Chciago – September 10, 2025
U.S. officials are warning that solar-powered highway equipment, like chargers, weather stations, and traffic cameras, should be checked for hidden devices, such as secret radios, inside their batteries and inverters.
This warning comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration as concerns grow about Chinese technology in America’s transportation infrastructure.
A new security advisory, which was shared with Reuters, says that unauthorized radios have been found in certain foreign-made power inverters and battery management systems.
While the advisory didn’t specify where these products came from, many inverters are made in China. U.S. officials worry that these radios could allow outside parties to remotely control or tamper with the equipment, possibly under China’s influence.
The advisory recommends that transportation agencies inventory inverters across the U.S., scan devices for unknown communications, and remove any hidden radios. Officials say these hidden devices could cause problems like outages or data theft.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington responded, saying it disagreed with these claims about China’s energy infrastructure. The Federal Highway Administration is urging agencies to take steps to protect U.S. infrastructure from potential risks.
