Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Push Brings Cyber Concerns

Electric car charging stations, potentially vulnerable to hacking, face heightened security concerns as shifts in the auto industry coincide with rising cyberthreats.

President Joe Biden in early August set a goal for electric vehicles to represent half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2030—a goal aimed at helping slow climate change by reducing fossil fuel use.

But shifting from gas-powered to battery-based cars brings with it new cybersecurity concerns, since vulnerability testing has shown that charging stations—by connecting to the internet and communicating with cars—are potential targets for hackers.

“Think about how disruptive it was with ransomware ...