Stellantis will be the first automobile manufacturer to reward its customers with a special bonus system for environmentally friendly behavior. The project, which is based on the technology of the green tech startup KIRI Technologies, will start with the Fiat 500. In the future, drivers of the new Fiat 500 will be able to collect KIRI coins, a crypto currency accepted by various online marketplaces. Particularly environmentally friendly drivers also receive exclusive rewards such as vouchers from Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify or Zalando.
The KIRI digital platform will be available in 13 European countries as early as mid-March 2021; expansion to additional sectors such as renewable energies or ecological consumer goods is conceivable. The name of the start-up says it all and therefore fits perfectly with Stellantis’ strategy. “KIRI” is the Japanese name for a plant scientifically known as paulownia (bluebell tree), which absorbs about ten times more carbon dioxide (CO2) than any other plant. A single hectare of paulownia offsets around 30 tons of CO2 per year. This corresponds roughly to the emissions of 30 cars in the same period.
In the Talent Garden co-working space in Turin, Cristiano Fiorio, Brand Marketing Communication for Europe, explained why they wanted to work with KIRI: “To reward people who respect the environment in their behavior. For us it was obvious to combine this idea with the features of the new Fiat 500, our flagship for technological innovation and electric mobility “says Fiorio.
Under the motto “Think Big. Act Green “ KIRI Technologies aims to stimulate change and accelerate the adoption of environmentally friendly behavior. Every action, every small gesture is relevant to KIRI Technologies. The basic idea of the special project with the new, electric Fiat 500 is to reward an environmentally conscious driving style with KIRICoins.
“We want to support the environmentally friendly behavior of our customers and reward them with exclusive advantages. The infotainment system of the new Fiat 500 analyzes the driving behavior, whereby KIRICoins are collected in a virtual wallet. The number is displayed in the Fiat app. Data from every trip, including distance and speed, is uploaded to the cloud and automatically converted into KIRICoins using an algorithm developed by KIRI. The result is displayed on the user’s smartphone. The KIRICoins credit can be used to purchase products and services on the digital marketplace managed by KIRI. “ – Cristiano Fiorio, Brand Marketing Communication for Europe
In practice, one could imagine that one kilometer of city travel corresponds to about one KIRICoin. Each KIRICoin is worth two euro cents in and of itself. For example, if you drive 10,000 km per year in the city, an average equivalent of around 150 euros is collected. These coins can then be spent again on the company’s marketplace. A market place on the “Companies from the fashion, accessories and design industries are represented, all of whom are enthusiastic about sustainability.”
In order to create further incentives for the use of the new Fiat 500, additional rewards will be given to the drivers who achieve the highest eco: Score. The eco: Score is a function of the Uconnect ™ Services that rates the individual driving style on a scale from 0 to 100. The energy consumption is measured in real time. The best users in the most important European countries, including Great Britain, Italy, France, Spain and Germany, get access to additional offers from renowned partners such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify Premium and Zalando.
Source: Fiat press release of March 19, 2021