Chinese electric vehicles... from flooding the U.S. market and potentially driving domestic automakers out of business.