Turkish defence companies bar foreign electric vehicles from their sites over security concerns
Mahmut Akşit said TEI and other major Turkish defence firms have prohibited foreign electric cars from entering their campuses, citing risks from onboard sensors and software.
Speaking in Denizli province, Mahmut Akşit, CEO and general manager of TEI, announced that TEI and fellow Turkish defence contractors Aselsan, Roketsan and Havelsan have stopped allowing foreign electric cars onto their campuses. He highlighted that the extensive sensor suites, cameras and autonomous software in these vehicles could be used to create detailed maps of the sites and potentially be operated by external parties.
The firms continue to accept domestically produced electric vehicles because they retain full control over the software and hardware. Akşit stressed that if the software is owned by a foreign entity, passwords could be altered and the vehicle’s behavior changed at will. He framed the policy as a personal assessment aimed at raising public awareness of digital-technology risks in defence environments. TEI is a subsidiary of Turkish Aerospace Industries, the maker of the fifth-generation jet Kaan.
Why it matters
The ban reflects growing security worries about foreign technology in critical defence facilities.
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