Summary of Key Points
A owner of a Jikr electric vehicle in Henan encountered an issue while driving across borders. The vehicle's location was continuously displayed overseas, which triggered the car's safety protection mechanism and limited its intelligent functions. This incident has drawn attention to the remote risk management practices for new energy vehicles. Jikr responded, stating that this is a common anti-theft and anti-loss measure in the industry that does not affect the core driving systems. The limitation can be resolved by providing an authorization code for legal cross-border use. However, Jikr acknowledged that they did not inform the owner about the risk management rules in advance and has already assisted in resolving the issue, with plans to improve their approach. This incident highlights the challenge faced by new energy vehicle companies in balancing anti-theft measures with owners' legitimate rights to use their vehicles across borders.
The Owner's Experience
The owner planned to drive to Europe and had informed the 4S store about their travel details during maintenance, but they received no warnings regarding risk management for overseas use. Once abroad, the car's infotainment system suddenly displayed a prompt, disabling intelligent features such as navigation and entertainment. Although driving itself was not affected (core systems like power and braking remained operational), the limitation on intelligent functions caused inconvenience, particularly as the owner could not use navigation to find their way.
Jikr's Response
Jikr explained that this mechanism is widely used by vehicle manufacturers to prevent theft and smuggling. For instance, if a car is stolen and sold abroad or transported across borders after being robbed, the location-based alert can restrict intelligent functions to minimize asset loss. This approach complies with various regulations, including import and export management requirements. They emphasized that the vehicle cannot be "locked" and that the owner can still drive it; only the intelligent features are temporarily disabled. If the owner is legally crossing borders, they can contact Jikr to verify their identity and obtain an authorization code to restore all functions.
Why Do Vehicle Manufacturers Use This Mechanism?
New energy vehicles are connected to the internet and can be located in real-time. Manufacturers use "geofencing" technology to protect against theft and smuggling. If a car's location is detected overseas, it may indicate theft or smuggling, and the system will trigger alerts to restrict intelligent functions. This helps protect the owner's property and prevent manufacturers from being involved in legal issues.
Shortcomings in the Incident
The owner had clearly informed the 4S store about their European trip but did not receive any warnings about risk management for overseas use, indicating a lapse on Jikr's part. Jikr has resolved this issue and is working with the owner to improve their communication strategy. They plan to provide advance notifications about risk management rules or simplify the authorization process so that owners can quickly resolve any issues while abroad.
The Industry Challenge
As new energy vehicles become more intelligent and connected, manufacturers need to implement remote risk management to prevent theft and ensure compliance. However, these measures sometimes interfere with owners' legal cross-border use. Solutions include:
1. Proactive Communication: Manufacturers should inform customers about risk management rules at the time of purchase or maintenance.
2. Intelligent Identification: Systems should be able to distinguish between legal and abnormal cross-border activities (e.g., by allowing users to report their travel plans in advance).
3. Simplified Authorization: Owners should be able to quickly verify their identity through apps to obtain authorization codes and restore restricted functions while abroad.
In summary, this incident was not a result of malicious actions by the vehicle manufacturer but rather a normal activation of the anti-theft mechanism. There is a need for more user-friendly risk management strategies to ensure that new energy vehicles can be used smoothly across borders without inconvenience.