Method and system for determining an actual cost ownership

A computer-implemented method for determining an actual cost of ownership of a purchase product, the method comprising:

• receiving information, at a computing device, from a user product indicative of an identity of the user product by radio communication between the computing device and the user product, the user product being associated with a first user, the user product and the purchase product belonging to a same class of products;
• identifying, with the computing device, the user product based on the information received from the user product via the radio communication;
• measuring usage information associated with an operation of the user product after the computing device identifies the user product via the radio communication, the computing device having an accelerometer and a global positioning system receiver, the usage information including acceleration information measured by the accelerometer and route information measured by the global positioning system receiver included in the computing device, wherein the usage information is measured based on the identification of the user product by the computing device;
• determining that at least one user cost component for a toll cost or a registration cost associated with the first user is unavailable;
• identifying a second user that is associated with a substitute user cost component and that has a common geographic location with the first user;
• determining the actual cost of ownership of the purchase product based on at least a baseline value, a first user cost component, and a second user cost component, and by using the substitute user cost component associated with the second user as a substitute for the at least one user cost component based on determining that the at least one user cost component associated with the first user is unavailable and determining that the second user has the common geographic location with the first user,
• wherein the first user cost component is calculated based on the acceleration information included in the usage information measured by the accelerometer in the computing device, the second user cost component is determined based on the route information included in the usage information measured by the global positioning system receiver in the computing device, and the second user cost component includes a fuel cost and the route information includes a distance, and
• wherein the first user cost component includes a depreciation, the depreciation being determined based on vibration indicative of road disturbances, the vibration being measured with the accelerometer and included in the acceleration information.

A system for determining an actual cost of ownership of a purchase product, the system comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• at least one processor executing the instructions to perform a process including:
• determining a baseline value of the purchase product;
• receiving usage information representative of usage of a user product including acceleration information measured by an accelerometer and route information measured by a global positioning system receiver of a computing device after the computing device identifies the user product via radio communication with the user product, the computing device being associated with a first user,
• the purchase product and the user product belonging to a same class of products, wherein the usage information is measured by the computing device in response to the identification of the user product by the computing device;
• determining a plurality of user cost components based on the received usage information, including a first user cost component determined based on the acceleration measured by the accelerometer and a second user cost component determined based on route information measured by the global positioning system receiver in the computing device, wherein the first user cost component includes a depreciation, the depreciation being determined based on vibration indicative of road disturbances, the vibration being measured with the accelerometer, and wherein the second user cost component includes a fuel cost or a toll cost and the route information includes a distance;
• determining that an additional user cost component associated with the first user is unavailable;
• identifying a second user that is associated with a second additional cost component and that has a common geographic location with the first user;
• in response to determining that the first additional user cost component is unavailable and determining that the second user has the common geographic location with the first user, determining that the second additional user cost component associated with the second user corresponds to the first additional cost component;
• and
• determining the actual cost of ownership of the purchase product based on at least the baseline value, the plurality of user cost components, and the second additional user cost component.