One of the major challenges VANETs face is the deployment hurdle caused by the fact that cooperative peer-to-peer systems do not constitute an immediate value to customers, if a critical penetration rate is not reached. Even in an optimal introduction scenario, where every new car will be equipped with a V2V communication system from a certain date onwards, the Car2Car Communication Consortium estimates that it will take about one and a half years to reach a 10% penetration rate, and more than six years to reach 50%. A key point of the DRIVE-IN project is the industrial partnership with NDrive, a global player in the Portable Navigation Systems market, and the consequences on VANET deployment that result from such partnership. As opposed to the car market, the navigation systems market is on hyper-growth, and the year 2007 as doubled the numbers of 2006. Furthermore, Portable Navigation Devices (PND), as sold by TomTom, Garmin or NDrive, account for more than 80% of all units. TeleAtlas made an Europe market forecast of 30 million PNDs by 2009, representing 30% of the existing car park.

An important task of the DRIVE-IN project is the deployment of a large-scale prototype of a vehicular network. DRIVE-IN is negotiating with RadiTáxis, which has a fleet comprising 450 taxis in Porto, the use of their fleet to deploy the VANET testbed. The new institutional partner of DRIVE-IN (as of May 2010) is the Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes Terrestres, I.P., also known by the acronym "IMTT" - the central administration body responsible for the coordination of inland transport - an independent entity, endowed with administrative and financial autonomy and with jurisdiction over the national territory. IMTT's mission comprises the regulation, supervision, coordination and planning of inland transport. IMTT is also responsible for supervising and regulating the activities of those who operate within this sector, as well as for promoting safety and quality standards and ensuring the protection of consumer's rights. In particular, IMTT gives financial support to the installation of in-car computers and mobile communication devices that improve the efficiency of the transportation activity of taxi companies. IMTT is thus a relevant partner for the DRIVE-IN project, significantly supporting the deployment of the testbed.

RadiTáxis, Cooperativa dos Rádio-Táxi do Porto, C.R.L, is the largest association of taxis of Porto and the oldest in the country, celebrating 50 years of establishment in 2010. The board of RadiTáxis has agreed in joining project DRIVE-IN and a general meeting with all its associates will take place in June of 2010 to approve the participation in the DRIVE-IN project.