Driving the new Fiat 500 in an eco-friendly way can now put money back in drivers’ pockets. To encourage customers to adopt greener habits behind the wheel, the Italian brand will reward them with KiriCoin, billed as the world’s first digital eco-currency.
Through this cryptocurrency, Fiat aims to recognise drivers who complete more environmentally responsible journeys and take a more sustainable approach to everyday driving. In doing so, it becomes the first carmaker to reward customers via a prize-allocation system designed to promote more environmentally conscious driving behaviour.
KiriCoin, Kiri Technologies and the new Fiat 500 Electric
The rewards scheme was created by Kiri Technologies - a UK-founded start-up launched in 2020 to speed up the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviours - working alongside Stellantis’ e-Mobility team. The programme was designed specifically for the new 500 electric, as it is the Turin brand’s first mass-produced, 100% electric model.
Why the name “Kiri” (Paulownia)?
According to the Italian manufacturer, Kiri is the Japanese name for Paulownia, a tree that absorbs around ten times more CO2 than any other plant. A single hectare planted with Paulownias is enough to offset roughly 30 tonnes of CO2 per year - equivalent to the emissions produced by 30 vehicles over the same period. For that reason, it was seen as the perfect symbol for this new initiative.
How does KiriCoin work in the Fiat 500?
The idea is straightforward: you simply drive your electric Fiat 500. The system uses cloud storage to hold all the data, which is gathered automatically, so the driver does not need to do anything extra. KiriCoins are then earned during each journey and kept in a virtual wallet inside Fiat’s app, which remains constantly connected.
For city driving, 1 kilometre is worth about 1 KiriCoin, and each KiriCoin is valued at €0.02 (two euro cents). With annual urban mileage of around 10,000 km, it is possible to build up the equivalent of €150.
Where can you spend KiriCoins?
As you might expect, the digital balance you collect cannot be exchanged into euros and used for everyday shopping. Instead, it can be spent on products “in a dedicated, environmentally respectful marketplace, made up of companies from the worlds of fashion, accessories and design, all with a passionate belief in sustainability”.
Extra rewards via “eco:Score”
There will also be prizes for the greenest drivers who achieve the highest “eco:Score”. This rating scores driving style on a scale from 0 to 100 and helps optimise energy consumption in real time. Customers in the main European markets with the top scores will be eligible for additional offers from major partner companies such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify Premium and Zalando.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment