The People's Liberation Army has banned all electric vehicles made by American firm Tesla, Inc from entering PLA military bases and housing compounds, saying the digital cameras on these EVs are spying on the military.
A PLA order revealed Friday tells owners of Tesla Model 3 executive sedans and Tesla Model Y crossover utility vehicles -- the only two Tesla EVs sold in China -- to park their EVs outside PLA military property. The ban was announced to residents of military housing this week.
Many of these EVs are assembled at Tesla's massive gigafactory located in Shanghai. Before Giga-Shanghai became operational in December 2019, all Tesla EVs sold in China were imported from the United States.
The abrupt ban was apparently triggered by fears digital cameras on Tesla EVs are collecting sensitive data on what they see are uncensored by the communist Chinese government.
Images of a notice about the ban are circulating on Chinese social media sites. It says the PLA is concerned the multi-direction digital cameras and ultrasonic sensors on both Tesla EVs may "expose (military) locations."
As a consequence, Tesla EVs are being barred from military residences to ensure the safety of confidential military information, said the notice.
The ban comes in the wake of a security review of Tesla EVs. This review, reportedly, found Tesla's sensors can record images of their surrounding locations.
This feature allows Tesla to obtain sensitive data such as when and where the cars are being used. It can also track personal information, like a smartphone's contact list if it's connected to the car.
China is concerned the information can be sent back to the United States and to its spy agencies.
A Made in China Tesla Model 3 deploys eight surround cameras that provide 360 degrees of visibility around the car at a range of up to 250 meters. Twelve updated ultrasonic sensors complement this camera system.
Both these systems enable the detection of both hard and soft objects around the EV at nearly twice the distance of the older system.
Most of these cameras are located outside the vehicle. The cameras are used to help guide parking and to enable autopilot and self-driving functions.
Most Tesla models also have an interior camera mounted above the rear view mirror. This camera detects if a driver is looking at the road or looking at something else.
In the U.S., some Tesla EV use their internal cameras to monitor what it calls Full Self Driving beta testers. These are Tesla owners that have volunteered to test the cars' driver-assist capabilities.
