The person “suffering the battle” is America’s second richest billionaire in the world?

The Telegraph (UK) reported last week that, formally, the ban on the use of Chinese technology in new car models by US President Joe Biden’s administration, when it takes effect, seems to be a strong blow to Beijing’s rapidly growing electric vehicle industry.

But in fact, this ban will be the biggest threat to Tesla, the American electric car giant owned by billionaire Elon Musk – the second richest person in the world.

Scary prospect for America

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on September 23 raised the scary prospect of a foreign adversary controlling US cars remotely.

“In an extreme situation, foreign adversaries could shut down or control all of their vehicles operating in the US at the same time,” Ms. Raimondo said.

Ms. Raimondo said that modern cars, connected to the internet, possessing cameras, microphones, GPS and other technologies, in the hands of “foreign adversaries… can pose a serious risk to our national security”. [Mỹ] and the privacy of American citizens”.

According to the Telegraph, this warning comes with a ban on the import and sale of cars using Chinese software and hardware to connect to the internet proposed by the US Department of Commerce. The ban will come into effect for new car models from 2027, with further restrictions from 2030.

Microchips used to receive and transmit information such as location or traffic data, or for use with self-driving technology will be prohibited. The proposed ban could also include car models that use Chinese technology to unlock without a key.

This ban comes after an investigation into cybersecurity risks caused by Chinese software.

According to the Telegraph, formally, any such ban would be the death knell for the budding Chinese electric vehicle (EV) industry in the US. But in reality, it may not have much effect because China’s new generation of electric vehicles – popular in the UK and Europe – is barely visible on American roads.

Shocking tariffs target Chinese electric vehicles

The tariffs announced by President Biden in May increased from 25% to a shocking 100%, the Telegraph reported, doubling the price of Chinese cars and pushing them out of the US market.

Canada has also imposed 100% tariffs.

And the proposed new software ban is targeting cars that sane consumers don’t want to buy because their prices are too high.

But experts warn that there is a possibility that China will retaliate. Bill Russo – founder and CEO of Shanghai-based investment advisory firm Automobility – said that any ban would be “reciprocal” and would impact US business in China.

According to experts, it is currently unclear how that will happen, but there is a clear goal: Tesla – the world’s second largest American electric vehicle manufacturer, last year sold more than 600,000 cars in China – its second largest market.

Meanwhile, China’s BYD group is the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, but its vehicles are not even sold in the US.

Geoffrey Gertz – a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank – has warned that China could now target Tesla.

“US automakers are not seeing a major impact [đối với lệnh cấm này]”, Gertz said, “There have been a number of measures established to deter Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers… It is difficult to speculate on any possible retaliation. I’m not sure there will be anything but Tesla certainly has a foothold in China.”

Professor Weisong Shi – who runs the Connected and Automated Research Laboratory (CAR Lab) at the University of Delaware (USA) – said: “Due to tariffs, we [người Mỹ] Haven’t seen too many Chinese electric cars here [nước Mỹ]. The latest sanctions include software for future connected and autonomous vehicles; and therefore, we will not see Chinese-made software in the US market.”

“This will be a big challenge for China. I don’t know if China will retaliate, but they could. If you think about Tesla cars operating in China, the software they are running is produced by Tesla. That is likely where China will target,” Shi said.

Huu Hien