The UK’s consumer safety regulator has pulled an electric vehicle charger from the market over national security concerns.
Wallbox, which manufactures the Copper SB electric car charger, was told by the Office for Product Safety and Standards that its product does not comply with the current cybersecurity laws.
Due to the concerns flagged by the regulator, the company now has until June to stop selling its charger in the UK.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards explained how the product failed to meet the cybersecurity requirements because of a hardware and operating system limitation, which could make it easier to hack.
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Wallbox's Copper SB electric car charger does not comply with the current cybersecurity laws
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Under current regulations, all electric chargers must meet certain device-level requirements, which include the ability to respond to signals to increase the rate or time at which electricity flows through the charge point.
The regulations place requirements on any person or business selling, offering, or advertising an EV charge point for sale, at any point in a supply chain.
It also ensures that chargers continue to operate even if the device ceases to be connected to a communications network.
A charge point must also incorporate software that allows the device to be securely updated to protect against a cyber-attack.
The Copper SB charger is priced at roughly £500 with Wallbox having sold nearly 40,000 units in the UK already.
Ken Munro, of Pen Test Partners, a cybersecurity company, told The Telegraph: “The electric vehicle charging industry has inadvertently created a weapon that hostile foreign powers and others could use to destabilise our power grid.
“A lack of appropriate cybersecurity has left us all exposed to blackouts.”
He also suggested that the National Grid could be attacked if criminals are able to activate thousands of devices at the same time.
A spokesperson for Wallbox said: “We have safety and security at the centre of our product development. Regarding the concerns about our charger, the Copper SB, we would like to reassure our customers of its safety, particularly as it pertains to grid stability in the UK.
“Wallbox made updates to the Copper SB to comply with the UK regulation and these updates were implemented to prevent simultaneous charging initiation, to safeguard the grid.”
The spokesperson added: “The EV Charging industry, like all growing industries, is constantly improving to adapt products to the latest requirements and the highest standards.
“This is an ongoing process between key industry players and regulators to ensure customers have access to compliant products of the highest standards.”
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As of January 2024, there are approximately one million electric cars on UK roads
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The failed safety checks with the Wallbox charger may heighten the public’s hesitation to switch to an electric vehicle.
Taking to social media, after hearing the news of the charger risks, one user said: “I love my diesel car. I wouldn't want [buy] an electric even if you paid me to take it.
“I just don't trust them and think it would be too difficult and time-consuming to find chargers that work.”
As of the end of January 2024, there are approximately one million electric cars on UK roads and a further 600,000 plug-in hybrids.
Nearly 315,000 battery-electric cars were registered in 2023, a growth of 18 per cent on the number registered in 2022.