Between synergies and regulatory roadblocks: the headache of data sharing

Everyone seems to agree that data (« data ») has become the "new gold". However, this statement needs to be made concrete: in the field of transport and energy, what opportunities do data actually offer and what are their limits? For even if the dominant narrative claims that their uses are limited only by our imagination — or, more precisely, by our capacity to innovate — the fact is that concrete use cases will always have to be defined.

Simplifying somewhat, the exploitation of data pursues two main types of objectives: on the one hand, the optimization of operations in the broad sense — including the planning and construction of infrastructure — and on the other hand, the development of services aimed at customers. In the first case, data are used primarily to improve operational efficiency; in the second, they are mainly intended to enrich products and services. It is nevertheless clear that these two types of uses do not mobilize the same data nor necessarily the same actors.

Synergies to put in place

In both cases, the opportunities remain enormous, even if we limit ourselves to the possible synergies between the transport and energy sectors.

With regard to operations optimization, the sharing of transport data would allow for better refinement of electricity demand forecasts. Whether for vehicles, public transport operators, parking managers or even users themselves, this sharing would make it possible to better plan the location of charging stations or solar parking for cars, scooters and electric bicycles. For example, a company operating electric buses could better optimize charging periods according to energy prices, notably within the framework of dynamic tariffs.

On the services side, better data management by electricity distributors would open the way to new models: car manufacturers could, for instance, develop services for returning energy to the grid — the well-known "Vehicle-to-Grid" (V2G). These services could also be integrated into traveler advice applications, or even differentiated according to the share of decarbonized energy used.

Ultimately, any data sharing presupposes that each participant finds an economic interest in it, in other words a viable business model.

Need for simplified regulations

So why, then, is data sharing not more widespread? The arguments most often put forward relate to the protection of personal data (risks of surveillance or profiling) and security (threat of cyberattacks).

Added to this is a certain technical complexity. It includes a lack of interoperability, an absence of common standards or even an unfortunate coexistence of competing norms between operators. All this without mentioning the fragmentation of data and the fact that some are only partially available, of poor quality or simply obsolete.

But these explanations, in my view, mask more fundamental limits and obstacles. They stem from organizational phenomena and, more precisely, from the strategic behavior of users. Ultimately, any data sharing presupposes that each participant finds an economic interest in it, in other words a viable business model.

Now, established players both have a clear advantage in exploiting data and have less need to acquire new ones. Conversely, small or new entrants — those who would have the most to gain from access to data — are often those who have the least.

This asymmetry of power between users not only hinders data sharing, but also the emergence of truly innovative services located at the interface between sectors and actors — in our case, between public transport services and energy suppliers.

To remedy this, there would need to be third parties capable of creating the conditions, or rather the incentives, favorable to sharing. Yet most initiatives aimed at creating "data spaces" so far are characterized more by a complication of the rules and regulations allowing data sharing than by their facilitation.

This topic will be the subject of a conference at the first edition of the Swiss Economics Forum, on Thursday, 20 November 2025 (details).

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