From now on, drive the new Fiat 500 in an ecological way will give money to drivers. To encourage its customers to adopt more environmentally friendly driving, the Italian brand will reward them with KiriCoin, the world's first digital eco-currency.
With this cryptocurrency, Fiat will reward drivers who travel more ecologically and have a more sustainable approach to driving, thus becoming the first car brand to reward its customers through a system of attributing prizes, designed for to promote more environmentally conscious driving behavior.
Developed by Kiri Technologies — a startup founded in the UK in 2020 with the aim of accelerating the adoption of environmentally friendly behavior — in partnership with the Stellantis e-Mobility team, this rewards program is designed specifically for the new electric 500 , as this is the Turin brand's first 100% electric production.
According to the Italian manufacturer, Kiri is the Japanese name given to Paulownia, a tree that absorbs about ten times more CO2 than any other plant. A single hectare filled with Paulownias is enough to offset about 30 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions produced by 30 vehicles over the same period of time. Therefore, there was no better symbol for this innovative idea by the Italian brand.
How it works?
Its operation is very simple: just drive your Fiat 500 electric. The system uses the concept of cloud (cloud) to store all data, which is collected automatically, so the driver does not need to do any additional tasks. KiriCoins are then accumulated while driving and stored in a virtual wallet via the Fiat app, which is always connected.
Simply by driving the Novo 500, connected and equipped with the new infotainment system, you can accumulate KiriCoins in a virtual wallet shown on the Fiat app. Driving data such as distance and speed are uploaded to the Kiri cloud and automatically converted to KiriCoins using an algorithm developed by Kiri. The result is downloaded directly to the user's smartphone.
Gabriele Catacchio, Director of the e-Mobility Program at Stellantis
When driving in a city, one kilometer is equivalent to about one KiriCoin, with each KiriCoin corresponding to two cents of a euro. Thus, with an annual mileage in the city of around 10,000 km, it is possible to accumulate the equivalent of 150 euros.
Where can we use KiriCoins?
As you would expect, this accumulated digital money cannot be converted into euros and used for everyday purchases. But you can use it to buy products “in a specific marketplace that respects the environment, made up of companies from the world of fashion, accessories and design, all with a fervent belief in sustainability”.
There will also be prizes for the greenest drivers who register the highest “eco:Score”. This level scores their driving style on a scale from 0 to 100 and helps to optimize energy consumption in real time. Customers from the top European markets with the highest score will have access to additional offers from major partner companies such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify Premium and Zalando.
