Fiat releases first 500e small electric car edition in UK
Buyers in the UK may now put an order in for the first 500 of Fiat’s extra compact electric car 500e. Prices for the limited ‘La Prima’ edition come in below the 30k threshold after government subsidies.
Fiat has now released UK pricing where the electric 500e will start from £29,500 after the £3,000 plug-in car grant (PiCG) is applied. That’s for the first 500 high-spec ‘La Prima’ first-edition models, with less expensive models to follow. Buyers can expect deliveries in late 2020 or early 2021, according to Fiat.
Fiat markets the new 500e as the only all-electric convertible and deems it “La Prima” meaning first in Italian. It is indeed the first electric car by the Italians seen in a long time. The previous Fiat 500e, released over five years ago, turned a flop. Now, however, Fiat Chrysler has to catch up on electrification and has dedicated an entirely new platform for the small electric car. Besides, Fiat and FCA chief marketing officer Olivier Francois declared that “premium is the way we will go with the EV 500” and called it a “kind of an urban Tesla”.
Indeed, the first edition sitting on the slightly elongated base, sees Fiat packing a more premium trim than buyers might expect from a compact electric car. Features include level 2 autonomous driving, aided by a rear-view camera and so-called 360 degree drone view. Other gadgets Fiat added are wireless Apple CarPlay, 17-inch alloy wheels, eco-leather upholstery and a 3kW wall box.
The premium does not come in cheap, of course, and seems an unusual positioning for what is essentially a small city car. However, Fiat says the La Prima edition is £1,400 cheaper than the highest-spec Mini Electric and offers a more extended range of 199 miles from a 42 kWh battery. Also compare it to the Honda e: The 100 kW version starts in the UK at £26,160, the 113 kW version at £28,660 after subsidies but offers no more than 220 km of range.
The Fiat 500e’s range of 320 km can be maxed out by three driving modes, ‘Normal’, ‘Range’ and ‘Sherpa’ that dictate the car’s energy consumption. The latter is also artificially kept by a cap on the top speed at 93 mph (150 km). FCA promises to recharge to 80 per cent in 35 minutes at powers of up to 85 kW. The AC charging capacity of the electric 500 is 7.4 kW.
In other models, Fiat is also working on an all-electric version of the Panda. The compact electric car will utilise the same platform as the Fiat 500e.