Chinese EVs Could Be Weaponized Just Like the Hezbollah Pagers
In the age of globalism and outsourcing, everyone should be asking an important question after Israel launched a preemptive strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon this week. Just how safe are our electronic devices that are manufactured in hostile foreign countries like China?
Through a series of shell companies that it set up in Europe, Israel manufactured all of the pagers, walkie-talkies, and solar-powered battery packs that have been exploding and injuring thousands of people across Lebanon. They assembled these electronic gadgets with shaped charges of explosives hidden in them.
A think tank in the UK is now asking the obvious question in the wake of this. With Great Britain importing so many electric vehicles (EVs) from China, could people be driving around in a piece of high-tech weaponry that could kill them and their families at any time?
The China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) warns that the growing market share of Chinese-made EVs in the UK represents a major national security risk. It’s nearly impossible for civilians to work on these vehicles because of the way they’re put together.
The self-driving features in EVs represent a security risk that no one ever talks about. What if the Chinese take over the vehicle remotely and plow it into a telephone pole or a politician at 100 mph with you inside? Plus, EVs could be transmitting data directly back to Beijing about the travel and movements of politicians and military leaders who own them.
How would you know whether your iPhone or Android smartphone isn’t a walking time bomb? These Israeli attacks may have just reopened a very strong argument in favor of the domestic production of electronic devices. Is it really worth the potential risk to have so many of our gadgets manufactured overseas by countries that hate us?