Back in April, Rep Stevens (D,MI) introduced HR 8560, the Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act. The bill would require DOE to conduct a research, development, and demonstration program of advanced vehicle technologies on more efficient, sustainable, and domestically available materials and manufacturing processes. It provides a five-year spending authorization for the program, starting at $530 million for FY 2027, increasing slightly in each of the following years.
HR 8560 is similar to HR 5090, the Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act, that was introduced by Stevens in July 2023. No action was taken on that bill in the 118th Congress. That earlier bill did include one section dealing with cybersecurity assessments for on-road vehicles. This bill includes a virtually identical cybersecurity section.
Definitions
Section 2 provides definitions of five key terms used in the bill. Those include three technical terms, only one of which is used in the cybersecurity related provisions; ‘extreme fast charging’.
Cybersecurity Provisions
Sub-section 5(a) requires DOE to “establish a research and development program focused on the cybersecurity and physical security of interconnections between vehicles, vehicle energy storage systems, charging equipment, buildings, and the electric grid for plug-in electric vehicles, connected vehicles, autonomous, and other relevant vehicles.” The program would also look at the security impacts, efficiency, and safety of plug-in electric vehicles using alternating current charging, high-power direct current fast charging, and extreme fast charging. The program would be coordinated with the current DOE R&D program looking at integrating electric vehicles onto the electric grid being conducted under 42 USC 17014.
Subsection 5(b) requires DOE to develop a 5- to 10-year impact assessment of emergent cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities to the United States on-road transportation system and connected infrastructure. That assessment would identify:
Areas of research with respect to which Federal cross-agency research coordination and cooperation may help address such threats and vulnerabilities, and
Current research and challenges associated with cyber-physical protection and resiliency of electric and connected and automated vehicle technologies.
Moving Forward
Stevens is a member of the House Science and Technology Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered by the Committee. Unfortunately, there are two issues related to this bill that would make support from the Republican leadership problematic at best. First is the large amount of new spending that would be authorized, over ½ billion dollars annually; the second is the focus on electric vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles. Either issue would be likely to block consideration of the bill.
Commentary
The requirement for a 5- to 10-year impact assessment of emergent cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities §5(b) seems to reflect a rather surprising misunderstanding of the pace of change in technology, software and malware that will impact cybersecurity efforts. A 1- to 2-year impact assessment would be more likely to portray future threats realistically. That may not match well with the pace of change in automotive technology, but cyber threats are almost certainly going to follow the cyber technology, not automotive technology.