Fiat has at long last launched the first new 500 since 2007, and it's an all-electric model. However, prepare for some confusion in the ranks, as this EV version will sit alongside the existing 500 in Fiat showrooms.
New electric platform for the 500 EV
Fiat says that this is the first fully-electric car from the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate, but that's oddly not quite right. There was a previous 500e model, which was only sold in the US market, basically as a loss-leader to bring Fiat's corporate emissions down low enough for it to access sales in the Californian market. The late Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne apparently hated it, as Fiat lost money on every one it sold.
This new 500 EV will be very different, not least because it sits on a new-ish platform. Underneath is a version of the chassis that underpins the Panda and the Lancia Ypsilon, but much-modified to make it fit for electric purposes.
Under the floor is now a 42kWh lithium-ion battery pack, with a claimed one-charge range on the WLTP cycle of 320km. The system has a built-in 85kW charging speed, so hook it up to a rapid charger and you can add 50km of range for every five minutes of charging time. Theoretically anyway. An 80 per cent charge takes around 35 minutes.
The 500 will come, in the launch version at any rate, packaged with a plug-and-play home charging system that will juice up the battery at a speed of 3kW without the need for professional installation. You can have that upgraded to 7.4kW charging if you like, though.
Sherpa mode extends driving range
The 500 EV will come with three driving modes - Normal, Range and (hilariously) Sherpa. Named for the legendary Tibetan mountaineers and their long endurance, Sherpa mode works on several components to reduce fuel consumption to a minimum, precisely to ensure that you can reach either the destination set on the navigation system or the nearest charging station comfortably. Just like a "Himalayan Sherpa", who is in charge of the whole expedition and guides it to the destination, this driving mode adjusts various parameters: maximum speed, limited to 8km/h; accelerator response, in order to reduce energy consumption; and deactivation of the climate control system and heated seats.
In Range mode, the regenerative braking is ramped up so that the 500 EV can be driven around on one pedal, similar to the system in use in the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3. The 500's electric motor an output of 87kW, or 118hp, providing a limited maximum speed of 150km/h and acceleration from 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds and 0-50 km/h in 3.1 seconds.
The 500 EV also gets Level 2 automated driving assistance, including adaptive cruise control, lane centring steering, intelligent speed limiter, blind spot warning, driver attention monitor, and a birds-eye view 360-degree parking camera system.
Hefty price tag for a small car
That's all packaged into the new fifth-generation uConnect touchscreen, which now measures a massive 10.25 inches, and which includes software from Google Android (although you can connect to Apple CarPlay too, and wirelessly at that). uConnect includes a number of connectivity options including breakdown assistance, remote smartphone info, phone-to-screen navigation, a wifi hotspot, and a burglar alarm that warns you by phone if someone is trying to pinch your car.
Style-wise, the electric 500 sticks closely to the 2007 500 template, but looks closer and you'll see that ther headlights are less round, more elliptical, and some of the surfaces are a little squarer and boxier than before. It is physically different, too, with a 20mm longer wheelbase, and the whole car is 60mm longer and 60mm wider overall.
Inside, that means more legroom and shoulder room, and there are new modular cabin storage bins between the seats. To keep up the ecologically-friendly theme, some trim levels also have seats made using "Seaqual" yarn, derived from plastic recovered from the sea, while others make considerable use of eco-leather rather than real leather.
Rather wonderfully, instead of making a bland manufactured hum at low speeds to warn clueless pedestrians that you're coming, the 500 EV instead sings. Well, actually it plays 'Amarcord' by Italian composer Nino Rota. Lovely.
Now, prices. Are you sitting down? Fiat will launch the 500 EV in a 'Prima' launch edition version that basically comes with all of the options fitted, including the convertible roof, the leather seats, the big screen, all the driver aids, and 17-inch diamond-cut alloys. The price? €37,900. Woof. Now, that's an Italian market price, not an Irish one so it will likely be a little different here, and Fiat does say that future models will include more affordable versions. Still, this is, right now, a very pricey, if rather gorgeous, way of going electric.