Aftermarket March 2022

MARCH 2022 AFTERMARKET 13 www.aftermarketonline.net independent garage sector to adapt, upskill and evolve to deal with new technologies will undoubtedly prevail.” “However, we need to be realistic; this is a very new arena and like pure EV cars, such vehicles are likely to be costly and therefore enter the market, at least initially, in relatively small numbers. With around 43 million piloted cars currently on UK roads, and that car parc slowly aging, this means these piloted vehicles will be with us for many years to come. However, self-driving vehicles will be with us in the not-too-distant future, and for those looking to upskill with a view to specialising in these new technologies, there is no time like the present.” This could be a new opportunity for some. Frank added: “The entrepreneurial nature of many independent garages leads some to become specialist in new technologies and there is no reason to suspect this won’t be the case, as and when fully autonomous vehicles eventually hit our roads in great numbers.” Imperative On the likelihood of it being aftermarket businesses that are working on these vehicles further down the line, IAAF Chief Executive Mark Field observed: “The Law Commission report on automated vehicles acknowledges that ‘consumers who pay a significant purchase price for an automated vehicle may be faced with considerable ongoing updating and maintenance costs. At least initially, these may be difficult to anticipate. Furthermore, concerns about safety, cyber- security and the protection of intellectual property may reduce access to independent aftermarket providers, such as repair shops. The costs of updates, repairs and spare parts may not be subject to competitive pressure.’” Mark continued: “The independent automotive aftermarket is the dominant and essential provider of affordable mobility to UK consumers and businesses by providing choice for vehicle owners in the provision of service maintenance and repair. For this to continue in the digital age, IMT workshops need access to a vehicle and its electronic and mechanical systems to diagnose it, to repair and maintenance information to service it, to replacement parts identification and delivery to fix it and to update digital service records for the vehicle to record what work has been completed. “Connected and autonomous mobility represents a significant step forward in UK transportation. It is therefore imperative that open access to vehicles, their data and technical information should be made available to independent service providers, to secure consumer choice, independent entrepreneurship, competition and innovation for all services around the car. “If automated vehicles shut out the entrepreneurial aftermarket, the automotive sector loses its drive for innovation. Consumers value a choice of competitive aftermarket services, therefore competition should be increased to avoid VM dominance. “As we go through this period of technological change and advancement of automated vehicles, in order to continue offering the high level of competitive services demanded by their customers, together with improved operational safety and environmental compliance, all independent operators within the whole automotive supply chain must be able to compete on an equal footing with vehicle manufacturers by accessing the vehicle, its data and functions independently.” Roadworthiness rules Mark added: “Automated vehicles should be subject to the same roadworthiness rules as are currently in place. The report noted that as vehicles become more sophisticated, ‘conventional drivers increasingly rely on alerts from the vehicle to know if it is roadworthy. This trend is likely to continue,’ added the report, ‘particularly for AVs.’ In short, the report provisionally concluded that in the early stages of automation, roadworthiness offences should continue to apply to users-in-charge, but that legislation should include a regulation-making power to adapt these offences.” He concluded: “As automated vehicles encourage an increased detachment between vehicle and user, we must continue to promote the importance of vehicle roadworthiness. Innovation in this digital age benefits consumer choice and a growing economy. To achieve this, the independent aftermarket must have fair and equal access to connected and automated mobility solutions.” Final thoughts The emergence and deployment of new vehicle technology always has the potential to be disruptive, and often is, as we have seen in the past. Even something as seemingly prosaic as airbags led to some pretty dim assessments on the potential impact (pardon the pun) on the independent garage sector. By making a move towards taking the driver out of the equation, self-driving cars offer a kind of change that could really shake the automotive sector to the core. However, in the light of the legal ramifications considered in the report, it seems unlikely that a car will be allowed to be self- driving in the sense that K.I.T.T was in TV series KNIGHT RIDER, so forget turbo-boost for now. What is certain however is that garages will need to make investment in skills and equipment a priority if they want a part of this market. There will also need to be cross-industry co- operation to make sure access to vital data is assured. The more things change, the more they stay the same. For more information on the joint report from the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission, visit: www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/automate d-vehicles/ www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/law- reform/law-reformprojects/joint- projects/automated-vehicles/ Anyone repairing or maintaining the system may become liable in the event of an accident that can be attributed to such repairs or maintenance ”