The Garage 303

NEWS 10
Manifesto calls for action on
fair digitalisation opportunities
European coalition urges EU legislation by 2020 to ensure a genuine
digital level-playing field for remote access to in-vehicle data and functions
The Independent Automotive
Aftermarket Federation
(IAAF) is co-ordinating UK
activity as part of a broader
European-wide coalition that
urges the European Commission
to introduce legislation
that ensures fair remote
access to in-vehicle data and
functional resources.
The coalition of European
federations – representing
parts distributors, independent
garages, insurers, data
publishers, component and
equipment suppliers, tyre
suppliers, emergency breakdown
associations, lease
companies, oil and lubricants
suppliers, consumers
and SME representatives –
argues that a legislative solution
that ensures access will
not only enable innovation
but would also improve customer
choice in the automotive
aftermarket. Moreover,
access to this vehicle data
us essential in allowing for
effective competition within
the market and enabling the
EU to become a front runner
in connected and autonomous
mobility and related
services.
The new manifesto argues
that independent operators
need four key abilities – subject
(where relevant) to the
consent of the driver / owner
of the vehicle – in order to
provide competitive, innovative
services and digital solutions
to their customers.
These abilities are:
Independent and direct real-time
access to in-vehicle
generated data that is not
monitored by vehicle manufacturers,
including those
which are time critical
Bi-directional communication
with the vehicle and its
functions, independent from
the vehicle manufacturer;
Safe, secure and independent
remote interaction with
the driver, using the in-vehicle
human-machine interface
functions (e.g. via the dashboard
or voice commands);
Independent software
running directly in the connected
vehicle using onboard
capabilities to process any
dynamically generated data
as closely as possible to its
source.
However, these would not
be possible with the model
put forward by vehicle
manufacturers, the so-called
‘Extended Vehicle’, which
will channel all future communication
and data access
through the VM’s backend
server. As such, this would
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