Chrysler unveil Fiat 500 Electric Vehicle At Detroit

Fiat and Chrysler said today that the 500 BEV is a concept only, designed to investigate the application of Chrysler’s modular electric drive technology in a smaller package.

Oddly, the Italian-American partnership has revealed little else about the Fiat 500 BEV. Past reports suggest the electric 500 will take 10 hours to gain a full charge from a regular home power supply, while dedicated charging stations will accomplish the task in half the time.

Drag-reducing aerodynamic updates to the 500’s exterior were expected, but short of the missing tail pipes up back, the 500 BEV’s exterior appears little different to the more powerful 500 Abarth.

In a recent presentation to the Italian Government, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that the Fiat 500 will be offered with a 900cc turbo-charged two-cylinder petrol engine from next year.

The engine is expected to be offered as the entry-level or ultra-efficient eco-friendly version of the Fiat 500, along with the Panda and Punto.