Moolenaar, Blackburn Urge Review of Chinese EV Charging Firm Over National Security Risks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are urging the Departments of Commerce and Defense to investigate Autel Energy—a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) charging company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers called for a national security review to ensure American consumer data and energy infrastructure are not compromised by foreign adversaries.
“Autel Energy manufactures electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Autel Intelligent Transportation Corp.—the same parent company to Chinese drone maker Autel Robotics, which the U.S. government recently added to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List and the Chinese military companies list," said Moolenaar and Blackburn. "We are concerned that Autel Energy’s products pose many of the same risks to U.S. economic and national security as those manufactured by Autel Robotics and its parent company, both of which are openly affiliated with the CCP and People’s Liberation Army.”
Autel has worked to obscure its Chinese ownership, using a different name in the U.S., highlighting its new assembly facility, and marketing its products as eligible for federal EV infrastructure funds. This mirrors tactics used by its sister company, which falsely promoted a “Made in USA” drone using banned Chinese tech.
The lawmakers urge a review of whether Autel Energy should be added to national security watchlists, citing its ability to collect driver data and connect to critical infrastructure.
They thanked the Departments for their leadership and stressed the need for proactive measures to protect Americans from growing technology threats tied to adversarial regimes.
You can read the full letter here and the Wall Street Journal article here.
###