Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is working on a system that rewards its drivers with cryptocurrency when they report portholes or congestion.
Through JLR’s ‘Smart Wallet’ system, motorists will be able to earn credits through their car automatically reporting useful road data – such as potholes to local authorities and mapping firms.
The credits will then be stored in their ‘Wallet’ and can then be used to make purchases such as coffee, or used to pay for toll roads, parking or EV charging – in the case of the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace and the plug-in hybrid versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
The firm has worked with technology company, the Iota Foundation, to develop the tech needed to make and receive these payments, which aim to make paying for services and goods easier. Drivers are also able to top-up their ‘Smart Wallet’ using normal methods of payment.
Jaguar Land Rover is currently trialling the tech at its software engineering base in the Republic of Ireland, with several vehicles already equipped with the ‘Smart Wallet’ functionality.
It comes as part of its ‘Destination Zero’ strategy, which aims for no emissions, zero accidents and no congestion. The Wallet system aims to do this by sharing live traffic data to find the quickest congestion-free routes.
Russell Vickers, Jaguar Land Rover Software Architect, said: “The connected car technologies we are developing will be transformative and truly turn your Jaguar or Land Rover into a third space, in addition to your home or office.”
“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.”
The software engineering centre is also exploring technologies to support electrification and autonomous driving features.
