Fiat 500 driven by electricity?

The latest news are that The Fiat Company will represent all-electric version of the Fiat 500 by the end of this year at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It has been confirmed by the LA Auto Show that the EV 500 is one of the cars shown at the convention. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat CEO said that they would be making the Fiat 500 EV only because California’s forcing them and probably the new model will be called the 500 Elettra. It is also questionable how well it will do on the US market, considering the fact that it’s expected to cost roughly three times more than the petrol-powered 500.

Green Car Reports estimates that the car will be available only in limited numbers and that it will have an electric motor delivering about 100 horsepower on the front wheels. A full set of exact specifications have not yet been released yet. The 500E closely resembles the gas-burning Fiat 500, though it’s believed that the production 500E will receive a few unique exterior enhancements, including revised front and rear fascias.

The Fiat 500E will meet some competition at the electric vehicles market and that is inevitable. The main competitors are Ford Focus Electric, Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i. Recent sales numbers for those vehicles have been low, and the gas-powered Fiat 500 is not considered a sales success. Unfortunately these factors suggest that the Fiat 500E, despite its cute looks, might sell in very low numbers.