Autonomous vehicles are gradually taking over.
Individuals, firms and governments all want a piece of the action. The US government recently approved a spending bill, which includes $100 million for the research and development of automated vehicles as well as determining the job impact of automated vehicles.
Google's Waymo and Uber just formed PTIO (The Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity) along side some big names in the automobile industry to lobby government like a chamber of commerce and accept donations just like any other NGO. But that isn't the interesting part, Waymo had just agreed to settle with Uber after accusing the ride hailing company of stealing its autonomos vehicle technology.
So, you see how important AVs are.
Dominoes pizza delivery drones, Waymo’s autonomous taxis and Baidu's self driving cars are perfect examples of big companies toying with the idea of having fleets of AVs.
Like everything in business, all is not sunshine and good feelings in the autonomous vehicle world.
The industry is plagued by centralization and the selfish economic interests of the major players involved. These interests hold back the pace at which new technologies are released and utilized by the industry.
These large firms are only concerned with their networks and not overly interested in working together to create infrastructure that has more benefits in the long run. For example Tesla charges its batteries using its Superchargers (made by Tesla).
The absence of open source platforms where any user can use his vehicles or apps is also a problem plaguing the transport industry. Most platforms are closed like those of Uber and Lyft where only their apps and vehicles can be used.
The world of autonomous transport is quite a mess similar to the one experienced in the pre-Uber days, when cabs were controlled by private companies, which held public transportation in an iron grip, going as far as determining the number of cabs to be allowed on the streets in American cities, causing cab shortages and bad service.
DAV short for Decentralized Autonomous Vehicles plans to make this a thing of the past but how can it handle this hot mess?
Will DAV Be The New Uber Using Blockchain?
The private cab companies ruled before ride hailing took their power away.
DAV creates a blockchain based open platform where self driving vehicles (including drones) are connected to users of the network enabling them to hail rides and pay using a token. Vehicle owners on the network can offer their vehicles for rent on the network and get paid. Charging stations and parking spaces for the vehicles are provided on this platform also.
How DAV Works
The creation of the DAV network provides a platform where other applications which are tailored to the needs of various participants are available . It achieves its goals by assembling the various participants in the transport network to get a truly decentralized network. The blockchain based technology embedded in the network allows the provision of an indelible ledger where data concerning the parts of the network and its participants are backed up.
DAV was launched as a supporting structure of open-source software, open-source hardware and a marketplace free from monopoly (DAV believes that the marketplace or the internet of transport is to big for one company to handle) where any user can easily trade in transportation services using the official token. During trading, smart contracts concerned with the transfer of digital currencies are used. The absence of a single server creates a win win situation for everybody involved. When DAV tokens are used during transactions, financial settlements are assured between participants.
DAV encourages developers to take part in its network by giving support from their areas of expertise. The network technology of the platform is an open-source software stack, complete with a user interface that is developed which gives room for easy interaction, creating a real autonomous transport system .
Mission was the first app built for the DAV ecosystem. This app basically connects autonomous drones with consumers who want to have their packages delivered by these vehicles. After a request is made by a consumer, the drone bids to offer services and collaboration which requires little trust is engaged through the use of blockchain. A Russian startup, Copter Express is the first drone partner to start integration with DAV.
The DAV Token
DAV is the only token of this blockchain based platform. It is a utility token that will be used as a reward in the community-built autonomous vehicle infrastructure and makes the services provided by DAV, easy to carry out.
The platform enables the transfer of tokens across all groups in the network. The resulting growth will benefit both buyers and sellers. Consumers will be able to buy transport services whenever required, including other services that the platform will provide.
DAV will be used to pay the various participants on the platform. The participants are basically the owners of the means of transportation (drones, ships and self driving cars) and the people who offer services ranging from spaces for "docking" or parking to handling of disputes related to package delivery.
Why Is DAV special?
Ride-hailing companies, Uber and Lyft are not considered to be close competitors to the DAV Network. In recent months, Google has shown a relative interest in autonomous vehicle technology, although a backer of this project, might be a competitor in the future. However a major setback for this Ride-hailing companies is the absence of a decentralized market place, which is a major feature of the DAV platform.
Roadmap
DAV Partnerships
DAV has strategic partner across various industries (including members of the autonomous vehicle industry) to help them build and market the network to potential investors.
One of the major partners Scorpiox Technologies, plans to use autonomous drones to deliver packages to areas as well as tackle the challenges posed by last minute-last meter delivery in urban areas where traditional means of transportation can’t get to, an idea which helps to solve a major problem in the logistics industry.
The DAV Team And Advisors
This startup is headed by Noam Copel who has a wide experience in the fields of blockchain, cryptography and decentralization.
He heads a team of sixteen members with backgrounds ranging from cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence make up the DAV team. it also has advisors from big names in the tech industry such as NASA, Ethereum, Equinix and many more.
The diversity of skills is a very good feature of this team and is a real assest as this brings diffferent ideas to achieve a common goal.
ICO OVERVIEW AND TOKEN DISTRIBUTION
TOKEN SALE: 11 JUN - 25 JUN
TICKER: DAV
TOKEN TYPE: ERC20
TOKEN PRICE: 1 ETH = 10,000 DAV
MIN/MAX PERSONAL CAP: 0.2 ETH / 150 ETH
FUNDRAISING GOAL: 38,000,000 USD
TOTAL TOKENS: 1,771,428,571
AVAILABLE FOR TOKEN SALE: 40%
The tokens created will be allocated in the following way: 40% will be put for sale on ICO, 25% will be allocated for partnerships and bounties, 20% will be used for long-term budget on the platform. The team and its advisors will be allocated up to 15% of the tokens.
Final Thoughts
Is DAV a project worth investing in? I think it is an investment worth considering because the idea behind the platform is quite innovative. With Nasa and Google backing this project, the possibility of it being profitable is very high.
However to learn more about DAV, feel free to visit any of the following links for more information;
SOCIAL LINKS
DAV COMMUNTIES
TELEGRAM
CHINESE WECHAT ID : DAVNetwork
KAKAO
ADDITIONAL LINKS