Introduction to the Special Issue on Intelligent Applications of Web 3.0 and Metaverse for Connected Autonomous Vehicles

The convergence of Web 3.0 and Metaverse technologies with Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) is catalyzing a new era of intelligent vehicular systems, characterized by decentralization, immersive interaction, and enhanced autonomy. This paradigm is especially valuable in scenarios demanding secure peer-to-peer coordination, trustless automations, and seamless integration of physical and virtual environments under real-time constraints. Nonetheless, realizing such intelligent applications introduces critical challenges, including the development of robust decentralized governance and smart contracts, ensuring ultra-low-latency and high-throughput communications in edge computing contexts, achieving seamless digital–physical synchronization via high-fidelity digital twins or Metaverse representations, and guaranteeing scalability and privacy across distributed vehicle networks. This special issue brings together a collection of pioneering research that tackles these multifaceted challenges, showcasing innovations that advance the state of the art toward more secure, responsive, immersive, and decentralized CAV systems empowered by Web 3.0 and Metaverse technologies.