Apply blockchain technology to electric vehicle battery refueling

Battery swapping is a solution of electric vehicle (EV) battery refueling. For EV owners, the battery information and transaction’s correctness, openness, traceability and immutability is difficult to get guarantee in traditional centralized system. The trust lacking between EV owners and swapping station is caused, and becomes a big challenge to EV’s rapid development. An objective mechanism based on decentralized blockchain system is proposed to manage battery swapping and solve the trust lacking issue. With this solution, both battery’s life-cycle information and all operations histories are permanently saved in blockchain network. All key logics are driven by smart contracts, the battery price calculation and the digital currency exchange between EV owners and station are realized by smart contracts automatically and accurately. A primary prototype based on Ethereum is analyzed and implemented to illustrate the feasibility of managing battery swapping and refueling based on blockchain system to solve the trust lacking issue

Global traceability

The use of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in supply chain management (SCM) systems was a big source for optimism. However, the expected rapid industry adoption of RFID did not take place. This research explores some of the existing challenges and obstacles to RFID adoption, such as the lack of consistent UHF spectrum regulations for RFID or the absence of standards that promote integration with Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) media. As a conclusion, in this project we suggest some solutions to these challenges in the use of multi-frequency RFID tags that can be read at more that one frequency or novel migration strategies and standards that would help expand the industry.Outgoin

Review. Monitoring the intermodal, refrigerated transport of fruit using sensor networks

Most of the fruit in Europe is transported by road, but the saturation of the major arteries, the increased demand for freight transport, and environmental concerns all indicate there is a need to change this means of transport. A combination of transport modes using universal containers is one of the solutions proposed: this is known as intermodal transport. Tracking the transport of fruit in reefer containers along the supply chain is the means by which product quality can be guaranteed. The integration of emerging information technologies can now provide real-time status updates. This paper reviews the literature and the latest technologies in this area as part of a national project. Particular emphasis is placed on multiplexed digital communication technologies and wireless sensor networks

Wireless communication, identification and sensing technologies enabling integrated logistics: a study in the harbor environment

In the last decade, integrated logistics has become an important challenge in the development of wireless communication, identification and sensing technology, due to the growing complexity of logistics processes and the increasing demand for adapting systems to new requirements. The advancement of wireless technology provides a wide range of options for the maritime container terminals. Electronic devices employed in container terminals reduce the manual effort, facilitating timely information flow and enhancing control and quality of service and decision made. In this paper, we examine the technology that can be used to support integration in harbor's logistics. In the literature, most systems have been developed to address specific needs of particular harbors, but a systematic study is missing. The purpose is to provide an overview to the reader about which technology of integrated logistics can be implemented and what remains to be addressed in the future

Global traceability

The use of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in supply chain management (SCM) systems was a big source for optimism. However, the expected rapid industry adoption of RFID did not take place. This research explores some of the existing challenges and obstacles to RFID adoption, such as the lack of consistent UHF spectrum regulations for RFID or the absence of standards that promote integration with Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) media. As a conclusion, in this project we suggest some solutions to these challenges in the use of multi-frequency RFID tags that can be read at more that one frequency or novel migration strategies and standards that would help expand the industry.Outgoin

Business application study of RFID technology

The present work deals with RFID (radio--‐frequency identification) technology, which is nowadays mainly used to identify and track products, items or even employees. This technology facilitates the collection, storing and processing of information in order to, for instance, provide a higher stock visibility, eliminate manufacturing errors or increase production speeds. It is replacing more and more the less efficient bar code system, and its increasing importance in a various number of sectors, as well as its many different ways of using the technology, give reasons and motivation to look with more detail into the subject. As mentioned, bar code applications have many deficiencies and disadvantages in comparison with an RFID system they are becoming old--‐fashioned in the meantime, and are more rarely applied by companies in a multitude of industries. But RFID technology is not just meant to substitute the bar code system, it is a technology that opens new ways and new possibilities of affecting positively many industrial, administrative, stocking and transporting processes, among others that will be seen. This work is meant to be a reference for engineers and managers, providing in the first place, an introduction to get more familiar with the subject through description of the physical phenomena and technical characteristics of RFID. Further more, the work is meant to be used as a tool for managers and engineers to evaluate the implantation of RFID in their respective companies and business unites, which is the way to extract the most value out of this document. In this sense, the core and innovating part of this work will be the mapping table in the third chapter with specific results that could be used by any company to find the appropriate applications of RFID within their field of business. It will serve as a primary selection and evaluation tool that would precede future next steps to find out in which fields the application would be more profitable, like for example the deep economic analysis of the applications considered. Basically, the approach will be as follows. An evaluation table has been elaborated and structured to point out the relation between specific industry sectors, the advantages of the RFID technology and business units within a company such as supply chain, logistics and maintenance. A numerical value will be extracted to compare values with each other so as to support and propose the application of RFID in a specific business unit. Finally through interpretation of the relationship between advantages, business unites and industry sectors, it will be possible to extract valuable information from the table and be able to answer some concrete questions from it, which any manager would like to have solved in advance when dealing with the possibility of implantation of RFID technology in his compan

Smartphone: The Ultimate IoT and IoE Device

Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Everything (IoE) are emerging communication concepts that will interconnect a variety of devices (including smartphones, home appliances, sensors, and other network devices), people, data, and processes and allow them to communicate with each other seamlessly. These new concepts can be applied in many application domains such as healthcare, transportation, and supply chain management (SCM), to name a few, and allow users to get real-time information such as location-based services, disease management, and tracking. The smartphone-enabling technologies such as built-in sensors, Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking, and near-field communications (NFC) allow it to be an integral part of IoT and IoE world and the mostly used device in these environments. However, its use imposes severe security and privacy threats, because the smartphone usually contains and communicates sensitive private data. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive survey on IoT and IoE technologies, their application domains, IoT structure and architecture, the use of smartphones in IoT and IoE, and the difference between IoT networks and mobile cellular networks. We also provide a concise overview of future opportunities and challenges in IoT and IoE environments and focus more on the security and privacy threats of using the smartphone in IoT and IoE networks with a suggestion of some countermeasures

Opportunities for the logistical competitive advantages of Finnish cobalt produced for the European electric vehicle market : Case study: Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy

The downsides of the electrification of the automotive industry are the sustainability and responsibility issues in the international supply chains of critical minerals, especially cobalt, contained in the lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles. The activities are highly concentrated for more than half of the world’s cobalt is mined as a by-product in Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in mines mainly controlled by Chinese operators, where the general problem is labour abuse. Based on the above issues, three main objectives have been defined for this thesis: to clarify the backgrounds and prospects for cobalt need in the battery industry, to identify requirements, standards, and development directions of cobalt supply chains transparency and traceability of mineral origin, and to demonstrate the logistical competitive advantages of cobalt mined and refined in Finland compared with cobalt mined in Congo and refined in China. The European electric vehicle industry has been selected as the target market for the study. The case company of the thesis is Latitude 66 Cobalt, aiming to produce traceability requirements meeting cobalt in Finland for the European electric vehicle market. This thesis is a management science study that has applied an analytical decision-making process. The study has been carried out by mapping the material flows of cobalt and creating two comparable supply chain scenarios based on them, the Nordic scenario and the Chinese-controlled scenario. The scenario-based comparison has been carried out with three indicators measuring transports performance: transit time, greenhouse gas emissions, and transport costs. Uncertainties in the indicators have been considered and their impact on the research results has been highlighted in the sensitivity analyses conducted by Monte Carlo simulations. Based on the literature review findings, despite new innovations in battery technology, the demand for cobalt seems to continue to grow towards the end of the decade. The planned requirements for improving the transparency of supply chains and the traceability of mineral origin for companies targeting the European market may be a challenge for the current main producing countries but, on the other hand, an opportunity for Finnish cobalt production. Considering the uncertainties, the quantitative analysis of the study shows that the logistical competitive advantages in favour of Finnish cobalt production are 72%–78% in transit time, 77%–82% in greenhouse gas emissions, and 51%–70% in costs.Autoteollisuuden sähköistymisen varjopuolia ovat sähköajoneuvojen voimanlähteenä käytettävien litiumioniakkujen sisältämien kriittisten mineraalien, erityisesti koboltin, kansainvälisten toimitusketjujen kestävyys ja vastuullisuus ongelmat. Toiminta on hyvin keskittynyttä, sillä yli puolet maailman koboltista louhitaan sivutuotteena Keski-Afrikassa, Kongon demokraattisessa tasavallassa, pääosin kiinalaisten toimijoiden hallinnan alaisissa kaivoksissa, joissa yleisesti tiedossa oleva rasite on työvoiman väärinkäytön ilmentyminen. Edellä mainittujen ongelmien pohjalta tälle tutkielmalle on määritelty kolme päätavoitetta: selvittää taustat ja tulevaisuuden näkymät koboltin tarpeelle akkuteollisuudessa, tunnistaa koboltin toimitusketjujen läpinäkyvyyteen ja mineraalialkuperän jäljitettävyyteen liittyvät vaatimukset, standardit ja kehityssuunnat, sekä osoittaa Suomessa louhitun ja jalostetun koboltin mahdolliset logistiset kilpailuedut verrattuna Kongossa louhittuun ja Kiinassa jalostettuun kobolttiin. Tutkimuksen kohdemarkkinaksi on rajattu Euroopan sähköajoneuvoteollisuus. Tämän tutkielman case yritys on malminetsintäyhtiö Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy, jonka tavoite on tulevaisuudessa tuottaa Suomessa jäljitettävyysvaatimukset täyttävää kobolttia Euroopan sähköajoneuvomarkkinoiden tarpeisiin. Tämä tutkielma on johtamistieteellinen tutkimus, jossa on sovellettu analyyttista päätöksentekoprosessia. Tutkimus on toteutettu kartoittamalla koboltin materiaalivirtoja ja luomalla niiden pohjalta kaksi keskenään vertailukelpoista toimitusketjuskenaariota, pohjoismainen skenaario ja kiinalaisten toimijoiden kontrolloima skenaario. Skenaariokohtainen vertailu perustuu valittuihin kuljetusten suorituskykyä mittaaviin indikaattoreihin: kuljetusaika, kasvihuonekaasupäästöt ja kuljetuskustannukset. Indikaattoreiden sisältämät epävarmuustekijät on otettu huomioon ja niiden vaikutus tutkimustuloksiin on tuotu esille Monte Carlo simulaatiolla tehdyillä herkkyysanalyyseillä. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen löydösten pohjalta voidaan todeta, että huolimatta akkuteknologian uusista innovaatioista, koboltin kysyntä näyttää jatkavan kasvuaan vuosikymmenen loppuun päin mentäessä. Suunnitellut toimitusketjujen läpinäkyvyyden ja mineraalialkuperän jäljitettävyyden parantamisvaatimukset Euroopan markkinoille tähtääville yrityksille voivat olla haaste nykyisille päätuottajamaille, mutta toisaalta mahdollisuus suomalaiselle kobolttituotannolle. Epävarmuustekijät huomioon otettuna tutkimuksen kvantitatiivinen analyysi osoittaa logistiset kilpailuedut suomalaisen kobolttituotannon hyväksi 72–78 % kuljetusten, 77–82 % kasvihuonekaasupäästöjen ja 51–70 % kustannusten osalta

Key parameters linking cyber-physical trust anchors with embedded internet of things systems

Integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the automotive industry has brought benefits as well as security challenges. Significant benefits include enhanced passenger safety and more comprehensive vehicle performance diagnostics. However, current onboard and remote vehicle diagnostics do not include the ability to detect counterfeit parts. A method is needed to verify authentic parts along the automotive supply chain from manufacture through installation and to coordinate part authentication with a secure database. In this study, we develop an architecture for anti-counterfeiting in automotive supply chains. The core of the architecture consists of a cyber-physical trust anchor and authentication mechanisms connected to blockchain-based tracking processes with cloud storage. The key parameters for linking a cyber-physical trust anchor in embedded IoT include identifiers (i.e., serial numbers, special features, hashes), authentication algorithms, blockchain, and sensors. A use case was provided by a two-year long implementation of simple trust anchors and tracking for a coffee supply chain which suggests a low-cost part authentication strategy could be successfully applied to vehicles. The challenge is authenticating parts not normally connected to main vehicle communication networks. Therefore, we advance the coffee bean model with an acoustical sensor to differentiate between authentic and counterfeit tires onboard the vehicle. The workload of secure supply chain development can be shared with the development of the connected autonomous vehicle networks, as the fleet performance is degraded by vehicles with questionable replacement parts of uncertain reliability