Drive-and-Earn Platform Dimo Swaps Ethereum Networks, From Polygon to Base

Dimo, a platform for developers to build apps and enable car drivers to monetize their data, is migrating between Ethereum scaling networks, the developers exclusively told Decrypt—from Polygon to Coinbase’s Base. Co-founder Rob Solomon believes the move opens doors for valuable partnerships ahead.

The project is a “global API layer for cars” that is aiming to make every car on earth smart and programmable. This could manifest, the company says, in a future full of AI car mechanics and smart parking garages, as well as users making money when their data is sold.

Up until this point, Dimo has been building on Ethereum sidechain network Polygon. but has decided to make the switch to the Coinbase-incubated Base layer-2 chain. Solomon says this is largely motivated by the plethora of collaborations that could come as a result.

“Base is popular with builders [so] we could do deeper partnerships,” Solomon told Decrypt. 

Specifically, he points to Cario, a project that offers car ownership titles on-chain, as a possible collaborator. As well as Blackbird, a restaurant loyalty company, that Dimo could connect with their food trucks or Daylight, a DePIN project for energy devices like car chargers.

Dimo’s migration is not expected to take place until “late 2025,” as the team is still in the process of scoping out the technical specifics of the move. Users of the platform will likely not have to do anything on their end, Solomon said; at most, it’d be the press of a button.

“We love Polygon and they're great,” the co-founder told Decrypt. “Base just makes a ton of sense for Dimo because of the inroads and credibility they have with the types of big enterprises that we partner with. They build great products that are optimized for Base (e.g. on-ramps, paymasters, wallet systems), and their community and technology are world-class.”

Created by Coinbase, Base is an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network that is the on-chain home for the major crypto exchange’s products. Given the prominent firm behind it, Base launched with dozens of projects committing to building and supporting the ecosystem—including oracle Chainlink, block explorer Etherscan, and DeFi protocol Aave. 

This, Dimo believes, is a great foundation for the crypto project to achieve its long-term goal of becoming an integral part of every car company.

“In 1990, no companies built their workflow on the internet and email. Today, if those things disappeared, companies would fall apart overnight since they've come to depend on those protocols,” Solomon explained. “Dimo will be the same.”

He envisions a future where Dimo’s blockchain-based Vehicle ID system will replace the current system for vehicle identification numbers (VINs)—that help track things like warranty claims, insurance coverage, and more—which is typically stored in a read-only database.

“The blockchain will be the new de facto ledger for registrations and ownership,” he said. “All payments will be made on-chain. All credentials (insured, licensed, registered) will tie back cryptographically to on-chain identifiers.”

This future that Solomon outlines, he believes, will all be underpinned by Dimo’s technology becoming a crucial part of the future of the car industry. And this vision, the company believes, is more easily achieved on Base.

Edited by Andrew Hayward