Federal government warned of Chinese EV software security risk

Simon Evans, Tom Rabe and Jessica Sier

Sep 24, 2024 – 6.55pm

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Already a subscriber?

A weak stance by the Albanese government on security concerns posed by Chinese automotive software and consumer preferences for cheaper electric vehicles risk leaving Australia adrift on mitigating a new source of spyware.

The US government is proposing a ban on software installed in Chinese-made vehicles because of risks to national security from their remote manipulation using data collected from sensors, cameras and software. It means more of those EVs will likely land in markets such as Australia from 2027 as they are rejected by the US.

Simon Evans writes on business specialising in retail, manufacturing, beverages, mining and M&A. He is based in Adelaide.

Tom Rabe is the WA political correspondent, based in Perth.

Jessica Sier is the North Asia Correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. She is based in Tokyo, Japan. Jessica has previously written on technology, global capital markets and economics.