The United States of America is considering a controversial measure that would impact the economy but is motivated by security concerns. It could remove Chinese motorcycle manufacturers like CFMOTO and Kove from the country.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is proposing a ban on the sale or importation of connected vehicles that contain hardware and software components with sufficient nexus to China or Russia. The separate sale of these same components would also be included. If the measure is approved, the software ban would take effect for 2027 models, while the hardware ban would be for 2030 models, or starting January 1, 2029, for vehicles without a model year.
The BIS considers some technologies originating from China and Russia to pose ‘an undue risk to both U.S. critical infrastructure and those who use connected vehicles’. The targeted components include hardware and software integrated into the Vehicle Connectivity System (VCS) and software integrated into the Automated Driving System (ADS) – with the BIS emphasizing that ‘malicious access to these systems could allow adversaries to access and collect our most sensitive data and remotely manipulate cars on American roads’.
However, this proposed rule does not apply solely to cars but ‘to all wheeled on-road vehicles’. Excluded are ‘vehicles not used on public roads like agricultural or mining vehicles’.
What could this mean for the motorcycle market? CFMOTO has the T-Box system and the Ride app, which fit this description, as does Kove, which has several models equipped with Bluetooth and GPS connectivity systems that can link to an app.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, stated: ‘Cars today have cameras, microphones, GPS tracking, and other technologies connected to the internet. It doesn’t take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of U.S. citizens. To address these national security concerns, the Commerce Department is taking targeted, proactive steps to keep PRC and Russian-manufactured technologies off American roads’.