The State of Maine has voted "yes" to Question 4, which mimics the right-to-repair legislation that passed in Massachusetts three years earlier. This makes Maine the sixth state in the U.S. to approve such a measure and requires automakers to standardize modern vehicle onboard diagnostic systems and make them available to both customers and any independent repair shops they’d like to use.
While the decision represents another important victory for the right-to-repair movement, the world’s largest automotive lobby predictably bemoaned the situation.
Maine residents voted to approve the measure by roughly 84 percent and will now have laws in place akin to what we’ve seen in Massachusetts and several other states. Automakers will subsequently need to equip vehicles sold in the state that use telematics systems with a standardized, owner-authorized access platform, which communicates all vehicle mechanical data and is available through a mobile application. It also requires the state's attorney general to establish an independent entity to manage access to vehicle-generated mechanical data and ensure the data being exchanged is secure. Here's hoping they do a competent job.
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