Fiat 500e

Fiat 500e – Italian classic with modern technology

The appearance on the market of the all-electric Fiat 500 was announced by the Italian automaker in 2012 at an exhibition in Los Angeles. In the same year, mass production began.

Options

Fiat 500e comes in two trim levels - basic and improved. The difference between them is not very significant and lies in the equipment of the interior and the appearance of some electronic systems, which increases traffic safety:

• full leather upholstery;
• Instead of halogen running lights, LED running lights are installed;
• central locking;
• electronic stability console;
• anti-slip system;
• preventing downloads from the mountain.

Appearance

The electric hatchback is almost no different in appearance from its counterpart with a gasoline engine. The differences are noticeable in some small details. Yes, the wheel arches have a slightly different shape. The spoiler above the rear window emphasizes the sporty nature of the electric car and its better acceleration dynamics than a car with a gasoline engine. Decorative grilles are installed at the bottom of the front and rear bumpers.

In general, the electric hatchback has retained the fusion of modernity and vintage characteristic of the 500th model. The Fiat 500e does not have any bright elements indicating the electric nature of the car.

The electric car is equipped with bifunctional halogen optics, fog lights and daytime running lights. Automotive optics provide bright illumination of the road in all weather conditions.

Electric vehicles are equipped with 15-inch Nero cast aluminum wheels with 185/55 R15 tires. They are finished in black with contrasting orange overlays. The same orange pads are on the side mirrors. The electric car in black has a contrasting orange line on the side door.

Interior

Orange lines are also found in the interior. They decorate the seats and steering wheel. The seats are upholstered in eco-leather and perforated synthetic fabric. It improves seat heating and ventilation. The front panel is finished with high-quality plastic.

The front and rear row seats are very comfortable, with ergonomic backrests. The thickness of the front seat backrests has been reduced to increase legroom for rear-row passengers.

The dashboard is completely digital. It is made in an unusual round shape. This shape ensures that the driver can read information well through the steering wheel. The dashboard displays important information about the movement and condition of the electric vehicle (speed, remaining charge in the battery, etc.). In addition, the TomTom navigation system is displayed on the dashboard.

In the center console, the transmission control system is implemented in the form of four buttons:

• P (Park) – parking mode;
• N (Neutral) – neutral mode;
• R (Reverse) – reverse mode;
• D (Drive) – forward driving mode.

The salon is equipped with an Alpine audio system, which includes seven speakers, a subwoofer and a digital amplifier.

The luggage compartment is not very large - only 185 liters. But if you fold the back row of seats, the luggage compartment volume increases to 550 liters.

Weight and dimensions characteristics

The Fiat 500e has the following dimensions:

• length – 3.546 meters;
• width – 1.627 meters;
• height – 1.627 meters;
• wheelbase length – 2.4 meters.

With these dimensions, the electric car has a 360-degree turning radius of 4.6 meters. The curb weight of the electric hatchback is 1250 kg.

The front axle is equipped with MacPherson suspension and ventilated disc brakes, and the rear axle is equipped with a torsion beam and non-ventilated disc brakes.

Engine and battery

The Fiat 500e is equipped with a permanent magnet electric motor with a power of 83 kW. It accelerates the electric car to 100 km/h. in 9.3 seconds. Its top speed is forcibly limited to 137 km/h. A characteristic feature of the Fiat 500e electric motor is its very economical energy consumption. At maximum modes, the engine consumes only 29 kW/h.

Battery capacity 24 kWh. equipped with a forced cooling system. It is partially charged by recuperating braking energy. Therefore, an electric car will travel only 127 km on one charge on country roads, while on city streets the range will increase to 160 km.

Electricity consumption by the engine is controlled by an intelligent system. The driver can choose three driving modes – Normal, Range and Sherpa. The latter mode is activated when the battery charge is low. When activated, the air conditioner and the ability to recharge the smartphone are turned off, and the nature of the electric vehicle’s movement also changes significantly.

The same intelligent system made it possible to control the electric car with just one pedal. When pressed, the electric motor increases revolutions and increases speed. electric car. If the pedal is released, the electric motor slows down, the electric vehicle slows down and converts braking energy into electrical energy, which partially charges the battery.

The exclusive easyWallbox has been developed for slow battery charging. It reduces battery charging time to 4 hours. To do this, you need to upgrade the box to a professional level (7.4 kW). At fast charging stations, the battery regains 80% charge in 35 minutes. After 5 minutes, the battery receives a charge sufficient to travel 50 km. The hatch with connectors for fast and slow charging is located on the right side of the rear door.

Comfort level

The Fiat 500 has a Cinerama multimedia system with a 10.25-inch screen. It has a built-in ultra-fast Bluetooth module that can connect all smartphones inside the electric vehicle into a single network. The interface of the multimedia system is as close as possible to the interface of smartphones.

iPhone owners can use the Apple CarPlay service, which allows them to make calls, send messages on social networks and instant messengers, listen to music on Apple Music, read audiobooks and listen to podcasts.

Owners of Android smartphones can use the Android Auto service. This service allows you to display your own smartphone applications on the screen of the multimedia system.

Security level

The following passive safety systems are installed in the interior of the electric vehicle:

• front airbag for driver and passenger;
• front side airbags;
• front and rear curtain airbags;
• knee pads;
• Isofix child seats.

The Fiat 500e has the following active safety systems:

• adaptive cruise control - it will maintain the set speed. If the electric vehicle gets dangerously close to the car in front, the cruise control will reduce speed to restore a safe distance;
• recognition of pedestrians and vehicles in front of the electric vehicle. First, the system will notify the driver of the danger of a collision with an audible signal, and if he does not react, the system will forcibly stop the car;
• driver fatigue monitoring system. It monitors the lateral movements of the car, and if they exceed a critical level, the system will prompt the driver to stop with sound and light signals;
• system for supporting the movement of an electric vehicle in a given lane of the road. If the system notices that the car is leaving its lane, it will inform the driver about this with tactile, light and sound signals.

If you get into an accident and the airbags are deployed, the electric car will transmit an emergency signal to the rescue services.

Conclusions

The electric Fiat 500e retains all the advantages of a compact urban hatchback. Although this electric car has been in production for more than ten years, it has not lost its relevance. It has a bright, catchy exterior that attracts attention in dense city traffic. You can choose the electric hatchback in regular, convertible or 3+1 form. You can also choose a large number of additional options.