First contact with the Abarth 500e: the first electric pellet wants to overshadow the gasoline scorpions
Published by The team in News the 17/02/2023 at 17:57
The launch of the Abarth 500e marks the biggest turning point for the scorpion brand in its more than 70-year history. It is the first electric model of the brand, although the recipe is similar to that of the Abarth 595 and 695 that will continue on sale.
A few months after its presentation, it has just landed in Spain in the form of a special Scorpionissima edition, a series limited to 1,949 units that is now available with a coupe and convertible body from 43,000 euros.
known approach
The fact that we will not be able to buy new gasoline or diesel cars from 2035 in Europe does not mean that sports cars will disappear. Not only because there is the so-called " Ferrari amendment ", but because manufacturers are aware that customers will continue to demand passionate models.
Some companies consider using hydrogen to keep these cars alive, such as Toyota , while others are committed to total electrification. This is the case of Abarth, which has just entered the world of zero emissions with the Abarth 500e .
In the same way that back in 2008, those of the scorpion presented the Abarth 500 based on the Fiat 500, now they have used the Fiat 500e as a base to shape the first fully electric Abarth , in fact, it is the first alternative of the firm with some kind of electrification.
The recipe is identical to that of the Abarth 500: offer a more rabid and spicy alternative to the Fiat 500 with four ingredients: a more aggressive exterior and interior design, more complete equipment with exclusive options, a set-up focused on sporty driving and more power.
Picking up the baton from its predecessor, it comes with a coupe and cabriolet body, the latter with an electric canvas roof similar to that of the Abarth 595C and 695C which, for now, will continue to be sold, as confirmed by those responsible for the brand .
In its coupé version, the 500e measures 3.63 meters long , 1.68 meters wide and 1.52 meters high, exactly the same as the Fiat 500e Saloon from which it derives.
Of course, it is distinguished by specific design features, such as the front, the scorpion logos, this time with a lightning bolt in the background, instead of the Italian flag, the 18 "alloy wheels and the exclusive colors.
Inside it is practically identical to the Fiat 500e, including the 185-liter trunk and the 2+2 seats , except for the details. In addition to the logos, you can have a sports steering wheel upholstered in Alcantara, moldings finished in the same material, steel pedals decorated with the scorpion and best of all: Sabelt seats reminiscent of those that come standard on the Abarth 595.
We still do not know if you will be able to mount the same Sabelt Racing semi-buquets with the carbon fiber rear that are offered as an option on the Abarth 695. They are some of the best sports seats on the market and in this new electric model they may fit even better, since Abarth has corrected the lousy driving position of the 595 and 695 and it no longer feels like we're sitting in a van.
Regarding the technical part, the protagonist is an electric motor that develops 113 Kw (154 CV) and 235 Nm of maximum torque that allows the 500e to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7 seconds. The maximum speed is limited to 155 km/h.
Power is supplied to the electric motor by a lithium-ion battery with a nominal voltage of 400 V that has a gross capacity of 42 kWh (net of 37.3 kWh). Translated into autonomy means that the Abarth 500e can travel up to 250 km on the WLTP combined cycle.
In the city that figure should improve and on the highway it will be difficult to get close, especially if the 154 CV are used to the maximum. It is the same battery that the Fiat 500e uses, but its 118 CV allow it to approve 320 km.
When recharging the battery, it can be done at a maximum power of 11 kW in AC and 85 kW in DC . In the latter case, a charge from 0 to 80% would be completed in 35 minutes, while at 11 kW it would take just over four hours.
It remains to be known what the weight of the set is, although the data of the 118 CV Fiat 500e Berlina serves as a reference, which stops the scale at 1,365 kg , so the Abarth 500e coupe will not be far from that figure.
What Abarth has confirmed is its weight distribution : 57% rests on the front axle and 43% on the rear. The battery is located below and in the center, looking for that almost ideal distribution and a lower center of gravity.
It's part of the tuning, which also includes firmer suspension, disc brakes front and rear (on the Fiat 500e the rear brakes are drums), and steering calibrated to offer a sportier driving feel, at least. in Scorpion Track and Scorpion Street driving modes.
Both programs are focused on performance, but the One Pedal Drive function is not activated on the Track, which increases the intensity of regenerative braking and allows driving only with the accelerator pedal.
In the Scorpion Street this function is activated, in the same way as in Touring mode, in which the available power is reduced and the throttle response is softened.
You have to wait to drive it to appreciate the work that Abarth has done in this regard. Of course, in terms of driving, things are promising because the Fiat 500e moves with great ease and it can even be said that it is fun with less power than the Abarth and a more comfort-oriented set-up.
Abarth is aware that behavior is one of the keys to the new 500e and that it is not enough that its first electric car is more powerful than the Fiat to convince undecided customers.
Beyond the Fiat, another of the rivals of the Abarth 500e is the Honda E, which also has 154 CV and is very fun to drive, although it has less autonomy and an approach more focused on the customer who is looking for technology than on the lover of sportsmanship.
Nor should we forget the Mini Cooper SE, which is somewhat larger and more powerful, but offers virtually identical features to those of the Abarth, both in its coupe variant and in the recently launched convertible version.
Beyond performance and focus, where does the Abarth stack up against its rivals when it comes to price? Well, for now, the only Abarth 500e that has landed in Spain is the 500e Scorpionissima that we were able to see live.
It is a special edition limited to 1,949 units , a number that refers to the year in which Abarth was founded. The rest of the versions will arrive later, but this limited series is the only way to buy the new Abarth 500e right now.
equipped to the top
Being the letter of introduction of this model, Abarth has decided to include absolutely everything as standard : from the 360-degree camera to the Uconnect infotainment system with a 10.25” central touch screen, browser and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto .
The Scorpionissima also comes with a wireless charger for mobile phones, a JBL audio system, automatic climate control, automatic high beams, a glass roof in the coupe version and the so-called Abarth sound generator .
And this last element deserves a special mention because it is one of the most particular characteristics of the car. A year ago, Abarth asked its followers to choose the AVAS sound (acoustic warning system) for the 500e, that is, the sound that electric cars must produce to warn pedestrians and other road users. their presence when driving at low speed.
Abarth has taken this obligation to its land and has used it to imitate the sound of a combustion car. It works like the rest of the electric cars, with a speaker that, in this case, is located under the car, almost at the height of the trunk, but emits a completely different sound.
Abarth has sought a sound similar to that of its combustion cars and the truth is that it is quite noisy , but in practice it is light years away from the melody that comes out of the precise Record Monza Sovrapposto exhausts of the Abarth 695 Competizione. It is also true that it is difficult to improve that sound.
It's funny live because it's very artificial to see an electric car that sounds like that and because the sound is very artificial, but it's definitely an extra touch of personality that sets the Abarth 500e apart from other electric vehicles.
It remains to be seen how it sounds in motion and if it allows you to experience sensations similar to those offered by the Porsche Taycan Turbo S with its melody inspired by the Star Wars ships.
This sound generator will not be part of the standard equipment on the basic Abarth 500e, but Abarth has not been able to confirm its price to equip it as an option either.
Similarly, we do not know what the starting price of the Abarth 500e in Spain will be. At the moment, the only rate that we know of is that of the Scorpionissima special edition: from 43,000 euros with a coupe body and from 46,000 euros in a convertible version. In both cases without applying promotions.
The Fiat 500e Berlina starts at 30,600 euros without discounts, at 32,600 euros with the 3+1 four-door body (it is not planned for the Abarth 500e) and from 33,600 euros in the case of the convertible.
For its part, the Honda E is for sale from 37,950 euros, while the Mini Cooper SE is available from 37,940 euros with a three-door body and from 61,000 euros in a Cabrio version. Like the Abarth 500e Scorpionissima, the Mini Cooper SE Cabrio is a limited edition of which only 999 units will be manufactured, 53 of them reserved for Spain.
As Abarth told us, when the 1,949 units of the Abarth 500e Scorpionissima are sold, the Abarth 500e will arrive with a lower starting price. It will be then when we will also see it in other colors, since this limited series can only be painted in the Acid Green of the images or in Poison Blue.
Prices of the Abarth 500e Scorpionissima
- Abarth 500e Scorpionissima: 43,000 euros
- Abarth 500e Cabrio Scorpionissima: from 46,000 euros
