Fiat 500 EV Adapt, the 37,000 Euro Electric Baby

Voted by the 2009 World Car Award jury as being the World Car Design of the Year, the Fiat 500 surprises all with its new electric version. Built in a limited edition of only 100 units this year, the first Fiat 500 EV is not a product of its creator per se, but an AutoAdapt creation, autoblog.nl reported.

The Swedish company, mostly known for its solutions for getting in and out of a vehicle (Turny, Turnout and Carony) has partnered with Alelion Batteries and Fiat to develop the 500 EV. As a result of the partnership, the factory built 500 (without the engine and drivetrain) will be sent to AutoAdapt for it to be fitted with an electric motor and the batteries.

There will be three versions of the 500 EV, depending on the autonomy provided by the battery. They will provide ranges of up to 100 (60 miles), 150 (90 miles) or 200 km (120 miles) and, according to Alelion, the batteries can be charged for up to 22,000 times without losing any of its characteristics and can withstand the low temperature Scandinavian climate.

For the low performer 100 km range Fiat 500 EV, customers will have to pay a staggering 37,000 euros. Even so, AutoAdapt has plans to raise it production output to 300 units of the EV in 2010.

As if this wasn't enough, the company also has plans to built other electric Fiat models. Punto, Grande Punto and Panda are its next targets for Alelion and Autoadapt to fit EV related parts (lithium ion batteries, engine and drivetrain) on.