Expanding the DIMO Hardware Ecosystem
How do you connect every car in the world to DIMO?
In year one, DIMO has laid the foundation: rolling out a best in class mobile app, building a community of thousands of drivers and fleets. Now it’s time to start scaling up.
DIMO is designed to incorporate any product or service that brings value to users.
Today DIMO is taking a big step towards realizing that vision - announcing the roadmap for the open hardware ecosystem and developer tools that make connecting to DIMO easier than ever:
View DIMO’s open hardware specifications - designed to allow any OEM to securely pair a device using the mobile app and start sending data to the DIMO network.
Learn about the device integration process - a clear pathway for automakers, tier 1 suppliers, and other aftermarket device makers to integrate with DIMO, offering their customers more choice and functionality.
Apply to become a licensed distributor - partner with DIMO to expand our distribution across the globe
Discover resources for developers - build useful apps on the DIMO platform for every vehicle
Coming soon - grants funded by the DIMO Foundation: supporting next-generation hardware options
What is a DIMO OEM License?
To receive a license, hardware original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must stake 100,000 $DIMO, submit test devices, and verify their performance with a group of alpha users.
A license also allows (but does not require) OEMs to use distribution through shop.dimo.zone; DIMO branding and support channels, and resources from the DIMO hardware team to test.
The first license & device registrations are live
AutoPi.io, the producer of the original DIMO Data Miner, is the first OEM with a DIMO manufacturer license. The 12,800 devices produced to date have all been registered on-chain, with a 25 $DIMO deposit.
As each device stays connected to the network, up to 10 $DIMO goes to the DIMO Foundation and up to 15 $DIMO can flow back to AutoPi.eth as devices stay connected over time.
Here’s the process for how new new licenses will be granted:
1. OEMs apply to the foundation - providing background on their product and plans to build DIMO-compatible devices.
2. OEMs can review the DIMO open hardware spec - providing prototypes and designs to the DIMO foundation hardware team.
3. After necessary integration work, prototype units are produced and can be tested with the DIMO platform and apps. Generally this is limited to <500 units.
4. On-chain licenses can be purchased from the DIMO foundation when provisioning devices. This step can also be done in pre-production.
5. OEMs can use DIMO distributors to pre-sell and deliver units globally when their production devices are ready.
Introducing: JDI - DIMO's Second Hardware OEM
JDI (via their subsidiary Hashdog) is the second OEM to acquire a DIMO OEM license, and there are 2 more planned for this year with new regional & use-case support.
There will be additional announcements about this partnership as information about the first DIMO x JDI devices as they become available throughout the testing and integration process.
If you’d like to become a DIMO distributor, fill out this form.
The “Why” Behind It All
There are three big reasons for opening the ecosystem to new hardware manufacturers:
1. Customer Choice
2. Manufacturing Capacity
3. Decentralization and Resilience
Customer Choice: Providing users with more options that offer varying price points and features.
There is no “right way” for a driver to use DIMO. Some users are gear-heads, looking to hack their own cars and develop applications that they can share with the world. Others are drivers looking to store their data for the practical applications where it will come in handy like maintenance, insurance, vehicle commerce, and more. Different applications will need different data, so the choice of DIMO hardware might vary.
To that end, the new design specs that are going to be released cover a wide range of user applications from everyday drivers getting around to professionals and fleet owners.
There will be lightweight designs that tether to a phone for cell connectivity and use low-power networks like Helium for small data transfer use cases, hardened versions for industrial applications, and more compute-heavy versions for video and OpenPilot support.
Manufacturing Capacity: More manufacturers means the total amount of hardware available to DIMO users is going to increase over time.
Along with the new hardware options will come more manufacturers. The DIMO Foundation hardware team is working to onboard several manufacturers with experience building connected vehicle hardware at a huge scale.
Decentralization and Resilience: To make sure DIMO is built to last for decades.
This is the key to having partners that can serve markets big and small, local and global, and adapt to market forces.
You may have heard the buzzword “decentralization,” but what matters to DIMO users is increased choice and resiliency. More manufacturers means greater consumer choice and scaling potential, and it ensures that the success of the project will not rely on a single entity.
The Road Ahead
DIMO has begun working with OEMs, and have made reference designs available already to two separate partners.
Our expectation is that the official announcement for the next devices will come in April of 2023, at which point Alpha Units can be distributed to early testers.
The DIMO core team will spend a few months onboarding these manufacturers with the goal of seeing next-generation hardware arriving with DIMO customers in 4Q 2023. Updates on the progress will come at least monthly with each OEM to keep the community updated.
Get Involved - Bring DIMO to the World
If you work at an organization that has the manufacturing and software expertise to make DIMO hardware devices, DIMO wants to hear from you! Indicate your early interest here.
DIMO is also working with hardware distributors, fleet services providers, car dealers and marketplaces, and other groups that want to bring DIMO to their local market.
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