Access to data from connected vehicles: There is still time to act

DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network.

By Connected Mobility for All Alliance
Oct 18, 2022 

By 2025, almost half of the vehicles on the road in Europe will be connected vehicles. 

The increase in the number of internet-connected vehicles on EU roads raises questions about data management; to ensure that the data is used to benefit Europe, it is necessary for EU lawmakers to legislate on the issue, writes the Connected Mobility for All Alliance.

The Connected Mobility for All Alliance is a France-based consortium of connected mobility actors. For a full list of signatories, see the list below.

By 2025, almost half of the vehicles on the road in Europe will be connected vehicles, either via compulsory devices (such as eCall, which enables rapid intervention by emergency services in the event of an accident) or via on-board telematics devices (which users can choose to activate or not).

These devices capitalise on the analysis of data collected by various means (onboard computer, OBD socket, smartphone, etc.) and make it possible to offer various services to users.

The possibility of duplicating all of the contents of one’s smartphone on the car’s onboard screen is also becoming a central selling point, even beyond the performance or specific features of a vehicle.

In order to ensure non-discriminatory and secure access to vehicle data, all actors in connected mobility must be treated equally, with three challenges:

For consumers

The motorist, the vehicle user, must be at the centre of the ecosystem: it is up to him or her to say explicitly with whom and for what purposes he or she wishes to share their data.

What is possible for the car manufacturer, for example, must be possible for all connected mobility players. Otherwise, their ability to innovate will be severely restricted, and motorists’ freedom of choice and purchasing power will be greatly impacted.

Indeed, according to the FIA, the lack of competition could result in up to €32 billion of additional expenditure for European consumers.

For European sovereignty

Sector-specific legislation on access to connected vehicle data will prevent the market from being locked up in the hands of a few non-European players, imposing their contractual and pricing conditions on all.

It is therefore high time to act if we want to guarantee, for the connected mobility ecosystem and motorists, favourable conditions for the development of innovative and high-value-added services delivered by the mobility ecosystem.

For road safety and energy efficiency

If they have access to vehicle data with the user’s consent, connected mobility players will be able to offer new services, such as real-time warnings of high-risk areas with a view to road safety, or advice to the user to encourage eco-responsible driving behaviour.

The development of intelligent and remote control of battery recharging could also represent an economic advantage for users of electric vehicles and significantly contribute to strengthening the independence and decarbonisation of the European energy system.

It, therefore, seems essential to us that the public authorities, at the European level, implement, as a matter of urgency, in addition to cross-cutting legislation such as the Digital Market Act or the Data Act, sector-specific legislation on access to data from connected vehicles.

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Signatories:Automobile Club Association (ACA) France
France Assureurs
Fédération française de l’expertise automobile (FFEA)
MOBILIANS
MOBIVIA
SESAM LLD
Syndicat national des sociétés d’assistance (SNSA)
Union française de l’électricité (UFE)