The Dawn of e-Mobility
Introduction
With the outset of one of the largest and most important international automotive-fair IAA (Internationale Automobil- Ausstellung), which is currently taking place in Frankfurt, it would be an ideal opportunity to talk about the developments in the e-mobility scene. Electric mobility is expanding at a massive rate. According to reports by IEA (International Energy Agency) and ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation), there has been over 60% increase in annual global EV (Electric Vehicle) sales, over 10% decline in median ownership cost of EVs due to increasing affordability of battery components, and a massive improvement in their efficiency and range. There has also been significant efforts to address the last mile outreach of mobility sector by various innovative startups with support from enterprises and governmental agencies.
Background
The German government’s NEPE (Nationalen Entwicklungsplan Elektromobilität — National Development Plan for Electric Mobility) is one of the most decisive moves in Europe towards a sustainable future concerning energy usage and its source of production, with a specific aim to speed up Research & Development in battery electric vehicle and its market preparation. The German automotive industry being a major consumer of petroleum products and having a stronghold in pan-European market, requires it to take a leading role in fulfilling the visions of NEPE. Usage of renewable sources of energy and hence achieving significant reduction in CO2 emissions form some of the essential components of the plan. Given the recent innovations in battery and blockchain technologies, automobile manufacturers are coming up with innovative solutions for seamless mobility experience provision for users and car owners. According to BMU’s (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit — Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety) official documentation, electric mobility includes street vehicles that can be recharged externally or that can be powered by an electric motor and primarily get their energy from the power grid. NEPE also includes systemic approaches such as seamless driver identification in its goal to achieve e-Mobility. This is where Blockchain HELIX’s product helix id comes into play.
helix id
On 16. July 2019 , with the announcement of Daimler Mobility AG, Blockchain HELIX showcased its first use case of helix id, which is its core digital identity service provision, at the Startup Autobahn Expo Day by Plug&Play in partnership with Daimler in Stuttgart. The goal of the event, and the Mobility Blockchain Platform specifically, was to showcase recent advances in the applications of novel technologies such as blockchain in the field of mobility, for example, instant car rental service based on ledger technology with authenticated control access to users. Components of the showcase, with the associated products/companies, are as under:
- Digital User Identity [helix id]
- Vehicle Identity and Car Wallet [Riddle & Code]
- Blockchain and Verification [evan network]
- Architecture, Integration & Rental [51 nodes]
helix id is a self-sovereign Digital Identity solution that acts as a user centric secure identifier with which various third party applications and service providers can connect. It forms the core of a user’s digital identity with a built-in KYC functionality. The beauty of it is that the user has to undergo verification process just once (with conditions) to access multiple services available on the helix id ecosystem, one of which is a car sharing application that was built by the project partners within the 100 days challenge and delivers a real service and real software. helix id complies with GDPR concerning data privacy and eIdAS concerning user data collection procedure. Regulatory clearance combined with privacy is handled by the helix id middleware in association with trusted partners of Blockchain HELIX. You can go through the entire user journey in this YouTube video.
helix id’s services can be categorized into four parts: Authentication, Verification, Signature Service, and Instant Payment.
- Authentication, as mentioned earlier, is facilitated by enabling “Login with helix id” functionality to our on-boarded service providers.
- Verification is facilitated by ensuring that every helix id user goes through dedicated KYC and AML checks. helix id makes the distinction between users and trusted customers, which are basically users which have cleared KYC and AML checks.
- For Signature Service, helix id will make use of qualified electronic signatures as defined in the eIdAS directive for legally binding signatures.
- Finally, Instant Payment is facilitated by providing the ability to pay for services using digital cash directly bound to the Euro.
It is important to mention the growth and maturity that Blockchain (such as Ethereum) as a platform (for decentralized Applications or DApps) has achieved in these years given the fact that for any open solution, take mobility as an example, distributed computing is the way forward since it minimizes friction in integrating partners and functionalities. Blockchain provides trusted and secure decentralization. And not to mention, public blockchains are free and open source, and can be forked based on the requirement of any project. The blockchain that our partner evan network uses is an Ethereum forked permissioned blockchain which gives the advantage of improved security and better transaction performance, and hence, ideal for an enterprise level use case.
Conclusion
The projections from international agencies, the German government’s efforts in streamlining its policy driven initiatives, the industry’s compliance and execution, and the market’s ever increasing participation only goes to show that the future would see massive adoption of e-mobility. Enterprises and startups alike have been forefront in offering solutions to further the rate of adoption. The potential for growth is immense and we are witnessing just the beginning.
Listen to the brilliant minds behind the Mobility Blockchain Platform: Harry Behrens, Head of the Blockchain Factory at Daimler Mobility AG; Sebastian Becker, CCO at Riddle&Code; Oliver Naegele, CEO & Founder of Blockchain HELIX. They talk about the importance of blockchain technology for the future of the mobility sector, machine-to-machine transactions and digital identities for a trusted internet.
About Me
I, Ansik Mahapatra, am a member of Blockchain HELIX and a part of the analytics and helix id project team. You can reach out to me via LinkedIn or Twitter.
About the Company
Blockchain HELIX is a technology startup developing Digital Identity solutions based on Blockchain. The product focuses on both corporate compliance needs, and on the self-sovereign ID being key to the individual’s data privacy.
Their vision is to help enable a trusted and secure digital economy and society.
Contact
For further information about Blockchain HELIX please contact Sandra, the Head of Marketing and PR.
Important Abbreviations
NEPE = National Development Plan for Electric Mobility (Nationalen Entwicklungsplan Elektromobilität)
BDEW = Federal Association for the Energy and Water Sectors (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft)
VDA = German Automobile Industry Association (Verband der Automobilindustrie)
ZVEI = German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e.V.)
IEKP = Integrated Energy and Climate Program (Integriertes Energie- und Klimaprogramm)
REEV = Range Extended Electric Vehicles
PHEV = Plug in hybrid Electric Vehicles
BMWi = Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology
BMVBS = Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs
BMU = Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit)
BMBF = Federal Ministry of Education and Research
IAA = Internationale Automobile Ausstellung
