In Norway, it has been found that Chinese electric buses can be shut down and stopped by the manufacturer. The same type runs in Denmark.

In Norway, it has been discovered that Chinese electric buses can be shut down and stopped by the manufacturer. The same type of buses are also in operation in Denmark.

Traffic company Movia will now examine their own buses for digital vulnerabilities, says traffic director.

More and more electric buses are rolling out on Danish roads to replace the older, noisy diesel buses. (Photo: © Christian Lindgren, Ritzau Scanpix) 13 minutes ago

During the summer, two electric buses from the Norwegian traffic company Ruter were secretly transported to the Norwegian town of Drammen.

The two buses were carefully selected: one was a European electric bus produced in the Netherlands, while the other was a brand new Chinese electric bus from manufacturer Yutong.

The purpose was to determine whether the Chinese supplier Yutong could control buses running on Norwegian roads, writes the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. (https://www.aftenposten.no/oslo/i/PpWLwJ/ruter-har-testet-egne-elbusser-de-kinesiske-kan-stoppes)

The testing revealed that the Dutch bus could not be stopped by the manufacturer. However, the Chinese bus could both be stopped, turned off, and receive software updates, which in the worst case could potentially damage systems that the bus depends on to function normally.

According to Arild Tjomsland, advisor at the University of South-East Norway and one of the ten engineers who were behind the testing, the situation can be compared to a mobile update.

- You can compare it to your mobile phone. Overnight, you get a new update – and then the screen is just black, says Tjomsland to NRK. (https://www.nrk.no/stor-oslo/krev-kjopsstopp-etter-avsloring-om-elbussar-fra-kina-1.17629994)

Also read: Millions on the way to more electric buses throughout the country (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/seneste/millioner-paa-vej-til-flere-elbusser-i-hele-landet)

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Movia is aware of the problem

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In Denmark, the Chinese electric bus brand Yutong is also in operation on the Danish highways.

In fact, traffic company Movia has 262 Yutong buses in operation, says Jeppe Gaard, who is traffic director at Movia.

And therefore, they are also aware of the problem, he says.

- The conclusion that has come out of the work in Norway is that electric buses – just like electric cars – theoretically can be deactivated remotely, if their software systems have web access.

Movia has no plans to carry out the same test that the Norwegian traffic company Ruter has conducted, but the company is in the process of reviewing their buses' risk assessments.

- We are in the process of looking at our buses and our bus operators' risk assessments regarding the use of Chinese electric buses, and we have reached the point where we have contacted the Danish Safety Authority, which has informed us that they do not have knowledge of concrete cases of deactivation of electric buses.

However, the authority also informed Movia that the buses are equipped with a number of systems that are internet-connected and linked to sensors, which can potentially be vulnerabilities that can be exploited to disrupt operations.

- That is something we are very aware of at Movia, says Jeppe Gaard.

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It needs to be solved on a national level

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In Norway, a solution has been found where the bus's SIM card is removed to prevent remote deactivation.

Movia sees many advantages of the technology – for example, the possibility of providing passengers with information about the bus's validity.

- And if you remove web access, you can't use that kind of data, says Jeppe Gaard.

Therefore, it is about finding technical solutions that can both minimize vulnerabilities and at the same time preserve the advantages of the technology for Movia.

For Jeppe Gaard, it is important to emphasize that the problem is not only about buses, but about all types of vehicles with Chinese electronics, and he believes that the issue needs to be addressed at a higher level.

- But it is clear that when we have been presented with the knowledge we received yesterday, it is appropriate to investigate – both for us, but in reality also on a national level.

- It is about what regulation should apply when protecting the digital units that are accessible via the internet, and especially when they come from Chinese manufacturers. That is clear, that it is then something that all parties need to think about, he emphasizes.

In the opinion of Movia's traffic director, it requires that all parties think about it, and it will not be solved by simply avoiding buying buses from a specific manufacturer.

- It needs to be solved on many levels, he says.

Arild Tjomsland, who is an advisor at the University of South-East Norway, is one of the ten engineers who have examined the buses in Norway, he emphasizes to NRK that the buses cannot be controlled externally – for example, change direction. (Photo: © Liselotte Sabroe, Ritzau Scanpix)

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