Herald Palladium: Walberg pushes for limit on Chinese autonomous vehicles

U.S. Representatives from three different states, including Tim Walberg, are pushing for an investigation and limit of operation of autonomous vehicles made by Chinese companies within the U.S.

Walberg, Debbie Dingell, Bob Latta and Marc Veasy sent a bipartisan letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, urging an investigation.

Lawmakers noted the amount of motor vehicle traffic fatalities last year and how advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can help reduce fatalities. They continued to say the U.S. will not benefit from the future of AVs if the “current trajectory of inaction” continues.

“The People’s Republic of China also has strong restrictions on United States autonomous vehicle companies operating or testing in China. We are concerned that we are ceding a serious strategic advantage by not barring Chinese companies from operating in the United States in return,” the lawmakers wrote. “Technology used by AVs, LiDAR, RADAR, cameras, AI, and other advanced sensors and semiconductors, can all be used to collect data on the American people and infrastructure that could be shared back to China and ultimately to the Chinese Communist Party.”

The massive amount of data that can be collected by these cars give the CCP an advantage over the U.S., they wrote.

Lawmakers said China is ahead of the U.S. and setting global standard for AVs, establishing a supply chain and deploying the technology all on its own.

Lawmakers concluded the letter by asking both departments to coordinate with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate the prevalence of Chinese AV companies in the U.S. for competitive and safety reasons.

This article originally appeared in the July 20 edition of The Herald Palladium.