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FIAT will br bringing electric power to the small car market from next year, with both the new 500 and new Panda getting electric versions following the release of the standard versions.
It's a big risk for FIAT, who have already struggled with the 500e, which was released to satisfy Claifornian emissions regulations and cost FIAT more than twice as much to build as it was selling the little car for.
The problem being that entry level cars are expected to command entry level prices - and the cost of electrification is high enough to make that difficult to achieve.
FIAT's plan is to equip its city cars with a battery sized appropriately for city driving - a range of around 100km. That's a smart move on FIAT's part, mirroring my post around the affect of excess battery on price and performance purely to be able to boost the claimed mileage - something which most owners will never test.
There's also a plan to allow customers to swap in a larger battery if required, thanks to a modular design. The suggestion being that for a longer trip you'll rent the bigger battery just for the period you need it. That is also a good idea, and should also make for cheaper and easier battery swap outs when the charge level has dropped after several years of use.
Not sure that many 500s and Pandas will be used in a way which demand the bigger battery very often. Still, it's an option worth having.
It's a big risk for FIAT, who have already struggled with the 500e, which was released to satisfy Claifornian emissions regulations and cost FIAT more than twice as much to build as it was selling the little car for.
The problem being that entry level cars are expected to command entry level prices - and the cost of electrification is high enough to make that difficult to achieve.
FIAT's plan is to equip its city cars with a battery sized appropriately for city driving - a range of around 100km. That's a smart move on FIAT's part, mirroring my post around the affect of excess battery on price and performance purely to be able to boost the claimed mileage - something which most owners will never test.
There's also a plan to allow customers to swap in a larger battery if required, thanks to a modular design. The suggestion being that for a longer trip you'll rent the bigger battery just for the period you need it. That is also a good idea, and should also make for cheaper and easier battery swap outs when the charge level has dropped after several years of use.
Not sure that many 500s and Pandas will be used in a way which demand the bigger battery very often. Still, it's an option worth having.
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