Fiat wants to pay European 500 owners cryptocurrency for driving efficiently

UPDATE, November 2022: 'Abarth New 500' electric hot hatch previewed

A first official teaser for the upcoming electric 2023 Abarth 500 – simply dubbed 'Abarth New 500' – has been handed down. Get all the details, and watch the teaser, at the link below.

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Fiat looking to give cryptocurrency to responsible drivers

New Fiat 500 owners in Europe will soon be able to get paid in cryptocurrency for driving efficiently, according to the Italian marque’s new owners, Stellantis.

By downloading the Fiat app, drivers will have their commute rated from 0-100 and given an “Eco:Score”, and the more eco-friendly they are behind the wheel, the more they’ll get paid.

The cryptocurrency in question is called KiriCoin, and it comes from British-based sustainable tech start-up, Kiri Technologies.

The UK tech firm has been employed by Stellantis to create the bespoke tech system, which would suggest Franco-Italian-American firm may broaden the incentive program to its other brands in the future.

For now, owners of the new 500 will earn 1 KiriCoin for every kilometre that’s driven efficiently, and according to Fiat, with the average driver in Europe covering approximately 10,000km every year, that could equate to €150 (roughly $230 AUD).

Recipients will be able to spend their digital dosh at any web exchange that will take the coin, and drivers that receive the highest scores will also be gifted additional vouchers that can be spent on services like Netflix, Spotify, Apple and Amazon.

According to Fiat, the new all-electric 500 was the perfect vehicle to launch the innovative tech reward initiative.

“To support a program as innovative and ambitious as Kiri, a car like the New 500 really was needed,” Giorgio Neri, new 500 commercial launch manager & Fiat e-Mobility manager, said.

“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 made up of companies from the fashion, accessories and design industries, all of whom have a fervent belief in sustainability.”

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