An electric vehicle (EV) battery maker based in China could use its technology to install malware on EVs, monitor EVs, shut down charging networks and cripple the U.S. electrical grid nationwide. The Chinese company, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), dominates the global EV battery industry, but the Foundation for Defense of Democracies concluded in its new report that CATL is “closely linked” with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
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Meanwhile, CATL continues to expand its business in America. The company aims to build battery plants, EV charging networks, and power storage stations throughout the United States, in close collaboration with U.S. utility companies.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies report warns that such collaboration will grant CATL “direct access” to the U.S. power grid, creating new national security risks.
The report warns readers: “By compromising internet-connected public charging infrastructure, CATL could install malware on EVs, consequently allowing for the extended monitoring of countless vehicles and gathering sensitive information about their owners…these connections serve as potential access points for intelligence collection, cyber espionage, and sabotage.”
One out of every three EVs worldwide already uses a CATL battery. CATL has also signed major supply contracts with Tesla, and has additional partnerships with GM, Volkswagen, BMW and more.
CATL is not the only green energy company out of China seeking to expand its U.S. footprint. Gotion High Tech, a battery manufacturer with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, invested billions of dollars last year to open two major production plants and various facilities in Michigan.
The issue is of such concern that it has already provoked a formal response from the United States, with Republican lawmakers calling for a cap, or limit, to the Chinese companies’ expansion in America.
U.S. legislators also recommended new policies to address the data security risks posed by Chinese firms that are already intertwined with U.S. technologies.
