UNA Blockchain, a subsidiary of Hopium, the car manufacturer that develops “high-end” hydrogen sedans, is launching its new blockchain ecosystem.
Based in Venice, California, UNA Blockchain aims to position itself as a leader within the automotive sector, according to a release shared with Crowdfund Insider. The ethos of the business is “based on security, sustainability, transparency and ethics,” the announcement noted.
UNA intends to leverage partnerships with key players in the tech sector like IBM Hyperledger. The firm will also be backed by Hopium, its “genesis” partner that carried out an IPO in December 2020, resulting in its current valuation of more than $250 million.
As explained in the release,
“The [UNA] ecosystem will use IoT hardware to record unaltered data on a blockchain and a way of measuring emissions and assessing the impact of each vehicle on the environment. … UNA will actively participate in answering climate change issues while maintaining optimal data security.”
The release added that drivers will be able to create their own “digital passport” as well. By writing “individual” preferences to a blockchain or DLT-based platform, they’ll be able to seamlessly switch between vehicles without losing any settings or preferences by pulling the previously stored profile from the ledger.
As mentioned in the release, a test-drive will “instantly feel like home and driving a rental will no longer feel like a rental.” The announcement also mentioned that “not only does this remove pain points from the user, but also enables the company to study aggregate user preferences and learn about consumer [preferences and behavior] over time.”
The announcement added:
“UNA’s core value of transparency begins before the vehicle has been manufactured and shines a light on the supply chain leading up to the finished product. By tracing parts through the supply chain, UNA ensures partners and suppliers take environmentally-friendly … approaches to the manufacturing process, along with the added guarantee of high quality materials and workmanship. By keeping this detailed ledger, owners know exactly what went into their vehicle and have guarantees on each individual part in case of damages or failure.”
UNA’s ecosystem will offer improved security. As explained in the release, ownership of a vehicle may be recorded on a blockchain or DLT-based system. And access by “unauthorized” parties will “automatically be rejected,” the release noted while adding that user profiles may be managed via the blockchain.
This means that a family will have the option to assign several different users to the same vehicle. This concept of authorized users “extends to include both a ‘guest mode’ and a ‘child mode’ to grant access to specific individuals for set time periods,” the announcement noted.
As stated in the release, this “first chapter” of UNA’s history is part of a “greater vision to balance and decarbonize both the blockchain and the automotive industry.”
Launched in 2021, UNA is a US-based blockchain firm and subsidiary of Hopium, the hydrogen car manufacturer founded by racing driver Olivier Lombard.
UNA aims to embody the “next era” of automotive and claims that it is “poised” to take a leadership role within the automoble sector. With “an emphasis on security, ethics, transparency, and sustainability, UNA is leveraging ‘next-generation’ technologies to build a blockchain ecosystem capable of exceeding expectations,” the announcement noted.