Ford Test Driving Blockchain for Energy-Efficient Vehicles

Ford Test Driving Blockchain for Energy-Efficient Vehicles

Rich Spuller
Rich Spuller

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The blockchain pilot program being tested by Ford is aimed at improving fuel efficiency.

On October 15, theย auto-giantย said it will use blockchain technology to monitor and automatically implement fuel-efficient driving modes for a fleet of vehicles in Cologne, Germany as a part of a wider pilot program also happening in London and Valencia, Spain.

In collaboration with the City of Cologne, Ford outfitted 10 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with cellular modems that enable geofencing. As the vehicles enter low-emission zones, they will automatically switch to electric-drive.

The metadata, such as when the vehicle enters or exits a zone as well as the miles-driven, will be recorded to a blockchain.

The pilot addresses the issues municipal authorities face in administering and implementing low-emissions zones by transmitting data to officials in real-time.

โ€œSecurity, trust and transparency of emissions data are of paramount importance to all stakeholders in this project, and are key for our vision of cleaner air in the city,โ€ said Gunnar Herrmann, chairman of the management board, Ford-Werke GmbH.

The pilot is part of SmartCity Cologne, a collaborative program to promote climate protection and energy transition.

This story originally appeared on Coindesk…