Four major Turkish defense companies, ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN and TEI, have banned foreign-made electric vehicles from entering their facilities, citing security risks.
Mahmut Faruk Akşit, general manager of TEI, a state-owned aerospace engine manufacturer, said the restrictions were introduced over concerns that connected vehicles could collect sensitive information about defense facilities or be controlled remotely.
"We no longer allow foreign electric cars onto our campuses," Akşit said on Oct 10 during a conference organized by Pamukkale University in Denizli. "There are too many sensors. With cameras and other equipment, they can map the facility, and we don't have control over them."
Akşit said domestically manufactured electric vehicles were still permitted because Turkish companies retained control over their software and operating systems.
"If you control the software, you can change the passwords and the software to make it secure again. But if someone else controls the software, [the car] will do whatever they want," he said.
"The danger is significant. God forbid, you never know what might happen in a war," Akşit said, describing a scenario in which an attacker could take control of a vehicle and direct it toward the entrance of a military facility, disregarding the presence of passengers. (VK)