At first glance, it doesn’t seem like the two are connected at all. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and Right to Repair (the fight to keep ownership rights for repair/modification) don’t seem to be related. But they are. Closely related. Like married couples in Alabama.
V2X is about communicating with infrastructure, smart devices, the Interwebs, your refrigerator, and anything else that can talk in ones and zeroes. It’s a vehicle-specific concept based on the Internet of Things idea of having all devices always talking all of the time. The digital version of a room full of extroverts.
But V2X is also about data. And whoever owns that data has the kingdom. More than once, I’ve talked about how much of the enshitification of automotive is about owning data. History will remember the 2000s as the data gold rush akin to 1850s California. It’s the wild west out there with hardly any sheriffs and plenty of outlaws.
The Right to Repair, a concept that seems “old school” because its opponents are trying to make it so, is all about ownership. Not just of data, but of whatever you’ve bought. The idea for Right to Repair (as it applies to automotive) is that you purchased the vehicle and should be able to decide who gets to work on it, what kind of legal modifications you can make to it, and so on. It’s spearheaded by prominent car culture people like Jay Leno as well as everyday vehicle owners who aren’t interested in being forced into a dealership every time they want an oil change.
As our society moves towards a “rent to never own” ideology, these sorts of conflicts are inevitable. Software was the first thing to die in the ownership arena, moving to a rental program (Software as a Service or SaaS) quickly as developers and publishers for software saw the immediate benefits. Video games tried to follow suit, but that went sideways because video game players, like car owners, want to maybe add modifications or be able to play the game on more than one device without extra bull.
But as things progress in our society, items like our vehicles become less about stuff we have and more about stuff we just pay for. It’s the way we’re marching. We can change our direction, of course, and I hope we do for a lot of things (like cars), but as of now, rental as the norm is where we’re going.
As vehicles become more and more data-driven with more and more data collection happening, changes like this are inevitable. Data is money and automakers want that money. So they strive to own that data. Including your right to suppress or control it. Under the rubric of the vehicle not being repairable by anyone but them. Because “safety.”
If you can’t tell, I’m definitely on the side of the Right to Repair folks. I didn’t create this Substack to be objective. I specifically came here so I wouldn’t have to be. And on this point, and on the “rent to never own” ideal, I’m old fashioned. I want to keep my stuff after I’ve paid for it. Not pay for it in perpetuity for the privilege of having it.
This article first published on the AaronOnAutos Substack.
