Eh Buddy Hoser

True but then what would be the recourse? Problem with Chinese manufacturers is that you can't force them to do shit, because of how involved the whole production to sales process is, with little visibility. A part gets manufactured by an ODM, sold with little (or no) customisation to an OEM, who then sells it on to an ODM that manufactures the larger unit from that part, again gets customised for an OEM, and the chain process is repeated 3-4 times.

I went through this exact issue a while back with my standing desk - the controller burned out, but because of how it was manufactured and assembled, it was nigh impossible to track down the actual company that manufactured things and could provide an appropriate replacement.

To shorten the tale - the UK seller bought the entire readily made assembly from a Chinese seller, who bought it from an ODM and stamped their logo on it. That ODM (let's call them A) in turn bought the components of the desk - the frame, the motors, the motor controller, the motor controller handler, the power supply, etc. - from different OEMs, who in turn bought them from ODMs with minimal customisation (aside from branding, a level of programming differentiation also went into the MC to specify the motor it will drive, the MCH to specify the protocol version with the MC, the motors to program the limits and limit handling, and so on). So A bought 5 parts from 5 OEMs, each bought them from different ODMs, and I needed to specifically find who A bought the controller from, and what programming parameters they used. Took me nearly 6 months.

Now, how this is a problem when it comes to EVs? Pretty simple. You buy a car from A, but the ODM is B, who used OEMs C, D, E, F, G, and H for parts, each of them using different ODMs. Turns out that one part is actually doing the spying, and A "finds out" it's done by a part sold by E. So they eliminate E from the supply chain, replacing them with company Z - but Z buys the exact same part from the same ODM, so the issue isn't eliminated. Meanwhile A can tell the EU that the problem was resolved (except it wasn't), and not get into any trouble because they can always point fingers. Oh, and E actually gets dissolved and since people in China can't be held responsible for their companies' crimes (if convicted abroad), the same people go on to form company Z and continue the exact same shit under a different name.

This is why you'll always find the same crappy products on Amazon, but under a different keysmash company name.

Oh and you can't even get rid of A, because the moment you try, a dozen other companies - using the same suppliers, same ODMs just different OEMs, often run by the same people as A - will pop up to take their place.

Enforcing EU regulations on Chinese companies isn't as straightforward as "let's make up the laws and enforce them when we can". It goes a lot deeper and it begins at the ability of transparent review of imported products. Which the Chinese won't allow because of their general cultural attitude of "IP theft is okay if I do it but horrible if it's done to me".