Mediaroom

• ISP group (Independent Service Providers) fully supports the focus on competitiveness presented by von der Leyen and the Commission, as a persistent barrier continues to exist in the European data-driven vehicle services market business.
• Their recent letter calls for bringing forward the already-prepared proposal on access to in-vehicle data, functions, and resources as part of the Commission’s first 100 days’ plan.
  

CLEPA and other stakeholders of the ISP coaltion have sent a letter to Commission President expressing their readiness to collaborate to support competitiveness in the European automotive and mobility sectors, and it will be essential to promote competition for all stakeholders. The current Data Act does not resolve the specific issues related to vehicle architecture, which is governed by the Type Approval Regulation, nor does it provide the legal basis for economic investments in data-based services using in-vehicle generated data.

The letter also welcomes the Commission’s efforts to reduce and simplify regulation where possible, but stresses that this must not lead to deregulation.

You can read the letter in full below.

Background

The Independent Service Providers (ISPs) grouping represents a wide range of operators in the European automotive aftermarket and mobility service providers who are investing in the development of digitalised services and data-driven innovation. However, the ISPs are currently hampered by the restricted access to data that stems from the privileged access by-design system built into the car that confers a dominant position and competitive advantage to the vehicle manufacturers.

This deprives the European mobility consumer and business user of greater choice through innovation and affordable mobility and aftermarket services. This, in turn, jeopardises European competitiveness and other political objectives, such as greater access to safer, smarter and more sustainable mobility services.

Digital services in vehicles and everyday mobility are rich in potential and can actively support and accelerate the whole EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility agenda. However, they are developing more slowly than they should in Europe because up until now, vehicle manufacturers have privileged control of the data generated by the vehicles they sell – but do not own – to the detriment of the vehicle owner. This advantage is compounded by the increasing dependency on the technology platforms of the hyperscalers. Such platforms are regulated by the EU Data Strategy series of regulations for the mainstream Internet economy, but not in the vehicle, despite their rapidly growing role in this sector in partnership with vehicle manufacturers.