The maximum responsible person of the Turkish defense company TEI, Mahmut Aksit, announced this Sunday that his firm, along with other sector companies in Turkey, has decided to prevent the entry of foreign-origin electric vehicles into their premises for security reasons.
"Here in Turkey, we, Aselsan, Roketsan, Havelsan, and TEI no longer allow the entry of foreign electric cars into our facilities," Aksit stated during an event in Denizli reported by the Turkish news agency Anatolia.
"It's because they have many sensors, cameras, and other devices that can map the entire area and we are not the ones controlling them," he argued.
On the other hand, access is authorized for electric vehicles produced in Turkey "because we control both the software and the systems themselves (...), but the risk is significant."
"If you control the software, you can change passwords, modify the software, and make the system secure again. But if the software or control is in other hands, the vehicle will unfortunately do whatever that person wants," he pointed out.
Aksit emphasized that the cameras, sensors, and software incorporated in electric cars must be analyzed from a security perspective. TEI operates as a subsidiary of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the group responsible for the development of the fifth-generation Turkish fighter Kaan.