Fiat’s hybrid 500 charges up!

By Tom Philips

13th July 2010

Small car, even smaller bills! Fiat is about to start developing a new hybrid version of its 500, capable of 100mpg-plus.

We've driven the 900cc two-cylinder TwinAir variant of the city model, but engineers plan to give it an electric boost, cutting CO2 emissions to only 70g/km.

The TwinAir will be mated to Fiat’s advanced twin-clutch transmission, and the plan is to incorporate a small 5kW (8bhp) electric motor into the gearbox casing. This will drive one of the gearshafts.

The motor assists the engine, particularly when pulling away from a standing start – to get the full benefit of the electric unit, which has all of its torque available from zero revs.

As the TwinAir engine takes up 23 per cent less space than a four-cylinder powerplant, the battery pack can be mounted under the bonnet. The cell may also power some of the car’s ancillary components when the stop-start system shuts off the engine.

A target of 70g/km CO2 would eclipse the 95g/km figure for the 84bhp version of the 500 TwinAir – due in the UK in September – by some margin. The dual-clutch transmission is expected to be a popular option when Fiat returns to the US in 2012. The hybrid will also be offered there.

Joining the 84bhp TwinAir unit will be a 64bhp non-turbo version, as well as a higher-performance 104bhp version. The engines will be used by Fiat and stablemate Lancia to power their city cars and superminis in the coming years.

There’s an outside chance the drivetrain could also be offered to Ford, as its Ka uses the same platform as the 500.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.