Fiat has launched a cryptocurrency scheme that rewards new electric 500 owners for driving more efficiently in collaboration with a UK-based sustainable-tech startup.
Drivers receive KiriCoins for their efficient driving style and can exchange these for vouchers on some of Brits’ favourite services such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify and Airbnb.
The New 500 is equipped with an eco:Score function which ranks the efficiency of their driving style from 0 to 100, with higher levels of efficiency leading to a greater number of KiriCoins and rewards.
The first-of-its-kind collaboration with Kiri Technologies means that based on the average yearly mileage of 6,200 miles*, New 500 drivers could collect KiriCoins worth around £125 - the equivalent of 18 months of Netflix or 12 months of Spotify subscriptions**.
Just in time for summer, KiriCoins can also be spent on overseas holidays thanks to KiriCoin’s recent addition of Airbnb as a partner, allowing New 500 owners to cash-in and venture out on a long-awaited city break to some of Europe’s most popular cities including London, Milan, Madrid, and Paris.
The tech collects driving data, such as speed and distance travelled, and uploads this to the Kiri cloud. Users can then download these tokens to their smartphones for use in purchasing products and services from the Kiri marketplace.
Fiat also looked at how drivers were making annual savings by utilising the eco:Score function. Customers with the top 100 eco:Scores were able to conserve battery range and subsequent charging costs by 20 per cent. Based on the average cost of charging a New 500, the efficiencies in driving style enabled owners to save nearly £50 on home charging costs, rising to approximately £70 on public rapid charging a year***.
Greg Taylor, Fiat Country Manager, said: “We are delighted to partner with Kiri Technologies as it has enabled us to achieve a world-first in becoming the first automotive manufacturer to reward our customers with KiriCoin by simply jumping behind the wheel of their New 500.
“We feel this innovative service offering further cements the New 500’s place at the forefront of sustainable mobility, incentivising our drivers to adopt an efficient and responsible driving style which is not only respectful to the environment but also enables them to fully enhance the efficiencies of the New 500 with regards to battery life and charging costs.”
In order to enhance driving efficiencies and conserve the cars battery, drivers can utilise the New 500’s driving modes; Normal, Range and Sherpa. Normal mode is as close as possible to the experience of driving a petrol or diesel vehicle, while Range mode and Sherpa mode offer numerous battery-saving measures including a one-pedal driving experience which activates regenerative braking, helping to manage energy efficiency.
Regenerative braking - available in Range and Sherpa mode - is utilised when the driver lifts their foot from the accelerator pedal, automatically slowing down the car, while simultaneously converting and recovering kinetic energy to generate electric power and recharge the New 500’s battery.
The car also boasts level 2 Autonomous Driving technologies, enhancing the safety and comfortability of urban driving, a variety of battery options and a substantial driving range of up to 199 miles (WLTP).
For more information or to find the nearest retailer, visit www.fiat.co.uk