Toyota, the Japanese car giant, is eyeing a major shift. They're looking to use Ethereum blockchain in their vehicles. The plan? Give each car its own digital account.
This isn't just some pipe dream. It's part of Toyota's Mobility 3.0 concept, unveiled last week. The idea is to explore mobility as a smart account on the blockchain.
What's the big deal? Well, it could pave the way for fully autonomous driving. No human needed. All the rights would be handled on-chain.
Toyota's blog post didn't mince words. "The most extreme scenario suggested by these features is fully autonomous driving in the future," it said. Talk about a game-changer.
So, how's this all going to work? Toyota's thinking of using Ethereum's ERC-4337 standard. It's a fancy way of saying "Account Abstraction".
Here's the kicker: even if you lose the private key, the car's account stays put. Pretty neat, huh?
"Account Abstraction separates the authentication process from key management," Toyota explained. "This enables safer and more flexible account management."
But wait, there's more. Using Ethereum could make managing car info a breeze. Usage history? All there, transparent and efficient.
Toyota's also cooking up something called a "key token". It's like an NFT for your car. It'll hold owner info and usage rights.
What does this mean for you? Well, car sharing could get a whole lot easier. Just transfer the NFT, and boom – you've got access.
This whole shebang is coming from Toyota's Blockchain lab. They've been around since 2019, pushing for blockchain use in the Toyota Group.
Look, this is big stuff. Toyota's not messing around. They're diving headfirst into the crypto world, and it could change how we think about cars forever. Keep your eyes peeled – the future of driving might be on the blockchain.