Experts predict 125 million electric vehicles will be on the road by 2030. In recent years, thanks in part to Americans' concern for rising gas prices, electric vehicles have come a long way.
As ABC15 explains, with the growing acceptance of electric vehicles some drivers might be in shock when they find out how their car could make them vulnerable to hackers.
More and more Americans are getting a jolt from electric vehicles.
"I love the car,” Jorge.
Like, Jorge, who's renting an electric vehicle.
"It rides well. It is very smooth. Obviously, because you do not have to go through gears when you push on the petal,” added Jorge.
He's trying to figure out if it's the right fit for him.
"The only downside is this! You have to charge it,” Jorge
Vincent owns his electric vehicle and loves everything about it.
"The cold A/C, the automatic stop when you push the brake pedal,” added Vincent.
Experts say, even with all the perks they come with, electric vehicle drivers need to use caution when charging their vehicles.
"Unless you are actually engaged in a cash transaction, all of that information is typically exchanged," said Jay Town.
Town, a vice president and the general counsel for cybersecurity risk management company Gray Analytics, wants to make sure electric vehicle drivers think before they plug in their cars.
"There is that threat that anything that touches those kiosks or charging stations can be hacked,” added Town.
But, this is the wave of the future.
The federal government has approved a $5 billion plan to create a network of electric vehicle chargers along interstate highways.
According to Arizona's Director of Homeland Security Tim Roemer, it's creating a potential multi-billion-dollar business for hackers.
"There's no border to it. You can be attacked by anyone, anywhere from around the world at any time,” added Roemer.
Upstream tracked that out of 900 automotive cybersecurity incidents last year, 84.5% of automotive attacks were carried out remotely. The data management company discovered 40.1 of incidents focused on back-end servers attacks.
The ease is one major factor that's made charging stations the next best target for hackers.
"Anything that is connected to the internet is hackable and is being done,” added Roemer.
No matter the risk, electric vehicle drivers who talked with ABC15 remain committed to owning an electric vehicle.
"I still do. I still do. It keeps me smiling every day. So, yeah,” added Vincent.
