Denmark's Officials Scramble to Close Safety Loophole in Chinese E-powered Buses

Officials in Denmark are urgently studying methods to seal an seeming security loophole in many China-produced electric buses that permits them to be remotely deactivated.

Probe Prompted by Findings in Nearby Country

The investigation was initiated after transport authorities in Norway, where the Yutong buses are also running, determined that the Chinese supplier had online connectivity for program patches and system checks to the bus operating systems – which could be exploited to impact vehicles while on the move.

“The testing exposed threats that we are now addressing,” stated the top official of the transit agency. “Government and municipal authorities have been informed and must assist with extra steps at a national level.”

Proposed Fix and Its Drawbacks

Their investigations found that online disabling could be blocked by extracting the buses’ connectivity cards, but they have avoided this step because it would also cut off the bus from support services.

• Tighter safety requirements for upcoming purchases
• Moving ahead of the arrival of next generation of buses
• Preparing for vehicles that could be deeper linked and more challenging to safeguard

Extent of the Problem in Denmark

Denmark's largest public transport company manages over 450 Chinese electric buses, with approximately 260 of these manufactured by Yutong.

“E-buses – like electric cars – can be remotely deactivated if their software systems have web access,” explained a senior operations executive. “This is not a China-made vehicle problem. It is a problem for every kind of vehicles and systems with China-produced components incorporated.”

Official Assessment and Alerts

The Danish agency for civil protection and emergency management stated that it was had no knowledge of any actual occurrences in which electric buses had been disabled, but advised that the vehicles were equipped with “component networks with web connection and sensors (cameras, audio recorders, location tracking) that can represent weaknesses which could be used to interrupt bus operations”.

Producer Statement and Information Security

Yutong stated it “fully adheres with applicable laws and commercial guidelines” and that vehicle terminal data in the EU were stored at a data center in Frankfurt.

“This data is used exclusively for bus upkeep, enhancement and betterment to meet post-purchase service demands,” added a official speaker. “The data is secured through data encoding and access control measures. Not anyone is permitted to view this data without client approval.”

Government Response and Concerns

A political representative stated that Denmark has been “way too slow” when it came to dependence on Chinese companies.

“This is a major issue. We should not be so leaning on a country that has principles and beliefs so different to Denmark,” he continued. During a period when Denmark was working to boost its resilience amid accusations of mixed warfare by Russia, “it’s not very resilient to be completely reliant on China”.

The transport ministry in Norway refused to speak on the matter.