LONDON -- The European Union has launched a public consultation on possible rules to ensure fair access to drivers' data, pitting the powerful insurance and auto industries against one another in a battle to monetize digital information.
The bloc's executive European Commission said in a call for evidence document on Thursday that over 85 percent of new cars in 2018 were connected wirelessly, with more than 470 million connected vehicles expected to be on the roads in Europe, the United States and China by 2025.
The EU has already proposed a Data Act, but it may not be sufficiently detailed for handling auto data, and a further measure could standardize data sets, and ensure fair access and competition, the EU executive said.
Industry body Insurance Europe said such a measure would be the first of its kind.