The United Kingdom government has launched an investigation into electric buses manufactured by Yutong, a China-based company. This comes after reports emerged in Norway that Yutong buses may be remotely shut down by the manufacturer, posing a security risk to the country's transport infrastructure.
More than 700 Yutong buses are currently operating in the UK, particularly in Scotland, Wales and Nottingham. Norwegian transport company Ruter said in its tests that Yutong bus data could be accessed. Among the systems that could be accessed are the battery and power management systems. In theory, if this system could be accessed, the bus could be remotely shut down by anyone.
Yutong issued an official statement saying that customer data cannot be accessed by them without permission and that they meet all European Union (EU) security requirements. However, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre will still conduct an investigation to assess the risks that may exist.
Concerns about Chinese-made vehicles being used for espionage are not new. The United States has used this as an excuse to block the entry of Chinese vehicles into its market. China also banned Tesla-made vehicles from entering the city when President Xi visited for the same reason.
