We're all excited for self-driving, even autonomous, cars, and many tout blockchain as the technology needed to make that happen.
But while that conversation is an exciting one today, CoinDesk's Consensus 2018 conference played host to an array of esoteric use cases for the mobility space that showcase how many executives in the automotive space are currently taking a more conservative approach to applying blockchain technology to the industry.
Sebastien Henot, manager of business innovation at Renault Innovation Silicon Valley, is such a pragmatist, opting for the low-hanging fruit of using the technology to better manage carmakers' supply chains.
"Blockchain can bring cost savings to supply chains thanks to new levels of transparency and auditability, which would be of vital help in the unfortunate event of recalls," Henot told CoinDesk.
And that process could also mark the birth of automobiles with their own unique digital identity.
"If you have an Audi and you want to sell it to buy a Renault, it would be very useful for the Renault dealer to be able to access the Audi birth certificate and see a standardized history," Henot said.
But it's still early days, and the process for what kind of data will be shared and how that data will be coded still needs to be standardized.
That's one of the reasons the Mobi consortium, a kind of standards body for decentralized mobility and data sharing, was launched earlier this month with founding members including BMW, Ford, General Motors and Renault, as well as technology providers like IBM, ConsenSys and IOTA.
And while the futuristic use cases made possible by tokenized incentive structures is indeed what interests many members of the consortium, Henot said:
"My philosophy is let's start small."Read more: https://www.coindesk.com/auto-industry-gears-up-for-future-powered-by-blockchain/
