e-Mobility by Stellantis Presents With Kiri Technologies The Innovative Program Dedicated Exclusively To New 500 Customers, To Reward Sustainable Driving
Stellantis is the first automaker to reward its customers by means of an awards system for the most environmentally conscious driving behaviors. Developed by the green-tech startup Kiri Technologies exclusively for e-Mobility by Stellantis, the new system rewards New 500 drivers in 13 European countries with KiriCoin, a cryptocurrency that can be spent in a dedicated marketplace.
“Kiri” is the Japanese name for Paulownia, the tree that absorbs 10 times more CO2 than any other plant: just one hectare of this tree offsets around 30 tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of the emissions produced by 30 cars running for the same period. This is the origin of the name Kiri, the new initiative developed by the green-tech startup Kiri Technologies with e-Mobility team by Stellantis and Fiat’s iconic, award-winning New 500.
The innovative project was unveiled today at a web conference simultaneously held in three different venues – Talent Garden and e-Village at Green Pea in Turin, and… the cabin of the New 500 – and starred Cristiano Fiorio, Brand Marketing Communication in Europe; Gabriele Catacchio, e-Mobility Program Manager; and Giorgio Neri, New 500 Commercial Launch Manager & Fiat e-Mobility Manager.
The three Stellantis managers illustrated Kiri, starting off from the co-working space at Talent Garden with Cristiano Fiorio: “Talent Garden is a melting pot of new ideas, the realm of high-tech and digital professionals. This is where the e-Mobility journey through innovation began and where we discovered Kiri Technologies, that grasped our attention with a very simple, innovative idea: to reward the behaviors of people who respect the environment. Combining this idea with the features of the New 500, our flagship of technological innovation and electric mobility, came naturally to us.”
Kiri Technologies is a startup founded in the UK in 2020 – by Mauro Di Benedetto, Luca Rubino and Kai Schildhauer – with the mission of accelerating the adoption of sustainable behaviors. With the claim “Think Big. Act Green”, Kiri aims at stimulating change and accelerating the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviors. For Kiri, every little action, every single gesture is relevant. The new KiriCoin promotes green attitudes: the more you behave sustainably, the more you earn.
The basic concept behind the project consists of rewarding New 500 customers for their more environmentally conscious driving style by awarding them a cryptocurrency known as KiriCoins. A unique, innovative model for the automotive industry. Aboard the New 500, Gabriele Catacchio gave more of an in-depth explanation: “We want to support our customers’ environment-friendly behaviors and reward them with exclusive benefits. Simply by driving the New 500, connected and equipped with the new infotainment system, KiriCoins can be collected in a “virtual” wallet showed in the Fiat app. Driving data, such as distance and speed, is uploaded to the Kiri cloud and automatically converted into KiriCoins, using an algorithm devised by Kiri. The result is downloaded direct to the user’s smartphone and the KiriCoins can then be used to purchase products and services in the Kiri marketplace.”
When driving in the city the usual way, one kilometer is more or less equivalent to one KiriCoin, with each KiriCoin worth two euro cents. Therefore, with mileage of 10,000 km per year in the city, the equivalent of around €150 can be collected. This is a benefit for New 500 drivers who respect the environment by not emitting CO2 into the atmosphere.
In future, the initiative could also be extended to reward sustainable behaviors in other sectors such as the purchase of renewable energy, organic groceries and products. The goal is to create a community of people with a more environmentally conscious attitude, by means of a loyalty program that incentivizes taking on a sustainable lifestyle: the New 500 can therefore be considered the first step in this new system that does not reward purchases but rather awards more sustainable behaviors.
To explain how KiriCoin can be converted into ready-to-use goods and services, Giorgio Neri took part in the web conference from the e-Village, the showroom for sustainable mobility created by Stellantis at Green Pea (the world’s first green retail park), which was recently opened in Turin. Neri explained: “To support a program as innovative and ambitious as Kiri, a car like the New 500 really was needed. An object with cult status, a connected icon that has become a mobility project to reward its customers with a cryptocurrency, to be spent in a dedicated eco-friendly marketplace made up of companies from the fashion, accessories and design industries, all of whom have a fervent belief in sustainability.”
To further incentivize the use of the New 500, extra rewards are offered to the drivers who achieve the highest eco:Score, a Uconnect™ Services feature marking the efficiency of their driving style from 0 to 100, to help improve energy consumption in real time. Customers with the highest scores in the major European countries will receive access to extra offers from major partners such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify Premium and Zalando.
The only true star of Kiri could be the New 500, the full-electric city car made in Italy. Striking, connected, high-tech and always true to the spirit of the 1957 legendary 500, the New 500 offers a fun and sustainable driving experience, as well as breathing life into change through a new mobility project, part of an ecosystem of solutions to serve customers. The New 500 also sets the new benchmark in its segment: it is the first city car fitted with Level 2 Autonomous Driving and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), as well as a fast charge system. It is also always connected thanks to the new infotainment system and Uconnect™ Services. It is the first and only electric car that, when running over 20 km/h, can play a tune – Nino Rota’s well-known theme from the movie Amarcord – instead of the usual sound required for type-approval.
Kiri will enable Stellantis to rack up 3 world records in the automotive industry for its customers. First, the ability to collect a cryptocurrency simply by driving; second, giving access to a marketplace dedicated to eco-friendly offers; finally, providing extra rewards for the most environmentally conscious driving styles based on the eco:Score they achieve. A practical, tangible design for sustainable living, a turning point aimed at changing for the better the way we drive, the way we shop and the way we live as a community while paying attention to the environment.