MOBI Collaborates with BMW, Ford, and Others on Second
Installment of a Vehicle Identity Standard for multi-stakeholder,
interoperable mobility ecosystems of the future
MUNICH, Germany, Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- We've all
heard about rolled-back odometers and flood-damaged vehicles touted
in better condition. BMW, Ford, and other transportation and
blockchain leaders want to slow these practices by joining forces
with an ambitious nonprofit startup developing technology to better
track and protect vehicles' true identities.
The Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI)'s member-led
Vehicle Identity (VID) II Working Group released the second
installment of the industry's vehicle identity on blockchain.
The VID II Standard leverages the VID I Standard (a vehicle
birth certificate) to describe the use of VID in a variety of
practical use cases. The two use cases focused on by the working
group (WG) are vehicle registration and maintenance traceability.
Vehicle registration on blockchain allows formerly disconnected
vehicle registration systems between states and countries to
connect using a secure, shared, and trusted ledger. Maintenance
traceability will provide a tamper-proof history to buyers,
regulators, and insurers, therefore reducing vehicle information
asymmetry.
"At BMW we strive to create seamless digital solutions. The
reference architecture in the VID II standard is a crucial building
block in the transformation to a frictionless and trusted mobility
ecosystem," said BMW's Andre Luckow,
Head of Emerging Technologies.
Global mobility leaders, startups, and large technology
companies authored the VID II Standard to progress
multi-stakeholder, interoperable mobility ecosystems. MOBI's
VID II Working Group is co-chaired by BMW and Ford, with support
from Accenture, AWS, AutoData Group, Bosch, Car IQ, DENSO, DMX,
Hitachi America, Ltd., Honda, IBM,
Kar Auction Services, Luxoft, Quantstamp, Ownum, and USAA.
"A secure digital vehicle identity sets the foundation for a
fully automatic network for usage-based transportation services,"
said MOBI COO and Co-Founder, Tram Vo. "We expect this network for
frictionless transfer of value in the New Economy of Movement to
open up trillions of dollars of new opportunities to monetize
vehicles, services, data, and infrastructure."
Additional use cases for VID include supply chain, automotive
financing, electric vehicle charging, autonomous vehicle data
exchange, and much more. VID II improves asset visibility, creating
an anchor for additional use cases, data provenance, and autonomous
economic agents.
"Ford believes this research into vehicle identity technology
could lead to better ownership experiences," says Cynthia Flanigan, Director, Vehicle Research and
Technology, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. "We also think
this technology could help simplify the purchasing process in the
future."
VID II is a building block to a future with more transparent,
efficient, and safer vehicle registration and maintenance. Both the
buyer and seller will have a more reliable record that can open up
opportunities for increased market value for the seller and an
increased sense of security for the buyer. Agencies that process
vehicle records will reap the benefits of efficient processing and
tracking of records.
MOBI and its members hope that the VID standards, together with
other MOBI standards for blockchain applications in mobility, will
reduce frictional inefficiencies, improve mobility services, and
enable new business models.
About MOBI
MOBI is a nonprofit alliance of many of the
world's largest vehicle manufacturers, along with many startups,
NGOs, transit agencies, insurers, toll road providers, smart city
leaders, and technology companies working to accelerate adoption
and promote standards in blockchain, distributed ledgers, and
related technologies.
MOBI is creating simple blockchain-based standards to identify
vehicles, people, and businesses in order to securely exchange and
monetize data, and pay for mobility services, with the goal of
making transportation more efficient, affordable, greener, safer,
and less congested. MOBI itself is technology and ledger
agnostic. For additional information about joining MOBI,
please reach out to Griffin Haskins
(griffin@dlt.mobi) or visit www.dlt.mobi.
Media Contact:
Kelly Clark, MOBI Communications
Manager,
Email: Kelly@dlt.mobi | Twitter: @dltMOBI