Hydrogen continues to be an advance towards a future of zero emissions, and there are even those who argue that it will be the end of electric cars. Do you think it will really end up being so? The truth is that a legendary brand is clear that it is not the right path (or so they think), and has opted to resurrect an engine forgotten for years, and that even many other carmakers have stopped producing because they consider it “inefficient and unsustainable”. Is it a good idea, or a project doomed to failure? We explain all the keys.
The “non-liquid fuel” has been resurrected: Legendary brand to revolutionize the roads
The Italian conglomerate has taken everyone by surprise recently by returning to the production of a gasoline engine variant of its most celebrated Fiat 500, starting the production in 2026. This about-turn follows from the fact that when Volkswagen first unveiled the latest 500 as an electric only city car, it made no mention of an ICE version.
In the light of an official statement from the Stellantis Group, Fiat is to launch a hybrid modification of the 500 at the Mirafiori plant in Italy in 2026. This means that the 500 line will be offered yet again with a gasoline engine and now complement it with all electric 500e. The decision to have a gas-powered vehicle once again as part of their models is not a step towards electrification.
Fiat has unveiled a pre-design, but we have the last version: These could be its first gas engines
It is necessary to mention here that the 500 never completely lost its combustion engine. Fiat retailed a pre-design, 500 with hybrid propulsion in the rest of the world’s markets, while the New World 500 has all electric propulsion in the United States only as a 500e. Nevertheless, the new hybrid 500 will be assembled from the version of the last generation of this vehicle.
Notably, it is worth noting that Fiat has decided to brace the subcompact 500 with a gasoline engine at a time when Fiat was transitioning into an electric-only lineup by 2030. Still, it appears that Fiat, like other manufacturers, has had to rethink the previously ambitious plans related to purely electric cars.
Otherwise, the mechanics of the new hybrid 500s power train scheme have not been elaborated in detail; anyway, it should be based on the fact that, despite the possibility of the hybrid 500 not being as powerful as the 500e that comes with electric engines and offers quicker torque, adding a gas engine has some advantages. These include:
- Improved Range: The blended powertrain could possibly be more efficient than the 500e for longer runs where the gas engine can assist the battery in certain cases.
- Lower Upfront Costs: The hybrid 500 is likely to cost less than the high-end 500e, which, goes for $34,095 in the United States, excluding options.
- Familiarity for Consumers: It is just possible that certain traveling clients may have a bias towards gasoline engine cars as they are more accustomed to them and may think that gasoline cars are more reliable, particularly in markets led by EVs.
Fiat new gas engines, in detail: +70 hp, but they could be more efficient than ever
The 1. The 0-liter FireFly engine currently featured in the ICE 500 and Panda models is capable of generating 70 horsepower. They estimated configurations that could lean on this engine and combine with an electric motor up to 100–120 horsepower, so depending on the options, they could offer more exciting drive than the current 500e with a single electric motor design.
As for the fuel economy, the hybrid 500 can record better mileage than the current ICE 500, which is expected to do around 45 MPG (5. With the good design of a hybrid system, it is possible for the 500 to record a fuel consumption of a bit between 60 and 70 MPG (3.3–3.8 L/100km), which is very suitable for city driving.
Regarding the sales point, which is always hard to say, the comeback of a gasoline – powered 500 may alert Fiat to a larger sector of the populace. The 500e that comes with the all-electric power has gained fame in Europe where production in the current year, 2022, will reach 77 500 vehicles.
It is clear that the new Fiat gas engine demonstrates that alternative fuels will not only be ammonia or methanol (not to mention the ethanol we are producing in America). One of them could be this one that Scania also developed a few months ago and that they are going to explore for trucks. However, the one we have seen today is for cars, and it has all the possibilities of bringing this forgotten fuel back to the present day.
