Israel’s Ministry of Defense has suspended the supply of Chinese electric vehicles to Israel Defense Forces officers following internal warnings that the cars could pose surveillance risks, according to a report by Ynetnews.
The decision halts the distribution of BYD Atto 3 electric vehicles, which had been designated for lieutenant colonels in the IDF. The move follows sustained pressure from cybersecurity and intelligence officials who warned that Chinese vehicles could collect and transmit sensitive data through their embedded sensors and communication systems.
“This, however, is not enough,” Dr. Harel Menashri told Ynet, referring to attempts to disable vehicle communications systems. Menashri, a founder of the Shin Bet’s cyber division and now head of cyber at the Holon Institute of Technology, said, “Chinese cars should be treated as sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems. They include advanced sensor systems with communication capabilities and can easily collect a vast amount of visual, audio, and even biometric information about the vehicle’s occupants and surroundings, and directly transmit it to servers in China.”
The Ministry of Defense had previously received more than 600 Chinese-made vehicles, including MG ZS EVs and Chery Tiggo 8 crossovers, many of which are still in active use.
According to Ynetnews, the Atto 3 was never put into use after its internal electronics were examined. BYD’s compact electric crossover had been the top-selling vehicle in Israel in 2022, with more than 2,000 units sold in November of that year, according to data reported by CnEVPost.
The suspension of BYD vehicle deployment is part of a broader reevaluation of Chinese-made technologies within Israel’s defense sector. Experts have cautioned that many Chinese products, including surveillance cameras and consumer electronics, could be leveraged for espionage under China’s 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law, which mandates cooperation with state intelligence agencies.
Menashri added, “I’ve never come across Chinese technology that doesn’t transmit. When you operate a Chinese-made device, it first searches the Internet for communication channels to transmit information to government servers in China.”
The United States has previously imposed restrictions on Chinese electric vehicles and related technologies, with officials warning that they could be used to remotely monitor or disrupt infrastructure. Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has described such vehicles as “smartphones on wheels” and a national security threat.
