Jaguar Land Rover Could Reward Drivers In Crypto For Data

Motoring giant Jaguar Land Rover could begin to reward their customers in crypto for the sharing of data.

The automobile manufacturer is reportedly hard at work trialling blockchain technology which will allow users to enable their vehicles with the ability to automatically report road condition data which includes traffic congestion, to navigation data as well data for local authorities and be rewarded with IOTA tokens in return. This pilot comes as result of a partnership with IOTA Foundation, a non-profit entity as per the announcement from Jaguar Land Rover on Monday.

By use of “smart wallet” technology, any crypto earnings which drivers make can be redeemed for purchasing coffee, toll fees, parking fees as well as electric charging when on the move according to the company. In addition to this, wallets can also be topped up via traditional payment methods.

Furthermore, Jaguar has stated that its cars would come fully kitted with internet of things (IOT) sensors to provide data via IOTA’s “Tangle” distributed ledger which includes messages. This data is then transmitted to the appropriate city authorities as it is recorded by the vehicle. For example, vehicles could communication with authorities should there be any obstructions on the road such as fallen trees or in the case of an accident. In addition to this, cars can also provide more accurate local weather reports.

Currently, the pilot is taking place by the company’s software engineering centre in Shannon, Ireland which as to date already implemented the tech to several test vehicles which include the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Velar.

Russell Vickers, software architect stated:

“In the future an autonomous car could drive itself to a charging station, recharge and pay, while its owner could choose to participate in the sharing economy – earning rewards from sharing useful data such as warning other cars of traffic jams.”

In 2017, Jaguar Land Rover backed a blockchain startup called DOVU with plans to launch a blockchain platform to reward customers for sharing mobility data such as location, distance traveled as well as weather conditions.