Follow: Incentivizing clean driving
Introducing Follow from Taraniscix – Finnish innovators trying to reduce vehicle emissions and promote sustainable living through IoT and blockchain
It all started with a simple idea – encourage Finnish car-owners to change their driving habits. Finland is a sparsely populated country, with less than ⅓ the population of the Netherlands, but 8 times the size. With distances more spread out, car owners are forced to drive further for essential transportation. This increases the potential impact of carpooling, ride-sharing, and public transportation in one of the most socially progressive countries in the world.
A couple of entrepreneurs began looking at how blockchain technology could be used to reduce the negative effects of emissions and greenhouse gases. They recognized the effectiveness of using blockchain to incentivize the public, and realized that Finland’s 3 million cars, with an average age of 12 years, were causing major damage to the environment. They soon calculated that even by reducing average vehicle emissions by 10%, they could have the same impact as planting 11.4 million trees, or the equivalent of 38 per vehicle.
causing headaches for conservationist efforts
In 2018, they decided to make this a reality, forming a company and prototyping hardware and software that could deliver this solution without making sacrifices on convenience or affordability. With many years of experience in the auto industry, they had little difficulty adapting current technology to fit their needs. They began working with prominent risk-management company DNV GL, who gave them guidance and professional support.
The solution
Follow has begun work on a mobile app and digital asset wallet that can integrate with existing onboard diagnostic readers. The OBD2 port can be found below the steering wheel, connecting to the onboard computer and providing information regarding emissions, mileage, speed, and other diagnostic data. Their vision for this project is quickly expanding – they’ve found opportunities to expand this to government organizations, insurance providers, and other business use cases. Vehicle emissions are just the start – Follow has plans to include fitness trackers, public transport records, and other oracles that can acquire data regarding sustainable consumer behavior.
The key to this solution is the blockchain: users have a verified record of their history, with data acquisition happening in an automated and immutable environment. Digital assets, or tokens, can be distributed automatically, instantly rewarding users for good-behavior. Leaderboards can “gamify” the experience, encouraging users to compete for more than just financial rewards. Follow initially selected VeChain as an infrastructure provider, based on the stable developer ecosystem and unique fee delegation features, allowing devices to write to the blockchain without using any cryptocurrency to pay for transactions.
The advantages don’t stop with the end consumer. Insurance companies could reward users for their responsible driving history, and secondhand sales platforms could show verified reports about the state of the vehicle, adding value to the ownership. Governments could have better access to driving history, in exchange for tax deductions or additional benefits.
The increase in hybrid vehicles means that revenue from gasoline tax is steadily dropping, an income previously relied on to improve roads and maintain infrastructure. This puts pressure on the government to innovate and find more ways to balance taxation between those who use public resources and those who don’t, a fair and sustainable compromise. Follow could be the key to balancing taxation by charging high-volume drivers for their emissions and road usage, while offering deductions to those that find alternative methods of transportation.
Follow has plans to account for businesses as well, by building a fleet management system. The benefits include:
- Driver performance tracking
- Insurance benefits
- Automated mileage reporting
- “Eco-friendly” brand enhancement through CSR
- Streamlined administration processes
Expanding the Scope
After meeting with DNV GL, Follow recognized that demand for their solution wasn’t limited to Finland. They had talks with representatives from the San Marino Republic, which for years has positioned itself as a leader in emerging technology adoption. With prototypes already on the roads in Finland and Spain, the key is to find more professional partners to expedite adoption. They are planning to start a private fundraising round as they seek investment to expand their operations.
Finding other countries with dense urban populations are key opportunities as well. Reducing the emissions of San Marino’s 43,000 vehicles by 10% would be the equivalent of covering 22% of the small country with forest – a substantial improvement for a Republic intent on becoming carbon neutral in the upcoming years.
While initially the focus is on automotive solutions, Follow has one eye on smart homes and other fuel-burning industries. According to Finnish environmental agency Ymparisto.fi, in Finland, fossil fuels are relied on for heating purposes, responsible for more than double the emissions caused by automobiles.
Our vision is to bring actionable awareness and responsibility of CO2 emissions to individuals and companies by means of smart applications that will become a part of everyday life.
Jason McIvor – Co-founder
This puts Follow in a strong position as they expand into an open ecosystem for individuals, companies, and government organizations to share and incentivize sustainable initiatives on the blockchain. For now, they are still quite early in development, but with a product that can save money while contributing to a cleaner environment, Follow is a project to watch for.
For more info on Follow, visit taraniscix.com, or email [email protected]
“Follow” Follow on Twitter.
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