as more connected vehicles hit the road and digital services associated with cars expand, additional volumes of data are captured, increasing the potential for locking the aftermarket out of the loop.
Possession and the law
Car data war heats up THE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES IS TAKING THE FIGHT TO CARMAKERS WHO ARE TRYING TO LOCK AWAY THE DATA IN INCREASINGLYCOMPUTERISED CARS ehicles today are not just vehicles — they’re also data collection resources. And these days, data is king. There are nearly 69 million connected vehicles on the road today. By 2022, 87 per cent of new vehicles in the United States will be equipped with wireless technology that transmits vehicle data in
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Auto Channel Issue #24 May 2020
real-time, according to IHS Markit forecasts. Starting with the 2015 models, all new vehicles come with wireless technology that generates 25GB of data per hour, according to McKinsey estimates. This includes data on driving behavior, GPS location, and important diagnostics such as maintenance and repair information, among others. Wireless technology has given vehicle manufacturers more opportunities than ever to monopolize data. They are wirelessly collecting important maintenance and repair data, making them the gatekeepers of information tied directly to the jobs of automotive industry technicians. And
As the old saying goes, possession is ninetenths of the law so manufacturers are already in a strong position to exert exclusive access to and control of vehicle data. It means they could control the vehicle support chain and even wall off independent technicians from vehicle data entirely. They would have the power to alter the auto care industry landscape and threaten the independent aftermarket that provides 70 per cent of vehicle repair and maintenance. In 2012, the Auto Care Association and Coalition for Auto Repair Equality successfully obtained passage of the Massachusetts ‘Right to Repair’ law and in 2013, the subsequent Right to Repair Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that required equal access for independent repairers to the same service information, tools, and software that manufacturers provide to their franchised dealers. But that wasn’t the end of the story as car companies seek to lock down access to the on-board diagnostic system in the name of “cybersecurity.” For its 2018 model year cars, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) requires workshops, the technician, and the tools to be authorized by the manufacturer before they can access the OBD system for many repairs. Other car companies are looking at similar systems or are
