Fiat 500 drivers who drive particularly efficiently will be rewarded with free stuff. Drivers will be able to collect something called KiriCoin based on their eco:Score.
The score is exactly what it sounds like. As you drive, the 500’s infotainment system grades you on how economically you’re driving. The more frugal you are, the more KiriCoins you get.
“To support a program as innovative and ambitious as Kiri, a car like the New 500 really was needed,” said Giorgio Neri, Fiat e-Mobility manager. “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 marketplace.”
Now, despite Neri calling this a cryptocurrency, I’m not really sure it satisfies any of the requirements that would make it what is popularly understood to be a cryptocurrency. Really, it’s more like a rewards program because you use the coins on the Kiri Market, kind of like Airmiles. I don’t think you could use your KiriCoin to buy a Tesla or a Lamborghini, for example.
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Fiat is partnering with Kiri Technologies for this scheme, a UK-based start-up whose goal is to use positive reinforcement to encourage greener living. Each coin is worth about two Euro cents.
On the marketplace, you can buy products and clothes and trade your KiriCoins in for something that’s actually valuable like a gift card for Netflix, Amazon, or Spotify. I also have not seen any mention of the word blockchain on Kiri Technologies’ website, which is probably a good thing considering the environmental impact of such technologies.
The automaker predicts that drivers with good habits will be able to collect as much as 150 Euros (roughly $180 USD) per year to use on the Kiri Market.
