Fiat 500e production temporarily halted due to pandemic

The 4th largest car manufacturer in the world, Stellantis, has confirmed that it will temporarily halt the production line of the 500e model in Turin, Italy for 4 weeks starting from September 13th.

"This measure is necessary as there are currently no orders for this model amidst the general difficulty in the European electric car market, especially for European car manufacturers," Stellantis shared with Reuters.

Fiat has to stop production of the 500e model due to very low market demand (Photo: Fiat).

Meanwhile, the old Fiat 500 model with an internal combustion engine was discontinued a few months ago due to not meeting new cybersecurity regulations, and Fiat did not want to invest in upgrading the system. This model was previously produced in Poland and used a completely different chassis platform from the 500e electric model.

The Fiat 500 model with an internal combustion engine is still being produced in North America, but it does not meet the standards for sale in Europe.

Instead of upgrading the old Fiat 500 model with an internal combustion engine for continued sales, the Italian automaker chose to create an entirely new hybrid version by modifying the pure electric 500e model to include a small internal combustion engine combined with an electric motor.

However, this hybrid model - Fiat 500 Hybrid - will not be released until at least the end of 2025 or even in 2026.

The Fiat 500e is equipped with a 117-horsepower electric motor, using energy from a 23.8kWh or 42kWh lithium-ion battery pack, depending on the version, with a range of 320km per charge.

A fast DC charger with a power of 85kW will allow the car's battery to reach 80% capacity in just 35 minutes, enabling the car to travel an additional 50km in just 5 minutes of charging.

With a 50kW fast charger, the car can add 50km of range in less than 10 minutes. Additionally, owners can install an 11kW AC slow charger at home.