The lack of universal regulation is proving to be a challenge in the realisation of global connected services in the software-defined vehicle era, automotive players said Tuesday at Reuters Automotive Europe 2022 in Munich, Germany, attended by Kallanish.

“Local and regional regulation makes global cars a bit trickier,” Magnus Gunnarsson, head of automotive at Ericsson, said.

Carmakers and technology providers are working with different requirements across borders – both domestically and internationally. From Nevada to California, from Rome to Shanghai, legislation discrepancies are having an impact into the multi-cloud, multi-regional reality of connected vehicles.

Bernd Reichert, senior vice president Automotive at AEye, says that in the US, state-to-state regulation can be “very hard” for OEMs; while China is moving fast to regulate the market through state-controlled companies; and the EU may have an advantage with a unified regulation across its 27 countries.

According to Mercedes-Benz’s vp Digital and IT marketing/sales, Sabine Scheunert, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) could become “a competitive advantage, not a hindrance.” She adds services and products need to be GDPR-compliant, giving customers the option to opt in and out, so that they have control of the data they generate in their cars.

“We want to put our drivers in the driver’s seat when it comes to data,” she adds.

The automotive shift towards e-mobility, connected and autonomous vehicles is centred on data and one of the pillars of the carmakers’ sustainability strategies.