Modular design strategies, ensuring the long-term availability of spare parts and software updates at fair and non-discriminatory prices, addressing anti-repair practices, and guaranteeing access to repair information. These are, in short, the four practices for which ten European aftermarket associations have turned to Brussels to protect the work of multi-brand or independent workshops.
Guaranteeing the repairability of electric vehicle batteries
Widespread design practices that prevent the repair of EV batteries not only lead to unnecessarily high levels of resource consumption but also generate additional costs for consumers and harm sectors such as insurance or independent aftermarket services.
While most legacy European manufacturers still allow the disassembly and replacement of their battery modules for now, pressure from non-European manufacturers could well challenge this practice. The use of resins and thermal interface materials in the battery, for example, seals modules together and prevents their replacement in the event of failure. Currently, the EU Battery Regulation does not address these issues.
Access to software updates
As vehicles become increasingly connected, their dependence on operating systems grows. This creates the risk of software obsolescence: if updates to these operating systems stop, the lifespan of vehicles could be significantly reduced, even though the hardware remains perfectly functional.
Software updates must be guaranteed for at least 20 years. Given that the average lifespan of a vehicle is currently 19 years, they recommend including a minimum regulatory maintenance and update period starting from the market launch date and lasting for 20 years after the end-of-sale date of the operating systems.
Addressing anti-repair practices
Anti-repair practices, such as parts pairing, are becoming a major barrier to independent repair and are therefore detrimental to an open and competitive repair market, restricting consumer choice. This allows manufacturers to establish a de facto monopoly over repairs and spare parts, thereby increasing repair costs and leading to premature obsolescence.
Access to information for independent operators and consumers
Non-discriminatory access to information is crucial to enable an open and competitive aftermarket and should not make independent repair more expensive. The information necessary for dismantling, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and repairing parts and components must be made available to independent operators. Special attention must be paid to electronic parts and components, given their complexity and software dependency.
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