Fiat announces plans to be fully electric by 2030

UPDATE, November 2022: 'Abarth New 500' electric hot hatch previewed

A first official teaser for the upcoming electric 2023 Abarth 500 – simply dubbed 'Abarth New 500' – has been handed down. Get all the details, and watch the teaser, at the link below.

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Fiat is the latest in a growing list of automotive manufacturers to announce it will only make electric vehicles by 2030.

The declaration came from Fiat CEO Olivier François who praised his company’s creation of the new 500 Electric hatch, and said the Italian’s marque’s new goal would be creating accessible, cost-effective EV solutions for the masses.

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The Fiat 500 Electric

“The decision to launch the new 500 – electric and electric alone – was actually taken before Covid-19. Even then, we were already aware that the world could not take any more compromises,” he said.

“We have an icon, the 500. An icon always has its cause and the 500 is no exception: in the 1950s, it opened access to mobility for all.

“Nowadays, in this new scenario, it has a new mission – our mission – to create sustainable mobility for all.

“It is our duty to bring to market electric cars that cost no more than those with an internal combustion engine, as soon as we can, in line with the falling costs of batteries. We are exploring the territory of sustainable mobility for all: this is our greatest project.”

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The 2021 Fiat 500

The CEO also gave an insight into how the Turin firm will achieve this goal by 2030, including the gradual elimination of internal combustion-engined (ICE) vehicles from its product line-up, which will begin in 2025.

“Between 2025 and 2030, our product line-up will gradually become electric-only. This will be a radical change for Fiat,” François said.

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The rooftop racetrack at Fiat's old Lingotto factory in Turin

And in a symbolic gesture, François also announced the fabled autodrome built on the rooftop of the firm’s iconic Lingotto factory would be turned into a giant garden.

“Only a few months from now, I am proud that we will see the conversion of the legendary track on the roof of the former Lingotto factory in Turin into the largest hanging gardens in Europe, hosting over 28,000 plants,” he said.

“A major, meaningful – and once again sustainable – project, due to revitalise the city of Turin, our home.”