Auto Care Association
To represent the interests of the independent repair aftermarket in the United States and globally.
ID: 413762233254-49
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Filip Alexandru Negreanu Arboreanu (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)
11 Mar 2020 · Transport issues
Response to Evaluation of the 2011 White Paper on Transport
6 Mar 2019
The Auto Care Association (Auto Care) welcomes the European Commission’s roadmap on developing a new transport white paper to set out its priorities in this sector for the coming years. As part of this orientation exercise, Auto Care believes that one of the key issues that needs to be addressed by the next European Commission is that of fair access to in-vehicle data by independent operators. Auto Care believes that the European Commission currently has a unique opportunity to send a strong signal to the market in order to avoid the development of anti-competitive behaviours in the field of access to in-vehicle data and resources.
As there is currently no legal framework in place to manage the control of access to in-vehicle data and resources, some car manufacturers are implementing closed technical architectures, such as the extended vehicle concept. This technology threatens the direct, safe and real-time access to in-vehicle data that independent repair and maintenance operators need to effectively maintain, service and repair vehicles. Additionally, there is a clear risk for independent repairers, as well as the rest of the fast-growing automotive value chain (e.g. car rental/leasing, insurance, mobility as a service start-ups), of being locked-out of any major technological shift in data acquisition and distribution services.
Auto Care is of the firm belief that vehicle data should belong to and be controlled by the vehicle owner on the basis that it's their car, so it’s their data. The immense amount of data generated and transmitted by vehicles can offer significant benefits to consumers, but only if consumers know what data is being collected, have freedom to access it, and control where the vehicle sends their data and how it's used.
If the car manufacturers continue to control the data as is currently the case, there is an inherent danger that consumers will:
- face a less competitive marketplace for obtaining vehicle repairs;
- be subject to the commercial business preferences of the vehicle manufacturers regarding the use of their vehicle’s data; and
- face restrictions on access to the critical data needed to repair highly sophisticated, latest-model cars.
Our view is that in order to protect consumer choice and to ensure the continued prosperity of the automotive aftermarket sector, which is responsible for a significant number of jobs in Europe and globally, a binding legislative framework on access to in-vehicle data is required.
Auto Care supports a technical solution that provides security, privacy, choice, safety, and a level playing field for the marketplace. Currently there is a technical architecture in advanced development that delivers on these requirements.
This solution provides a standardized, secure design for vehicle data to be shared with third parties at the owner’s discretion. As a trusted entity within the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) ecosystem, it enables a smart global infrastructure where vehicles can “talk” to their surroundings (e.g., traffic lights, emergency vehicles, other vehicles, etc.) in order to adapt to an evolving driving environment, which results in safer and more efficient roads. The solution uses a standardized set of secure interfaces to connect recognized and authorized systems with the in-vehicle network, translating the manufacturer’s proprietary data into a common language.
Auto Care therefore calls on the European Commission to focus on ensuring fair, direct, safe and real-time access to in-vehicle data as a key priority for future transport and mobility legislation.
Read full responseMeeting with Grzegorz Radziejewski (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)
18 Feb 2019 · Connected and automated mobility