Electric cars with Chinese parts banned from UK military sites amid spying fears

Electric vehicles fitted with Chinese components have been banned from parking at military bases with staff told to stop their vehicles miles from sites. According to the i newspaper, staff working at a top UK base have been told to stop their vehicles at least two miles away from key buildings over fears cars could be used as spying tools.

There are fears electric models could be tracked, with sensors collecting data and sending it back to Chinese officials. However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) parking rules will not be introduced across the entire country. Instead, it is believed the new policy is being decided on a site-by-site basis depending on the extent of the risks.

Defence minister Lord Coaker admitted there was no “centrally mandated policy” but stressed certain bases had tougher rules.

He said: “We are aware that individual defence organisations may have stricter requirements relating to electric vehicles on some sites, but we do not provide specific details for security reasons.”

James Bore, a cyber security expert, stressed “almost all” electric cars will report information back to their company.

He stressed electric car firms can update the algorithms that ”govern, charge and discharge a military personnel’s EV battery on the fly”.

Meanwhile, almost all modern electric cars are fitted with a range of technology such as cameras, sensors, radar and the internet.

Last month, military bosses demanded workers stop having sensitive conversations while sitting in electric cars over fears information could be recorded through vehicle’s built-in microphones.

The Conservative’s Shadow Security Secretary, Alicia Kearns called on the Government to revert away from electric vehicles if there was a potential threat.

She said: “The military and government know the risks of Chinese espionage, but we cannot maintain our security with half-hearted measures. We need to see a full pivot away from Chinese-produced EVs in the British military and government fleets.

“We know the risks, now we need to act fast to protect ourselves from them.”

An MoD spokesperson said: “Protecting national security is the foundation of everything we do. We have strict security procedures in place to ensure all sensitive information is protected.”