In Search of the First Killer App for Connected Cars on a Blockchain
By Bradley Berman — Lead Editor
The fifth generation of cellular technology, also known as 5G, is expected to launch this year. The arrival of 5G technology will allow cars to share large volumes of data with each other and with low latency. That’s a big deal for cars, but not as large a shift as when a blockchain supports those communications, adding a high degree of trust and security to the data. Put the two innovations together, and you have unprecedented possibilities for “killer” apps for cars.
The timing couldn’t be better for The DAV Foundation, which is a leading blockchain-based transportation platform. By the end of 2018, in the next milestone in our roadmap, we will introduce a decentralized ride-hailing network that allows any participating driver of a privately owned car to offer a ride to anybody that needs one. The service will cut out the middleman — such as Uber and Lyft — and allow drivers to keep more of the fare.
Will a decentralized alternative to Uber be the first killer app for blockchain transportation and connected cars? Only time will tell, but that’s the beauty of an open-source system. The DAV platform is open to any start-up or developer to create a connected-car app using data that’s verified and recorded on the blockchain. We have over 150+ open source contributors who have worked with or alongside the DAV platform and over 20 companies that are working with DAV to benefit from the DAV protocol. Send us an email to info@dav.network if you think we can help you implement your big connected-car idea.
The potential to disrupt services like Uber are just one of many use cases. Perhaps we’ll see a DAV-powered killer app based on peer-to-peer stationless car sharing. Toyota now offers shared Prius C hatchbacks by the mile through its “Gig” service. In my neighborhood in the East Bay, across from San Francisco, there are hundreds of the cute hybrids parked on the street and within walking distance. I can find them via an app, which also unlocks the car and lets me start the engine and get going.
The closest little Prius offered by Gig is usually just a few blocks away. But compare their numbers to the thousands of other personally-owned cars parked on the street — most of which don’t move for the entire day. A blockchain app that allowed a trusted user to borrow a battery-powered vehicle, fun muscle car, useful pickup truck, or people-moving minivan could transform urban mobility. Besides, companies such as Toyota or any other car company aren’t necessarily needed as the middleman.
Another option for a killer app may be the exchange of up-to-the-second info about available parking spaces; this could become real via the blockchain. I’d gladly pay a couple bucks’ worth of DAV tokens to reserve a parking spot as another car gets ready to pull out of a spot, if it helped me avoid circling the block. Or maybe you would like those tokens in exchange for allowing me to block your driveway for an hour when you don’t need the access. The blockchain would confirm that the space is indeed available and make sure that a peer-to-peer payment was made from the owner of a parked car to the provider of the space. The service could also be used by municipalities, enabling cities to remove parking equipment and related costs.
If saving time finding a parking space seem frivolous, then maybe the coming killer app will help save our lungs from auto emissions. Our hopelessly archaic system of smog centers are overpriced and don’t provide a way to monitor real-world emissions, as indicated by onboard computer systems. A brave, tech-savvy state like California could use the open source DAV platform to bring vehicle emissions testing into the 21st century and help us all breathe easier.
When trust and speedy communications are built into our shared transportation network, the possibilities are endless. Of course, not all the ideas that people try will work out. But it’s only a matter of time — and probably sooner than most people think — before the first killer car app emerges in the blockchain era.
