Fiat 500 electric coming

The new Fiat 500 EV will arrive here by the end of next year, the Ateco Group automotive distributors says.

Ateco Group marketing manager Sarah Williams confirms to Auto Media Group that the all-electric new 500 hatch will come to New Zealand in late 2022 but pricing and specifications have yet to be finalised.

The electric motor has an output of 87kW, providing a maximum speed of 149km/h (self-limited) and acceleration from zero to 100km/h in nine seconds and zero to 50km/h in 3.1 seconds.

The 42kWh lithium-ion batteries give the new 500 up to 320km range (WLTP cycle). To optimise charging time, it’s equipped with an 85kW fast charge system and takes only five minutes to build up a sufficient energy reserve to travel 48km.

Using a fast charger can also power the battery to 80% in 35 minutes. The Combo 2 socket, located on the rear right-side panel of the car, has the ability to accept both AC and DC charging.

The 500 electric also comes with a Mode 3 cable for charging at up to 11kW from a public charge point.

It has three driving modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa, which can be selected to suit your driving style or requirements.

Sherpa mode optimises the available resources to reduce fuel consumption to a minimum, enabling it to reach the destination set on the navigation system or the nearest charging station.

‘Normal’ mode is as close as possible to driving a vehicle with a normal combustion engine, while ‘Range’ mode activates the ‘one-pedal-drive’ function – allowing it to be driven with the accelerator pedal alone.