Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA, EPA:STLA), the owner of brands like Peugeot, Vauxhall and Fiat, is asking customers for permission to sell their anonymised vehicle data to service providers, an executive confirmed on Tuesday.
Sanjiv Ghate, the head of responsible business at Stelantis’ data unit Mobilisights, stated that the company is currently speaking with customers about this initiative.
If customers agreed, the data for sale would include how an electric vehicle's battery status changes based on road and weather conditions.
Such information is believed to be of assistance to city planners in determining optimal locations for charging stations.
Ghate also highlighted potential applications of merging traffic data in a specific area with economic indicators, as it would help analyse movements within neighbourhoods and find roads in need of repair.
Furthermore, Stellantis is considering providing access to this data for research purposes or to government bodies, assuming appropriate licenses are obtained.
Ghate expressed openness to partnering with other data providers to expand the utility and reach of the available information.
Last week, former Prime Minster Tony Blair recommended the NHS should sell anonymised medical records to help drive a new “industrial revolution” for the industry.
While the NHS has sold anonymised data before it hasn’t been without controversy and examples include the heath organisation being taken to court in 2021 over its £23 million contract with data-scrapers Palantir.