Brief details are given of a research project which looked at the feasibility of using electronic means to make vehicle identification more accurate and less susceptible to fraud. TNO was tasked with finding out whether On Board Unit (OBU)-based applications could be complemented by something more robust than the traditional licence plate and Vehicle Identification Number. The Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI) project included workto ascertain the best means of fixing battery-less Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to a vehicle and the development of a method to use these tags to reliably and securely identify vehicles. Important aspects were ease of after market attachment, protection in the event of an accident and line of sight to a RFID readier. The use of an adhesive material which electrically decouples the tag from the vehicle was chosen. Trials were carried out with one prototype vehicle and tags in another 23 vehicles taking part in another project. EVI demonstrated a 95 per cent success rate. Implications for data security and ways to take the project forward are considered.
Abstract