Goals

The problem I set out to solve with this project was that in the car enthusiast community, there isn’t one unified experience for people to organize meets, plan drives, and share drives similar to Strava. I wanted to create a platform that includes all of this and more.

Constraints

The target demographic for this platform would be car clubs and car enthusiasts, a bit like a replacement for Facebook, where members currently get invited to the clubs and are notified of events. For my timeframe, I had a bit of a different situation as I opted to change my project 2 weeks before our Victoria trip, meaning I had limited time to create either proof of concept or a working prototype. Additionally, some personal constraints are that I have pretty much zero knowledge of any programming language that would be beneficial to this project, which would mean that I would either have to source help from third parties, or learn to code myself.

Expectations + Design

My solution, RevShare would be to give car enthusiasts a platform to log their drives, analyze performance, and share experiences with a like-minded community – without promoting unsafe driving.

Feautres that would contribute to this would be:

Drive Logging & Stats
- GPS-based route tracking
- Drive summaries: distance, duration, elevation, etc.
- Optional performance overlays: speed, acceleration, cornering forces
Content Sharing
- Post drives with route maps and media
- Like, comment, and follow system
- Tags for roads and locations
User Profiles
- Virtual car garage
- Drive history and activity stats
Community Features
- Discover public drives by location or popularity
- Group drives or event planning (basic RSVP and map link)
- Optional clubs or invite- only groups
- AI curated events for the clubs
  - Since the AI knows what cars people drive, their driving style when signing up for the app, the AI is able to create inclusive activities for everyone in the group, promoting inclusivity and making sure no one is left out.

Success will be defined at an early stage, by reception to the idea of the platform. After consulting a number of car enthusiasts in the Vancouver and Hong Kong area, reception has generally been positive with various ideas and improvements as well as a general sentiment regarding speeding issues, which I have solved through the fact that it is never explicitly stated and has led me to develop some solutions for this issue: including a clear legal disclaimer that the app doesn’t promote reckless driving, but instead celebrates skill, sharing and routes. Additionally, a scoring system of smoothness could be added rather than time it takes to complete a route, rewarding users with a badge or “XP”. A report button for users to use to flag unsafe posts will also be included.

Project Planning

Prior to beginning the project, I was made aware of a platform from Porsche, called ROADS. This platform was pretty close to what I wanted to achieve, with one big caveat: it was exclusive to Porsches from 2022 onwards only, meaning that there was an extremely small community. I wanted to change this by creating a platform open to everyone, no matter what car they drive to be able to access this platform.

Market Research

*Apps and platforms were listed by AI, but following information was not.

RoadStr

User Base: Over 300,000 users worldwide as of mid-2024. pcaucr.org
Success Indicators: RoadStr positions itself as the “#1 social network for car enthusiasts and clubs,” offering features like route planning, event organization, and community engagement.

Overtune

User Base: Specific user numbers are not publicly disclosed.
Success Indicators: While Overtune has secured $2 million in seed funding and offers music creation tools, it is primarily a music-making app and not specifically tailored for car enthusiasts.

Throdle

User Base: Exact figures are not publicly available.
Success Indicators: Throdle is described as a “fast-growing” automotive social network, focusing on connecting car, truck, and motorcycle enthusiasts. It emphasizes an ad-free, clutter-free experience.

RiiiDE

User Base: No publicly available data on user numbers.
Success Indicators: RiiiDE is a social network designed for car enthusiasts to track modifications, share photos and updates, and connect with others. It also offers features to find and organize events.

What are the current solutions lacking?

Most apps only allow basic route logging (like a Strava for cars), but don’t offer deep analysis.
- Solution:
  - Auto-detect “fun” roads (based on GPS curviness, elevation changes). Possible AI integration?
  - Custom telemetry if users connect OBD-II or phone sensors.
  - Heatmaps showing speed, cornering G-forces.
Group drives usually have to be manually planned.
- Solution:
  - AI Integrated meet calendar integrated into the social networking side
Users have to manually record video (GoPro, phone) and upload later.
- Solution:
  - Possibility to mount phone and use that as dashcam to record
Little to no real reward system to encourage regular use.
- Solution:
  - Gamification: Badges, Awards, Milestones etc.
Apps like RiiiDE allow logging mods, but it’s not deeply integrated into the social side.
- Solution:
  - Strava style friends aspect, communities integration
Car people are sensitive about privacy (locations, plates, meeting random people).
- Solution:
  - Routes are private unless shared, invite only groups.
Integrated Marketplace with firstparty verification

Software Development Plan

*Note that because of my limited time and different circumstance, this timeline is just to demonstrate my ability to create a software development plan, AI Involvement is noted.

Phase 1: Discovery & Planning

Goals:

Define the core problem (e.g., no drive logging).
Identify user personas (e.g., spirited weekend drivers, track enthusiasts ).

Tasks:

Competitive analysis of pre existing solutions

Phase 2: Product Design

Deliverables:

Wireframes
User journey map
UI/UX mockup

Core Features to Design:

Drive Logging (start/stop drive, GPS route, speed).
Drive Feed (scrollable timeline of user drives).
User Profiles (garage, past drives, mods).
Basic Event System (planned or spontaneous drives).

Phase 3: MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Development

CHATGPT: Tech Stack Suggestion:

Frontend: React Native (for iOS + Android)
Backend: Node.js with Express
Database: PostgreSQL (or Firebase for faster MVP)
Map/GPS: Mapbox or Google Maps API
Auth: Firebase Auth or OAuth2

Milestones:

Set up cloud infrastructure (Heroku, Vercel, or AWS).
Build and test drive-logging engine with GPS.
Create social feed with media support.
Push working MVP to TestFlight / Google Play internal testing.

Phase 4: Alpha Testing

Target Group: 20–50 users

Goals:

Validate usability.
Stress-test GPS, battery drain, UI flow.
Gather feedback with in-app surveys or Discord group.

Phase 5: Iteration & Beta

Add Based on Feedback:

Drive stats (avg speed, elevation, etc.)
Reactions/comments on drives
Garage photos/mod logs

Example User Experience Flow Map

Cost Analysis

Since this is a software project, the costs were basically zero at my current point. Figma was free to use, as well as photoshop as it was provided by the school. Going forward, the costs should go up a bit, but if we are assuming that I can build this myself, the costs should be, according to AI:

Item	Estimated Monthly Cost
Hosting (Vercel/Heroku/Fly.io)	$20–$100
Database (PostgreSQL, Firebase)	$0–$100
Maps API (Mapbox/Google)	$50–$500 (based on usage)
Media Storage (Cloudinary/S3)	$10–$100
Auth (Firebase, Auth0)	$0–$50

TestFlight + Play Store internal testing: Free

App Store fees: $99/year (Apple), $25 one-time (Google)

Testing and Validation

I have pitched this idea to a couple of my car enthusiast friends, and general responses have been very positive, as there really is a lack of an app like this in the market right now. I hope that once an alpha version is available that I will be able to test it with local car clubs and recieve feedback/bug catching for a couple of months while simutaneously improving the app. I hope to at least repeat this cycle 2-3 times before a public release.

Code of Ethics

As a student and someone who loves cars, I made RevShare because I wanted a place where people like me could share their drives, talk about their builds, and connect over a passion for driving. But I also understand that there’s a line between enjoying the road and being reckless. I don’t want this app to become a place that encourages dangerous behavior, because that’s not what car culture should be about. I believe we can appreciate performance and cool routes without risking lives or giving driving enthusiasts a bad name. That’s why I want to be serious about keeping RevShare safe, respectful, and built around real driving passion, and not showing off in ways that endanger others.

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to view learn about my project.