Authorities from Denmark are quickly examining methods to seal an seeming safety vulnerability in hundreds of China-produced electric buses that enables them to be disabled remotely.
Investigation Triggered by Discoveries in Neighboring Country
The probe follows public transit officials in Norway, where these electric buses are also operational, discovered that the Chinese supplier had online connectivity for program patches and system checks to the vehicles’ control systems – which might be misused to affect buses while in transit.
“Our examination revealed risks that we are now addressing,” stated the top official of the public transport authority. “Government and municipal authorities have been notified and must assist with extra steps at a countrywide scale.”
Proposed Fix and Its Limitations
Their investigations determined that remote deactivation could be prevented by extracting the buses’ mobile chips, but they have avoided this step because it would also isolate the bus from other systems.
- Tighter safety requirements for new acquisitions
- Taking steps prior to the deployment of newer models of buses
- Getting ready for vehicles that could be deeper linked and more challenging to safeguard
Extent of the Problem in Denmark
The biggest Danish public transport company runs nearly 470 Chinese electric buses, with 262 of these manufactured by Yutong.
“Electric buses – similar to electric cars – can be disabled from afar if their operating programs have online access,” explained a chief operating officer. “It isn't a China-made vehicle problem. It is a problem for every kind of vehicles and devices with China-produced components built in.”
Government Evaluation and Alerts
Government bodies for civil protection and crisis response stated that it was had no knowledge of any particular incidents in which electric buses had been disabled, but advised that the vehicles were equipped with “subsystems with online access and detection devices (cameras, audio recorders, GPS) that can create security gaps which could be leveraged to interrupt bus operations”.
Manufacturer Statement and Data Protection
Yutong stated it “strictly complies with relevant regulations and industry standards” and that bus system information in the EU were stored at a datacentre in Frankfurt.
“This data is used solely for transport servicing, optimisation and advancement to meet post-purchase service demands,” commented a official speaker. “The data is secured through information scrambling and security protocols. No one is authorized to see this data without customer authorisation.”
Political Reaction and Concerns
An elected official said that Denmark has been “far too delayed” when it came to dependency regarding Chinese companies.
“This constitutes a huge problem. We cannot afford to be so leaning on a country that has values and ideals so unlike Denmark,” he remarked. At a time when Denmark was working to boost its resilience amid accusations of combined threats by Russia, “it’s not very resilient to be completely reliant on China”.
Transportation authorities in Norway chose not to respond on the matter.
