IRU brings OEMs and operators together to advance vehicle data access

Road transport operators need effective access to the data generated by the vehicles they own, lease and operate. But how can this be achieved while protecting manufacturers' intellectual property and maintaining cybersecurity and vehicle safety?

The panel discussion, "Towards a Common Vision for Access to Vehicle Data", held during IRU's Commission on Innovation and Technology (CIT) meeting in Brussels this week, brought together key actors from across the road transport ecosystem.

The panellists - Dr Annette Hultåker (Scania), Jocelyn Delatre (ACEA), Mihai Chirca (Transdev), Petra Eklund Åhlström (Swedish Association of Road Transport), and Wout van den Heuvel (TLN) - exchanged perspectives on the operational, technical and regulatory conditions needed to make access to vehicle-generated data work effectively in practice.

From operational needs to a common position

Connected commercial vehicles generate increasing volumes of data on location, energy consumption, vehicle health, maintenance, safety and operational performance.

For operators, this data is becoming an essential operational resource. It can enable more efficient fleet management, predictive maintenance, improved energy efficiency, safer operations and the development of new digital services.

However, access alone is not enough. Operators managing mixed fleets need to be able to use data across different vehicle brands and systems. Fragmented definitions, formats, interfaces and contractual arrangements can make this difficult and limit the operational value of vehicle-generated data.

The panellists explored how manufacturers and operators can work together towards greater harmonisation, including interoperable interfaces, common data definitions and practical approaches that can work across mixed fleets.

The discussion also addressed the need to strike the right balance: operators should be able to access, use and share relevant data from the vehicles they own, lease or operate without unnecessary technical, contractual or commercial barriers, while manufacturers' proprietary software, algorithms, AI and other intellectual property remain protected. Cybersecurity, vehicle safety and the secure handling of data must remain integral to this approach.