After launch in March 2021 for the New Fiat 500 and with over 6,000 customers already active on the Kiri platform, the program is now being extended to the entire Jeep 4xe line-up and therefore to the Plug-in Hybrid versions of Renegade, Compass, Wrangler and the all-new Grand Cherokee, the latter to be launched in the second half of 2022.
The initiative has been developed by the green tech start-up Kiri Technologies in partnership with the Stellantis e-Mobility Business Unit, leveraging its experience in the field of digital services for automotive customers.
In the “Jeep” app, customers can view their KiriCoin balance, their charging performance and their driving style, all in real time. The program is primarily aimed at encouraging private and public charging of Jeep 4xe models and customer use of the full-electric driving mode as a result. In a nutshell, “the more you charge, the more you drive with respect for the environment, the more you reduce the running costs of your Jeep and… the more KiriCoin you receive”.
“The Jeep brand is accelerating its path towards electrification: after the launch of Renegade and Compass 4xe in 2020, followed by Wrangler 4xe in June 2021, one in three cars sold in March 2022 were Plug-in Hybrids, making the Brand the leader in Low Emission Vehicles in the Italian market. And with the coming launch of the all-new Grand Cherokee, which will arrive in the second half of 2022, we’ll complete our electrified portfolio in Europe. In parallel, we will end the sales of non-electrified motors in the main European markets as a sign of our commitment to offer to all European customers the Zero Emission Freedom of the future”, stated Antonella Bruno, Head of Jeep Brand for Enlarged Europe.
“This is only the beginning of a great story and a great success for Jeep. On March 1st, our CEO Carlos Tavares unveiled images of the first 100% electric Jeep, as part of the Stellantis strategic plan. And Kiri forms part of this sustainable journey for the brand”, she concluded.
Specifically, the Kiri project rewards environmentally conscious drivers by accumulating a digital currency, KiriCoin, which can be used to purchase goods and services in a dedicated “green” marketplace, including over 350 brands with sustainable offerings. All this is made possible by Jeep 4xe connectivity, which sends usage data (for example, charging frequency and driving in electric mode) in real time to Kiri, who in turn processes the data to determine the KiriCoin generated by Jeep customers.
The program therefore represents a clear example of the implementation of the $30 billion investment plan in electrification and software, anticipated by the Group at the EV Day in July 2021 and confirmed at the presentation of the long-term strategy – Dare Forward 2030 – in March 2022.
For Anne-Lise Richard, Global Head of the e-Mobility Business Unit: “The aim of the initiative is to create a community of people who live with a more environmentally conscious attitude, courtesy of the innovative KiriCoin digital currency, which encourages the adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle. The project represents a concrete application of the three pillars of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan: care for the planet, tech approach with electrification and software, the value of digitization. And the Jeep line-up is the ideal tool to put into practice this eco-friendly project, carried out exclusively by Stellantis with Kiri”.
Exclusive 4xe plug-in hybrid technology has resulted in the most efficient and technologically advanced Jeep models ever, which retain the brand’s legendary 4×4 capabilities, while ensuring environmentally friendly mobility.
“For almost two years now, we have been actively collaborating with Stellantis, one of the most advanced companies in the transition to a more sustainable world. To follow our links with Fiat, the partnership with Jeep is moving towards further expansion of the user base who earn Kiri Coin, the first true currency of sustainability”, said Mauro Di Benedetto, co-founder and CEO of Kiri Technologies.
Kiri Technologies is a London-based green tech start-up, founded by two of the Forbes 30 Under 30, Mauro Di Benedetto and Luca Rubino, together with Kai Schildhauer. Kiri is currently one of the most innovative businesses in the European start-up landscape, and is working to curb climate change.
Stellantis, which includes the Fiat and Jeep brands, is thus confirmed as the only automaker in the world to promote sustainable driving, with Kiri, using a system that rewards environmentally friendly behavior among its customers.
