The All-Electric Abarth 500e Scorpionissima Hatchback: A Complete Guide For India

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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The All-Electric Abarth 500e Hatchback

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Though, both Abarth and Fiat are owned by the same parent company, the Netherlands based Stellantis N.V., there are significant differences in the positioning of the two brands. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is a high performance automotive manufacturer, based in Turin, Italy.

Abarth was founded in 1949 by Carlo Abarth, an Italian automobile designer. Move forward two decades, the company was acquired by Fiat (1971). In 2007, Abarth was re-launched as an independent automotive company and brand.

In fact, the company is keen to stress that Abarth is much more than just a sportier version of Fiat cars. The Abarth brand has grown from a ‘performance tuner’ to a ‘full grown brand’ and is currently sold in a number of international markets. Interestingly, Brazil is their largest market, even bigger than their home market, Italy.

The brand has established a loyal following, which the company refers to as ‘tribe’. The tribe has 160,000 members globally, across 95 clubs. The ethos of the brand is ‘small cars, big fun’. The company views itself as ‘performance creators’ and ‘in the business of wow factor’. Abarth is now committed to global expansion and a new lineup of cars. Watch this space!

The development of the all-electric Abarth, the first pure electric sports car, was ‘driven’, not only for environmental reason, but primarily for improving ‘performance’. Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) offer instant torque and immediate response. Bottom-line, the scorpion is back with an ‘electric sting’!

According to the manufacturer, the “New Abarth 500e is “more Abarth than EVer” thanks to its electric architecture, improved weight distribution, improved torque, and wider wheelbase. It is faster and more exciting in both urban and suburban driving”. 

Keeping true to its legacy, the 500e incorporates a sound generator to replicate the brands legendary Abarth engine sound. Indeed, it is now common place for pure electric cars to have an onboard artificial sound generator, mostly, to warn pedestrians that an EV is in operation. The Abarth takes it to another level!

Like the all-electric Fiat 500e, the Abarth 500e targets primarily urban drivers, but the difference being, offering more ‘hardcore fun’ than the Fiat 500e. Like the Fiat 500e, the Abarth electric also offers an onboard 42 kWh EV battery.

The manufacturer has not yet released the WLTP range for the EV, but we can expect it to be close to the claimed 320 km (WLTP) range of the Fiat 500 electric car. In any case, given that most commutes for urban driving are short, the 42 kW EV battery will offer a practical and useful electric range.

The Abarth EV offers DC rapid charging up to 85 kW as standard. The electric car can be charged up to 80% in 35 minutes. The EV also incorporates a 11 kW AC (3-phase) onboard charger. For those with access to three-phase charging at home or the workplace, the battery can be fully charged in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Do keep in mind that most homes in India are powered by a single-phase power supply (7.4 kW), resulting in longer charging times.

Though the Abarth pure electric car can be charged via a domestic 3-PIN socket, we at e-zoomed discourage the use of a domestic socket to charge an electric car. It will take up to 15 hours and 15 minutes to charge the 42 kWh battery via a standard domestic plug. We encourage charging an electric car using a dedicated EV home charging station like, myenergi zappi.

The Abarth electric car does not disappoint in terms of its exterior iconic appeal. The company has upgraded its iconic logo. The Abarth electric launches the new electrified Scorpion signature logo, in a sportier exterior styling. A number of design elements have been introduced to give the electric vehicle a more aggressive appearance. These include: a new sporty bumper, sporty lines of the lateral skirt, rear diffuser inserts, new titanium grey mirror caps and more!

The Abarth 500e Scorpionissima features as standard, the Uconnect radio touchscreen 10.25” with an integrated navigation system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility is also available. The electric car also offers: dusk and rain sensors, keyless go, automatic climate control, automatic high low beam headlights, advanced 360° drone view sensor system, ultra-high-definition rear camera and more.

The EV also incorporates a number of driving safety aid, to include: traffic sign information, autonomous emergency brake with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, intelligent speed assistant, lane keeping assist, drowsy driver detection, blind spot warning and more. In terms of practicality, for urban driving, its compact size and turning circle are certainly useful. However, the rear seats are a tight squeeze for taller adults.

The front-wheel drive Abarth 500e can achieve 0-100 km/h in 7 seconds (by way of comparison, the Fiat 500e takes 9 seconds). The maximum power is up to 155 hp (235 Nm) and a 150 km/h top speed. The EV delivers 50% faster acceleration from 20 to 40 km/h compared to the internal combustion engine (ICE) variant.

The electric car offers 3 driving modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track. From the three available driving modes, the highest performance driving mode is the Scorpion Track. For those seeking smoother acceleration, the Turismo mode is the best option. In this mode, the performance is lower. The maximum available power is 100 kW instead of 113 kW, torque is 220 Nm, instead of 235 Nm.

Of course, for those keen to get the most of the available EV range, the Turismo range is most suitable. The Scorpion Street mode sits in between the two other mode, offering the best of both performance and regenerative braking!

The electric vehicle (EV) is only available as a limited edition, with 1949 units to be manufactured. A homage to the founding of the company in 1949. The launch edition is available as both a hatchback and cabrio. Prices have yet to be confirmed by the manufacturer, but of course, it will be higher than the Fiat electric car.

Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet! The electric car is not available in India.

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PROS	CONS
DC charging up to 85 kW	Rear seats with limited headroom and legroom
Iconic and attractive exterior styling	Not practical for a larger family
11 kW AC (3-Phase) onboard charger as standard	Only available in one EV battery size

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The All-Electric Abarth 500e Hatchback (credit: Abarth)

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At A Glance
EV Type:	Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Body Type:	Hatchback
Engine:	Electric
Available In India:	No

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Variants (1 Option)
Abarth 500e (from ₹ N/A)

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EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:	Lithium-ion
EV Battery Capacity:	Available in one size: 42 kWh
Charging:	85 kW DC Fast Charging (10%-80%: 35 mins). Onboard charger 11 kW AC (0%-100%: 4 hrs 15 mins)
EV Cable Type:	Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:	0g (CO2/km)
Battery Warranty:	8 years or 160,000 km

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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Dimensions
Height (mm):	1527
Width (mm):	1900
Length (mm):	3632
Wheelbase (mm):	2322
Turning Circle (m):	9.3
Boot Space (L):	185

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500e Scorpionissima
EV Battery Capacity:	42 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):	N/A
Electric Consumption (kWh/100km):	N/A
Charging:	85 kW DC Fast Charging (10%-80%: 35 mins). Onboard charger 11 kW AC (0%-100%: 4 hrs 15 mins)
Top Speed:	150 km/h
0-100 km/h:	7 seconds
Drive:	Front-wheel drive (FWD)
Electric Motor (kW):	113.7
Max Power (hp):	155
Torque (Nm):	235
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	4
Doors:	3
Kerb Weight (kg):	N/A
Colours:	2
NCAP Safety Rating:	N/A

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Which Is Better For India? A PHEV or BEV?

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For those new to electric driving, it is a question asked often by aspiring buyers for electric cars. Should I buy a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)? For those new to electric cars, a BEV is more commonly referred to as a pure electric car.

A BEV is ‘pure’, in that, the electric vehicle (EV) only uses electric power for propulsion i.e. a BEV does not have an internal combustion engine (ICE). It is easy to recognise these zero-tailpipe emission green cars, as these e-vehicles are silent (except for the artificial noise), and do not have a tailpipe (exhaust)! Moreover, in India, EVs also have a green license plate, so easy to identify!

In comparison, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), combines the technologies used in both, a pure electric car and a conventional internal combustion (ICE) vehicle, to increase fuel efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions. A PHEV incorporates an electric motor, an onboard EV battery and an internal combustion engine (ICE), to propel the electric vehicle (EV).

The development and maturity of pure electric cars over the past decade has been staggering. The first-generation modern electric cars, like the all-electric Nissan Leaf (2010), incorporated a 24 kWh onboard EV battery, with an emission-free electric range up to 112 km. Move forward a decade, and the latest pure electric cars incorporate an EV battery, even larger than 100 kWh and offer an electric range (WLTP) over 500 km.

Even, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), have witnessed much improvement, in both, electric range and reduced tailpipe emissions. Excellent examples are the latest-generation Range Rover PHEV and Range Rover Sport PHEV. Both these plug-in hybrid electric SUVs incorporate a 38.2 kWh on board EV battery with a 115 km (WLTP) pure electric range. Moreover, the tailpipe emission from the PHEV, are as low as 18g (CO2/km). A significant reduction compared to the previous generation of plug-in electric cars, and of course, far lower emissions compared to a conventional petrol or diesel car!

In general, we at e-zoomed, always recommend choosing a BEV, instead of a PHEV, given the superior environmental credentials of a pure electric car i.e. zero-tailpipe emissions. However, we do understand that certain circumstances may require a PHEV. In particular, countries like India, where the public EV charging infrastructure is still at a nascent stage, compared to more developed electric driving markets, like Norway and the UK. Having said that, it is worth noting that the majority of electric cars are charged at home and overnight! In India, we can certainly expect the same!

We encourage families and companies keen to migrate to electric cars in India, to consider, carefully their needs, to conclude which type of electric car is a better option. Below are two key factors to consider!

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BEV Or PHEV: Top 2 Factors To Consider
Distance travelled (km):	In general, most car journeys are short. Hardly surprising, given the type of regular commutes done on a daily basis. School-runs, commute to the office, meeting family members, going to the local market, gym etc. Especially for those of us living in cities and towns, the distanced travelled is limited. One can assume, that the average distanced covered by a vehicle in India is between 50 km – 75 km. It is not often, that we drive long distances. For example, how often do residents in the NCR region drive to Jaipur (300 km)? Most of the latest pure electric cars, to include, those available in India, can easily meet the day-to-day needs. So, do you really need a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle? Well, if you are one of the few, travelling significant distances on a daily basis (like the 300 km trip to Jaipur), then, considering a PHEV is prudent. However, if you travel long distances infrequently, then you can always borrow a conventional petrol or diesel car from you mother-in-law, for the occasional long-distance trip!
EV Charging:	Given that the majority of EV charging is done at home, via a dedicated EV charger, charging an electric car is not usually that challenging. In fact, in India, EV owners are also charging their cars at the office. For those of you that don’t have access to a dedicated EV charger, either at home or the workplace, then a PHEV is worth considering. This also applies to those that travel long-distances and do not have access to public fast EV charging stations (AC or DC fast chargers). Lastly, though an electric car can be charged via a domestic plug socket, we encourage installing a dedicated smart EV charger. It is faster and safer to use a smart EV charger.

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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