Blockchain and Autonomous Vehicles: Recent Advances and Future Directions

Blockchain is an underlying technology for securing many real-time applications and their data. The automobile is one such sector in which auto-manufacturers are looking forward to accepting the advantages of distributed ledger technology in autonomous vehicles or systems and improving their products, customer satisfaction, and other valuable experiences. This work aims to find the significance of blockchain technology in Autonomous Vehicles, including Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AEV), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV), Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (AAeV), and Autonomous Driving. In this work, a comparative analysis of blockchain-integrated autonomous vehicle systems is explored to identify the present scenario and futuristic challenges. In addition to blockchain technology, the uses and importance of sensors, architectures and infrastructure requirements, vehicle types, driving modes, vehicles target and tracking approaches, intelligent contracts, intelligent data handling, and industry-specific use cases are also explored. This study is based on the exploration of recent technologies and practices. As autonomous vehicles are expected to be the future of intelligent transportation, this paper surveys recent advances in autonomous vehicles and systems and how blockchain can help in improving user experiences and improving industry practices. Finally, limitations of work, future research directions, and challenges associated with different autonomous vehicles and systems are presented.