The company considers it the most successful Abarth, or “More Abarth than ever”

Abarth has unveiled the 500e, a “heated” hatchback based on the Fiat of the same name, which became the first electric car in its lineup. From the donor, the novelty is distinguished by a bright exterior with larger bumpers, a soundtrack with specially designed sound “chips”, including an imitation of the sound of an internal combustion engine, and a forced electric motor on the front axle. Sales will begin with a limited edition Scorpionissima of 1,949 pieces, in honor of the year Abarth was founded.

The output of the Abarth 500e electric motor has been increased, but not to 180-200 horsepower, as expected. It amounted to 155 horsepower and 235 Nm of torque against 118 horsepower and 220 Nm for the Fiat 500e. In addition, the hatchback left the same lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 42 kilowatt-hours. Fiat with the same “older” battery overcomes 320 kilometers, and the power reserve of Abarth has not yet been disclosed.

An 85-kilowatt express charge from a direct current (DC) station will take you from 0 percent to 80 percent in 35 minutes. From an AC station, the battery will fully charge in four hours and 15 minutes, and from a home outlet in 15 hours and 15 minutes.

The electric Abarth is noticeably heavier than the petrol ones: it weighs about 1.4 tons, while the weight of the Abarth 595, for example, barely exceeds a ton. At the same time, in terms of acceleration from 20 to 40 kilometers per hour, the 500e beats the supercharged Abarth 695 by one second, accelerating in 1.5 seconds versus 2.5.

The electric car reaches speeds of 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill in seven seconds, provided that the battery is at least 90 percent charged. For comparison, Abarth 595 spends 7.3 seconds on acceleration, 695 – 6.7 seconds. The 500e’s top speed is electronically limited to just 155 kilometers per hour.

The Abarth 500e has three driving modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track. In the first, the motor produces 136 horsepower and 220 Nm, the second provides maximum power and energy recovery, and the third, “track” mode, turns off the recovery at maximum output.

A soundtrack was also created for the Abarth 500e: when starting or turning off, the Key On-Off system plays a guitar riff inside the cabin, which is repeated during the initial acceleration to 20 kilometers per hour. Also, AVAS, an acoustic vehicle warning system that sounds electric cars for safety, received special signals. Finally, you can optionally add the roar of an internal combustion engine.

Both hatchback and convertible will be available for order. The starting performance will be Scorpionissima, limited to 1949 copies. This version has top-end equipment with a JBL audio system, ADAS with various safety assistants and a special decor with nameplates in the form of a scorpion – the symbol of the brand. Sales will start from the European market in the summer of 2023, and then the “battery” Abarth will appear in Japan and South America.