A coalition of automotive aftermarket operators and mobility service providers has urged EU institutions to create a robust legal framework on digital services to aid market development.

The Policy Lunch was held in Brussels on 3 May.

Speaking during a Policy Lunch, held in Brussels on 3 May, stakeholders said: “Creating a robust regulatory technical framework for an interoperable, standardised, secure and safe digital in-vehicle telematics platform [is needed] to make the European Digital Economy for the automotive aftermarket and mobility services a reality.”

During the event, chaired by Ismail Ertug MEP, the coalition said in the automotive aftermarket, operators and mobility-services providers need real-time access to today’s connected vehicle and its data.

Currently, this data only goes via ‘closed’ telematics systems to the servers of the respective vehicle manufacturers, from where all other service providers are offered access to a reduced quality of data, with stakeholders saying this makes it impossible for all these other service providers to compete fairly and equally.

Nigel Goodall of Enterprise Holdings explained that the ‘connected customer’ of today requires smart, customised mobility services. For the rental and leasing industry, this means the capacity to offer flexible services on demand (e.g. a status check and hand-over of vehicles as part of short-term hire car clubs) and remote communication with the vehicle. For this, a direct, real-time connection to the vehicle is essential to allow smart fleet-management and digital mobility solutions.

Speakers stressed that safe and secure technical solutions clearly exist to provide an interoperable in-vehicle telematics platform, but that EU legislation is needed to ensure that new innovative and competitive data-based business models can develop to deliver consumer choice and innovation in the digital era.