From Vehicular Blockchain Trading to Smart Mobility Governance: Institutional Trust, Incentives, and Technology Adoption

Abstract

Blockchain-enabled vehicular edge markets are usually discussed as technical systems for secure resource discovery, smart-contract settlement, and decentralized trust management. This article reframes that problem as a smart mobility governance issue. It argues that vehicular blockchain trading can support scalable resource sharing only when technical trust is reinforced by institutional trust, fair incentives, privacy assurance, regulatory clarity, and adoption readiness. A conceptual framework is developed to connect vehicle resource markets, blockchain transaction layers, institutional governance, trust analytics, incentive design, and technology adoption. A simulated stakeholder dataset is then used to illustrate how governance variables influence adoption readiness among vehicle owners, fleet managers, platform operators, edge infrastructure providers, municipal officers, and cybersecurity auditors. Results suggest that institutional trust and incentive fairness are the strongest drivers of adoption readiness, while regulatory clarity remains the weakest perceived condition. The article contributes to technology innovation and society research by transforming a blockchain-based vehicular trading architecture into a broader governance model for smart mobility ecosystems. It also provides practical guidance for platform operators and public agencies seeking to deploy secure, accountable, and socially acceptable mobility resource markets.

Keywords: Vehicular blockchain; Smart mobility governance; Institutional trust; Incentive design; Technology adoption; Trust analytics; Edge computing; Privacy assurance