eTukTuk - The Blockchain Network Flipping the Switch on Transport
With every day that passes, carbon emissions from the global use of transport is gripping the planet tighter, exploiting an already fractured system; with users forced to pay a high price for the dwindling, restricted fuel supply. Air pollution from key carbon particulates caused by transportation are causing ill-health and shortened lives, globally.
Whilst strides have been made in the developed world to bring private transportation to a sustainable (if not yet widely affordable) level, developing countries are being left behind, causing a black hole over numerous economies who are struggling to afford the transition to cleaner alternatives for affordable mass transportation.
Yet, one company seeks to change the way the world uses and interacts with transportation. Their mission is beginning with the TukTuk in developing countries, where 63% of the world’s carbon emissions originate, and where three-wheel transportation is dense.
eTukTuk - In A Different Gear
Having recently announced the news of its launch at the World Economic Forum in Davos, eTukTuk - the world’s first automotive project built on Cardano - has found its place on the blockchain, and looks set to help millions of people currently living without accessible or affordable transportation, according to CEO Ryan Fishoff.
Making the most of the blockchain’s smart contracts in order to provide smart, swift, and efficient payment services to users of the network, eTukTuk will be exploiting technology to provide drivers and network participants who take part in “Power Staking”, as well as “Territory Partners”, and investors, to make transportation work for everyone.
One of the biggest aspects heralding the revolution of outdated systems, will be the charging stations. eTukTuk has designed electric vehicle supply equipment ("EVSE") to bring charging infrastructure into countries that are severely lacking this technology. These will form the backbone of the eTukTuk network, according to Fishoff, who recently spoke with Alfred Moesker of Hotel Cardano Podcast. “We are building something quite unique here.”
Alongside much-needed infrastructure for widely-accessible charging facilities, is the affordable proprietary eTukTuk vehicle itself, built with a roll-cage, and designed from fewer than 200 components, according to Fishoff.
Why Blockchain?
eTukTuk’s Chief Blockchain Officer, Jason Ridgeway-Taylor, has stated that “transparency, security, and traceability on Cardano’s blockchain are all key foundational benefits for any adopters or drivers that take part in the network. However, Cardano’s number of transactions per second (ranging in the hundreds), the opportunity for drivers to have a digital identity, and the benefits of a sharing economy are key components that will make the system noteworthy for its wider adoption in what is currently - in places like Sri Lanka, for example - a ‘cash-heavy’ society.”
Whilst many in Sri Lanka already have access to bank accounts, with 85% of transactions completed in cash, payment systems there are restrictive. Therefore, eTukTuk proposes to bridge the gap. Drivers will be able to pay into the system using fiat - no matter where the network is set up in the world.
Who Are the People Behind eTukTuk?
The team - based mostly in the UK, with further global employees in strategic locations - will concentrate on expanding the accessibility of the network, by pre-selecting the most advantageous locations for charging stations in each region. With the assistance of local and official partners already in place, eTukTuk will also rely on “Territory Partners” to manage the stations and to help grow the network; making the most of their local knowledge to ensure that the infrastructure is installed in the most-needed locations.
The project already has the backing of the Mayor of Colombo, Her Worship Rosy Senanayake, who has endorsed the project and its foundations in Sri Lanka.
White Paper Announced
eTukTuk, today, have announced the launch of their White Paper that sets out its mission and the system it will employ. An avid number of the eTukTuk community have long awaited its arrival, and the excitement that the release has generated is indicative of the anticipation for this type of progression in transportation across the globe.
How It Works
As the network grows, so will the rewards as the safe, clean, and fair model of transportation becomes widely used. eTukTuks will be safer than the current standard, with a patented roll-cage design, and a driver’s quality of life will also improve as the level of take-home pay could increase by up to 400% - the savings from the cost of owning and operating an eTukTuk.
The eTukTuk team say they hope to completely rEVolutionise transportation as we know it; making it affordable and accessible for those in the developing world who are caught in a vicious and endless cycle; paying the high price of fuelling their only mode of transportation. More information about the project can be found in their White Paper. Everyone can join the rEVolution, find eTukTuk on Twitter @eTukTukio, or discover more at https://etuktuk.io.