Chinese electric cars hired by the Norwegian army recorded soldiers, their routes and access codes to military sites during the Øvelse Hovedstad exercise. The case was reported by the Norwegian daily Dagens Næringsliv, which cited sources familiar with the incident.
At least two of the cars were from the Deepal brand, owned by the Chinese manufacturer Changan. The cars were used to transport Territorial Defence troops during the exercise, which took place from 14 to 18 September in the Oslo and Akershus area.
Recordings found in on-board computers
Around 5,000 soldiers took part in Øvelse Hovedstad. One of their tasks was to prepare for security at Gardermoen Airport in the event of a military conflict.
The videos were found when soldiers were browsing menus in the cars' on-board computers. According to Lieutenant Frederick Blank, the cameras showed who got in and out of the car, where the cars were going, who they were picking up and how long they spent in different places.
“You can see who got in and out of the car, where we were going, who we were picking up and how long we spent in each place“, says Lieutenant Frederick Blank.According to him, the recordings also included codes entered at the gates of military facilities along with access cards.
The cars were used until the end of the exercise
Despite the discovery, the cars remained in use until the end of the exercise, including in areas with military facilities. The reason was the shortage of alternative vehicles.
After the end of the exercise, the servicemen deleted the recordings from the cars whose systems they were able to access. The incident was reported to the command in a separate document. It is not known whether the videos were only stored in the cars' internal memory or were also stored or transmitted elsewhere.
The cars were provided by First Rent A Car Norway, a major supplier under the military contract. According to Norwegian news agency NTB, the company's chain of ownership leads to China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The company said it complies with Norwegian and European law.
Poland already restricts Chinese cars from military sites
The case comes amid restrictions introduced by Poland in February. The Polish army banned Chinese-made cars from entering guarded military sites over concerns that cameras, sensors and communication systems could collect sensitive data. The ban also covers other vehicles capable of recording audio, video or location, unless these functions are disabled.
Polish military personnel are also prohibited from connecting work phones to the multimedia systems of Chinese vehicles. According to the Associated Press, the Polish army describes the measures as preventive and in line with practices in other NATO countries.
Similar concerns were raised in Norway during a test of a Chinese bus by transport operator Ruter in 2025. At that time, experts found remote access from servers in China to diagnostic modules, software updates and the battery.
Sources: focus-news.net, dn.no, apnews.com