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BMW, Ford, GM, Honda collaborate on blockchain trial for vehicle identity

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Today, automotive blockchain consortium MOBI announced it is working with some of its founding members on a proof of concept (PoC) for blockchain Vehicle Identity (VID). BMW, Ford, Renault, GM, Honda and other vehicle manufacturers will contribute to the trial.

MOBI’s membership consists of carmakers, mobility, energy and infrastructure providers. The goal is to boost the adoption of blockchain in mobility industries. MOBI believes that a market-ready blockchain VID standard will bolster other blockchain applications in the auto sector.

“The Vehicle Identity Standard is a critical enabler for future blockchain-based vehicle and mobility services,” said Andre Luckow, Head of Distributed Ledger and Emerging Technologies at BMW Group.

Blockchain VID associates mobility services to the vehicle instead of the person driving a car. For example, smart contracts will enable instant payments of electric charging fees. Another use case is to create mobility networks, where cars communicate with each other. This is ideally suited to car-sharing and pay per use.

MOBI launched VID a few months ago. The identity creates a foundational base which could be used to improve road safety through vehicle communications, enhance traffic management and lower carbon emissions. A standard is being established to promote interoperability between different blockchains using the same vehicle identity format.

VID can potentially keep track of vehicle maintenance on a public blockchain.

A few months ago, Filament, a blockchain platform for the Internet of Things (IoT) adopted MOBI’s VID standard for its Blocklet Mobility Platform.

BMW is using blockchain to tackle odometer manipulation of resale cars. The carmaker has developed an app on the public blockchain VeChain for this purpose.