Chinese auto tech should be banned at US bases, lawmakers say: Report

US lawmakers urged the Pentagon to bar internet-connected vehicles with Chinese technology from entering US military bases, building on a Biden administration probe into security risks posed by the cars. The group from the House Select Committee on China outlined their concerns in a letter Thursday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, citing a Commerce Department investigation, which could result in a ban on transactions involving certain Chinese vehicle technology in the US — and by extension, the cars, including electric vehicles that use banned components.

The authors cite potential data and cyber-security risks posed by so-called connected vehicles that capture massive amounts of personal data. The lawmakers, led by Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi, urged Austin to ban cars containing Chinese-produced technologies such as LiDAR, a remote-sensing technology, from US military bases. The Chinese government has banned Tesla Inc. cars in certain government and military sites over security concerns.

“The national security risk is very real," the lawmakers wrote. Even if Chinese-connected vehicles never gain major market share in the US, they said “many of the enabling technologies such as LiDAR or Internet of Things Modules could continue to operate on our US roads and in our critical infrastructure."

LiDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, is a sensor that emits pulsed light waves into the environment to determine distances. It helps vehicles with autonomous driving functions to navigate.

The world’s largest supplier of LiDAR is Hesai Group, a company with roots in Shanghai and Silicon Valley. Its customers include car makers such as Li Auto Inc. and Xiaomi Corp. It was put on the list of “Chinese Military Companies" by the US Department of Defense in January, a designation that Hesai contests and has threatened legal action over.