Jaguar Land Rover wants to pay drivers cryptocurrency to report traffic, road conditions

Jaguar Land Rover may soon reward drivers with cryptocurrency by reporting traffic conditions on their route, the company announced in a release on Sunday.

The British manufacturer is currently testing its “Smart Wallet” technology in Ireland using two models, the Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Velar. The tech is developed alongside blockchain firm IOTA Foundation.

Drivers can earn digital currency by reporting physical road conditions, traffic congestion and incidents on their route. They can then use this currency to pay for “coffee, or conveniently use them to automatically pay tolls, parking fees and for smart charging electric vehicles,” the company noted.

Drivers will also be able to top-up this Smart Wallet using their own cards, suggesting that Jaguar Land Rover could be piloting this system as a wider wireless car-based payment system.

“‘Smart Wallet’ removes the need for drivers to hunt for loose change or sign up to multiple accounts to pay for a variety of everyday services,” it added.

It’s not clear how the tech will function, or how one would be able to pay for coffee or tolls, but it’s a nifty idea that adds value to the info you currently and automatically provide to mapping services like — Google Maps — for free.

Feature image: Jaguar