Chrysler rolls all-electric Fiat

"It's an electric vehicle that doesn't act like an electric appliance," said Olivier Francois, chief marketing officer of Chrysler LLC and Fiat Automobiles, during the vehicle's streamed introduction from the Los Angeles Auto Show. "It brings beauty to the world of electric vehicles -- Italian design, legendary heritage, and an electric powerplant."

The new Fiat will feature an all-electric driving range of 80 miles, along with an estimated 108MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) fuel efficiency. Powered by a 111hp permanent magnet electric motor, the vehicle will hit a top speed of 85mph. Its 24kWh lithium-ion battery is similar in capacity to that of the well-known Nissan Leaf electric car, and it can be charged in approximately four hours at 240V. The liquid-cooled battery pack and the electric motor are supplied by Bosch Automotive.

Chrysler said the vehicle will be sold only in California for now, but added that it is not a so-called "compliance car," aimed at satisfying the requirements of California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. "Obviously, there is a mandate," Chrysler spokesman Jiyan Cadiz told Design News. "But for us, it's more important than that. It's the first time we're doing an electric vehicle, so it's our chance to gain competency and show that we can do it." Cadiz added that the vehicle program gives Chrysler engineers an opportunity to develop expertise in EV batteries and electric powertrains.

Up until this week's introduction of the Fiat 500e, Chrysler executives have publicly resisted any suggestion of widespread electrification of the company's vehicle line. "I'm not scared, I just won't do it," said Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, referring to electrification, in an interview with Automobile Magazine in July 2012. "I just will not do it. I think we're smoking illegal materials if we think we're going to make those [profitably]. It just won't work."

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