Telematics Update
Following European eCall Regulation, the subsequent details of the technical implementation are currently being discussed in Brussels. For the many independent companies who provide spare parts servicing and repair for vehicles, the issue is fundamental to their very future, as the in-vehicle telematics systems will provide access to the vehicle data and information. For the companies of the independent aftermarket, the issues centre on telematics-based access to the vehicle data.
The automated electronic emergency system “eCall“ will become mandatory as from 2018 in all new cars. The topic of remotely communicating with the vehicle is given further impetus as, depending on the design of the system, the fundamental technical in-vehicle structures of “eCall” can also be used for commercial applications that go far beyond the emergency call function in the whole of the European aftermarket. This includes applications such as remote vehicle diagnostics and predictive maintenance that are the daily activity of anyone involved in repairing vehicles whether an independent garage or fleet.
Freedom of choice for consumers and independent market participants must be protected. Any private motorist or fleet operator should be able to decide whether they wish to use a telematics-based application from the vehicle manufacturer or from an independent market provider. In order to make this possible, appropriate standardised interfaces to the telematics platforms are required. Only in this way is it possible for competitive third-party providers to offer their own services and products concerning remote vehicle communication and networking.
IAAF & FIGIEFA, together with other interest groups from the independent aftermarket, have been able to ensure that with the eCall Regulation a mandate has been given by the European Commission to create the technical framework conditions for an “interoperable, standardised, secure and freely accessible platform”.
However, this is only the first step as the detailed work now follows. Therefore, the technical implementation of this mandate is currently being discussed in the C-ITS Forum (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) and its working groups. These work structures discuss the complex topics relating to telematics communication from and to the vehicle and require the highest level of commitment from the representatives of the independent aftermarket. The range of topics includes telematics concepts needed in the short or long term, vehicle safety and data privacy.
And, this FIGIEFA engagement is vital, as with the technical structuring of the EU mandate of the “interoperable platform”, the framework is likely to decisively shape the aftermarket for vehicles for at least the next two decades.
The representatives of the independent aftermarket in the C-ITS working groups have advocated a number of points that are essential for a competitive automotive aftermarket. For example, independent market operators continue to require direct access to the real-time data generated by vehicles in order to be able to develop and offer their own products and services. This is nothing other than the challenge of bringing the current independent access to a vehicle and its data as well as independent entrepreneurship into the digital age.
On this point, there is a particular point of conflict with the representatives of the vehicle manufacturers (OEMs). On the one hand, they have proposed the concept of an “extended vehicle” in which communication with the vehicle and the individual access to data or information by an independent market operator will solely be routed via the servers of vehicle manufacturers in the future.
This would result in the OEMs being able to not only control access to vehicle data and information, but this would also create a perfect monitoring instrument: They could “profile” the companies in the independent aftermarket and modify their own aftermarket activities virtually in real time and in a very targeted way (individual vehicle, spare parts needed, location etc.). Such a scenario would be detrimental to competition in the long term and is therefore unacceptable for the representatives of the independent market (as well as for many other affected stakeholders).
By contrast, the independent aftermarket supports an interoperable and standardised telematics in-vehicle platform. In this concept, the “intelligence” is in the vehicle, i.e. applications from both the OEMs and the independent market participants can access on-board data equally and transmit them directly to their respective servers. Another advantage of this solution: The vehicle driver would be able to select via the in-vehicle display and freely choose who uses his vehicle data and for what purpose.
Fundamentally, the driver should be able to transparently choose the competitive services they require and remain in control of who uses the vehicle data and for what purpose.