Fiat commits to all-electric line-up by 2030

Fiat has announced that it intends to switch to a full pure-electric range of vehicles by 2030 in a move that mirrors Ford of Europe and other brands.

As part of the plans, combustion-engined vehicles will begin being phased out from Fiat's global line-up from 2025.

Fiat says it has already started moving towards a zero-emissions future with the recent launch of the all-new pure-electric version of the new-generation Fiat 500 supermini.

To ensure it doesn't lose sales, Fiat says it plans to improve access to electric cars by lowering their perceived barriers, including pricing and charging infrastructure.

Fiat's decision to switch to electric by 2030 follows a similar decision by Ford of Europe and premium car-maker Jaguar, which has announced it will have a full pure-electric line-up by 2025.

The move also addresses the impending Euro 7 emissions regulations that could make it difficult for car-makers to justify development programs for smaller vehicles, blowing out costs of both petrol and diesel models.

Fiat is yet to provide detailed information on how it will transform itself into a zero-emissions brand, but the car-maker has confirmed it will not limit itself to purely city cars.

Helping it swap petrol for battery power is Fiat's membership of the Stellantis group.

In the future it's thought all models will migrate to platforms like the STLA architecture that currently underpins the Peugeot e208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e.

Also available is the larger eVMP platform that will make its debut under the Peugeot 3008 due in 2023.

As well as making cars cheaper, the Turin-based car-maker said it would introduce fast-charging stations in communities like estates made up of large tower blocks, where residents would not have access to their own charging point.

Commenting on the announcement, Fiat boss Oliver Francois said: "Between 2025 and 2030, our product line-up will gradually become electric only. This will be a radical change for Fiat. 

“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.

"We were reminded of the urgency of taking action, of doing something for the planet Earth," he said.