Italy Throws Launch Party For Fiat’s 100% Electric “New 500”
I’ll admit it — I’m a sucker for the Fiat 500. I think it’s an absolutely adorable car, and also super fun to zip around in (if electric). The styling is hard to beat (though, I think comparable to a Mini Cooper). The good news out of Italy this year (forced by EU regulations no doubt) is that the Fiat 500 is becoming fully electric. Italy is no longer continuing the fossil fueled versions of the small car (“city car,” as some people call it).
The cool news this week is that Fiat and Italy are so proud of what is being called the “New 500” that Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte, President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, Chairman of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles John Elkann, President of Fiat Brand Global Olivier Francois, FCA EMEA Region COO Pietro Gorlier, and other notables just launched the New 500 in Rome, Italy.
Furthermore, they chose perhaps my favorite color for the launch vehicle — Carolina blue (or something like that).
Fun fact of the news: the Fiat 500 is celebrating its 63rd birthday! Talk about long-term success. We’ll see if the electric version of the 500 can hold its own in the fast-transforming auto market and last for another years.
“The New 500 was created, designed and engineered in Turin and is an example of the creativity and innovation of which the company and the city – where Fiat was founded over 120 years ago – are proud,” the company writes. “This is also demonstrated by the e-Mobility initiatives created at the Mirafiori complex, including FCA’s Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot project, which once fully completed will be the largest plant of its kind in the world. By the end of 2021, the infrastructure will have the capacity to interconnect up to 700 electric vehicles, capable of providing ultrafast grid services to the transmission network operator, as well as recharging the vehicles themselves.”
More details on the new electric 500 can be found in our previous article about the new model, or on Fiat’s website.
Images courtesy Fiat/FCA.
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