Off Topic Electric 500 owners roll call, check in and say hello :)

[ben]

We need to get the electric party started, so if you're the proud owner of a 500e or New 500 (depending on what you want to call it ) please say hello below!

You could also consider adding your pride and joy to the garage too, we'd all love to see it

Garage

The forum garage showcasing the best motors our members have to offer!

www.fiatforum.com

 

[gazz_bee]

One year into ownership, ours has just had its first service. Glad to report that a dealer only update a few months ago (Update 6475) has solved the software gremlins experienced in the early months of ownership.

 

[The Panda Nut]

One year into ownership, ours has just had its first service. Glad to report that a dealer only update a few months ago (Update 6475) has solved the software gremlins experienced in the early months of ownership.

Please do tell us more, I want as much info as I can get on all aspects of the caras one day I will be forced to drive electric. Its things like how temperature affects the range, range itself and charging times and issues that are key and Im relying on you pioneers to give up to gold on all this. Do post some pictures too.

 

[gazz_bee]

Please do tell us more, I want as much info as I can get on all aspects of the caras one day I will be forced to drive electric. Its things like how temperature affects the range, range itself and charging times and issues that are key and Im relying on you pioneers to give up to gold on all this. Do post some pictures too.

Firstly, try and get a drive in one so that you can get a feel for the driving experience of an EV. If I was forced to drive an automatic, I'd go electric all day long as they're a way better driving experience. I have access to an number of other EVs and the 500e is well built and has a satisfying solidity about it. Picked it over the Mini and the Honda electrics.

Typically 160ish miles from a tank of sparks, maybe down to 110 in winter. I haven't really noticed this to be a battery chemistry v low temperature issue, more having climate control on and the joy of preconditioning the car so it's defrosted and toasty from the get go, first thing in the morning. Efficiency also tails off above 60mph due to drag. Over the past 6,000 miles I've used 1623kWh of electricity at £0.23/kW, so £400ish in fuel costs. If I've done my calcs right that's circa 110mpg equivalent for an ICE. I think I could do better with economy, but this is a 115hp car with 220Nm of torque from a standing start so encourages enthusiasm.

Charging times depend on the connection supply and whether you charge opportunistically or refill like you would an ICE when near empty. From 20% to full on a 22kWh AC charger is about 90 minutes and 20-80% on a 50kWh DC, roughly 20 minutes. The reason for the 20-80% range for DC is that the charge rate is throttled when below 20% and above 80% by the battery management system to control temperature.

My car hasn't been trouble free and had a fairly common software issue where it defaults to EU factory settings, now fixed with a recall, and several owners have had issues with the 12V battery system failing (possibly related to the same software issue as the fix for this also updated the BMS). I think all post April 22 cars have this fix in place, but 12V batteries are a nuisance for a number of EV brands and this will be something to watch out for. I also have an open ticket just now as the car isn't handshaking properly with some brands of chargers. I'm having to do the legwork on pinpointing as, in my opinion, the dealer network isn't up to speed yet on the car or how charging infrastructure works.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thanks it all helps to get a feel. I think I will keep the Panda going for as long as possible, its only done 14800 miles so should go for awhile yet, but Im 66 this year so will want an auto next time and by them it will be easier to look at electric power as I wont be driving as far and can reduce the fuel costs with solar energy. I already have the time to plan and charge on route. My boy hired a Tesla on a recent visit and we did a charge at the hub in Norwich. Apart from the price of the beverages and food it was a very easy process. I have driven a Nissan leaf a good few years ago and must say it was eye opening in a good way so I wont mind the experience. at all. I think the biggest issue I see is the difficulty in estimating range and remaining range before economy modes set in. May be this comes with experience? In the Panda I know to lierally a handful of miles where I can get to before refuelling is required. Most of my journeys would be accomplished with one charge each way which is fine especially now age is catching up a break is not optional anymore so no problem there. I will organise a test drive when my next service is done. Please keep us posted on development issues and service costs. I find with all cars its these things that make or break the experience. Thanks for the informative reply.

 

[varesecrazy]

Firstly, try and get a drive in one so that you can get a feel for the driving experience of an EV. If I was forced to drive an automatic, I'd go electric all day long as they're a way better driving experience. I have access to an number of other EVs and the 500e is well built and has a satisfying solidity about it. Picked it over the Mini and the Honda .

My car hasn't been trouble free and had a fairly common software issue where it defaults to EU factory settings, now fixed with a recall, and several owners have had issues with the 12V battery system failing (possibly related to the same software issue as the fix for this also updated the BMS). I think all post April 22 cars have this fix in place, but 12V batteries are a nuisance for a number of EV brands and this will be something to watch out for.

Thats a THANKS from me too

I was told by somebody 'in the know' quite how competent the 500 is,
Being a rarity as a purposebuilt EV at a 50% discount to the ones people now class as 'the Standard'


The Abarth EV with its anticipated sprightly performance is actually the same kit as yours..
just 'delivering it differently'




I liked the publicity blurb of the Honda.. thinking its 'plain face ' looked like a Mk1 Golf

Now Ive seen a few..it looks more like a 10kg load Washer-Dryer

 

[gazz_bee]

Thats a THANKS from me too

I was told by somebody 'in the know' quite how competent the 500 is,
Being a rarity as a purposebuilt EV at a 50% discount to the ones people now class as 'the Standard'


The Abarth EV with its anticipated sprightly performance is actually the same kit as yours..
just 'delivering it differently'




I liked the publicity blurb of the Honda.. thinking its 'plain face ' looked like a Mk1 Golf

Now Ive seen a few..it looks more like a 10kg load Washer-Dryer

My other car is a Mini Clubman Cooper S that pushes out 190hp and the 500e in normal guise gives a similar shove till about 40mph so the Abarth 500e needs to do something more to be worth the extra cost. I still like the Honda but it really is style over substance and the Mini electric just felt heavy and cumbersome on the road - very obviously an ICE car with an EV conversion.

In response to the post above, year 1 dealer service was £100. Year 2 might be a little bit more as there's a pollen filter to replace. By comparison, my first Mini service at 2 years was £350 for basically an oil change. Tyre wear with the Mini and the 500e is similar at equivalent miles but the 500e is a bit more gentle on the brakes because of the EV regen.

 

[olca]

My other car is a Mini Clubman Cooper S that pushes out 190hp and the 500e in normal guise gives a similar shove till about 40mph so the Abarth 500e needs to do something more to be worth the extra cost. I still like the Honda but it really is style over substance and the Mini electric just felt heavy and cumbersome on the road - very obviously an ICE car with an EV conversion.

In response to the post above, year 1 dealer service was £100. Year 2 might be a little bit more as there's a pollen filter to replace. By comparison, my first Mini service at 2 years was £350 for basically an oil change. Tyre wear with the Mini and the 500e is similar at equivalent miles but the 500e is a bit more gentle on the brakes because of the EV regen.

Hi,
I am new to the community. We bought our Fiat 500E La Prima 3+1 exactly two years ago to replace a much larger Skoda Superb that we did not need any longer. We have already clocked 45 000 km on it, so it is due for service now for the third time. I have not noted any battery degradation yet, so that seems promising. It is the cutest car that we have had. Colour is "Rose Gold", and it has that little extra rear door on the right-hand side. We have other cars (Maserati Quattroporte, Jaguar XK8, Skoda Yeti), but the 500E is the favourite to drive now when the children have moved out of the house. And we have gone "green". Solar panels on the house, a wind turbine far away. So at home I charge full (40 kWh) at about 1-10 EUR, depending on the the solar power availability. Isn´t that nice! And no carbon dioxide footprint (once you have bought and installed evreything at least).
Olov (Sweden)

 

[Haybrd]

We need to get the electric party started, so if you're the proud owner of a 500e or New 500 (depending on what you want to call it ) please say hello below!

You could also consider adding your pride and joy to the garage too, we'd all love to see it

Garage

The forum garage showcasing the best motors our members have to offer!

www.fiatforum.com

Hello! Took delivery of a new 500e Cabrio today. So far loving it but it’s only been an 8hr relationship I’ve been scrolling posts here for a little while to get to know the car a bit better.

It’s my first EV so getting my head around chargers/charging and planning etc Trialed a PodPoint charger (7kw) earlier when out shopping and just tested my 3 pin normal plug charger. Tomorrow it’s going on a 100 mile trek down the motorway so will likely try out a rapid charger at Rugby Services. Does the car limit the power from the GridServe charger automatically or do I have to tell the charger the maximum power to deliver?

Looking forward to driving it and getting to know the forum more.

 

[gazz_bee]

Welcome, good luck on your trip. Charging levels are automatically set at handshake between car and charger and there's a bit of trimming by the car's battery management system in the first and last 20%, particularly during DC charging, to keep temperatures under control.

 

[Haybrd]

Welcome, good luck on your trip. Charging levels are automatically set at handshake between car and charger and there's a bit of trimming by the car's battery management system in the first and last 20%, particularly during DC charging, to keep temperatures under control.

Thanks Gazz_bee!

 

[saltireblack]

Hi! We're on our second 500 electric (upgraded from the smaller battery) and we love it.
We got the first one in July 2022 so we're well into the charging routine now and have long ago overcome our range anxieties.

 

[Ridah]

Hello from poland just got my dream

 

[Franklux]

We need to get the electric party started, so if you're the proud owner of a 500e or New 500 (depending on what you want to call it ) please say hello below!

You could also consider adding your pride and joy to the garage too, we'd all love to see it

Garage

The forum garage showcasing the best motors our members have to offer!

www.fiatforum.com

We need to get the electric party started, so if you're the proud owner of a 500e or New 500 (depending on what you want to call it ) please say hello below!

You could also consider adding your pride and joy to the garage too, we'd all love to see it

Garage

The forum garage showcasing the best motors our members have to offer!

www.fiatforum.com

Hi All, greetings from Luxembourg. Been driving sparky for just over a year. Very Happy. Its great for driving around town. Doing the shopping etc. I had a 11kw home charger installed but generally charge the car when visiting a supermarket (usually for free). Sparky is a 500e with the big battery. Range is actually about 250km and we've done one trip to Amsterdam from here in Luxembourg which took 7 hours and a massive dose of range anxiety! It's best kept close to home. All the best

 

[IanML]

Hello from Jersey. Just bought a La Prima Convertible, 2 years old with only 4,000 miles on it. Absolutely pristine. It cvame from Guernsey (even smaller island), which explains the low mileage.

Not my first EV (I also have a KIA SoulEV), so its more a case of learning the differences between them, and there are plenty. For an example, why does it require the EPB to be manually released to back out of the garage, but not at other times - eventually found the relevant section in the manual, and, yes, I didn't have the seat belt on!

And you can't switch the headlamps off, and when they come on by themselves because you've driven under a section with tree foliage overhead, the display panel in front of you dims so much you can't read the symbols and small script with sunglasses on. I found the brightness settings and set the level to maximum (10), but its still not enough. If someone has a fix, other than taking the sunnies off under each section of trees (and there are plenty), please let me know.

But everyday driving is a delight when the sun shines and the roof is open. The car has replaced a Peugeot 206CC, and the joy of opening/closing without having to stop.....

I still feel I need a pre-flight checklist when I get in, but its fun. And I love the one pedal driving. I've settled on Sherpa Mode, which means I control the Climate, something I prefer, but if I was happy to leave it to the car, there's Range Mode, so a great piece of design. So far, I've seen 5.1 m/kWh, which is a bit better than the KIA (about 4.9 under the same conditions). I calculate that, if the car still has the 38.3 kWh useable capacity, it needs to average 5.22 to make 200 miles range, but the GoM shows only 160, so it is still learning (I hope), or the battery has lost a lot of capacity.

 

[gazz_bee]

Hello from Jersey. Just bought a La Prima Convertible, 2 years old with only 4,000 miles on it. Absolutely pristine. It cvame from Guernsey (even smaller island), which explains the low mileage.

Not my first EV (I also have a KIA SoulEV), so its more a case of learning the differences between them, and there are plenty. For an example, why does it require the EPB to be manually released to back out of the garage, but not at other times - eventually found the relevant section in the manual, and, yes, I didn't have the seat belt on!

And you can't switch the headlamps off, and when they come on by themselves because you've driven under a section with tree foliage overhead, the display panel in front of you dims so much you can't read the symbols and small script with sunglasses on. I found the brightness settings and set the level to maximum (10), but its still not enough. If someone has a fix, other than taking the sunnies off under each section of trees (and there are plenty), please let me know.

But everyday driving is a delight when the sun shines and the roof is open. The car has replaced a Peugeot 206CC, and the joy of opening/closing without having to stop.....

I still feel I need a pre-flight checklist when I get in, but its fun. And I love the one pedal driving. I've settled on Sherpa Mode, which means I control the Climate, something I prefer, but if I was happy to leave it to the car, there's Range Mode, so a great piece of design. So far, I've seen 5.1 m/kWh, which is a bit better than the KIA (about 4.9 under the same conditions). I calculate that, if the car still has the 38.3 kWh useable capacity, it needs to average 5.22 to make 200 miles range, but the GoM shows only 160, so it is still learning (I hope), or the battery has lost a lot of capacity.

The EPB and seatbelt link is fairly common across all brands so presume this contributes to Euro NCAP scoring, my ICE Mini does exactly the same thing. The 500e headlights are strange in that they are either ON or AUTO, there is no OFF setting. There is no internal light meter so when the headlights are on, the display panel auto dims irrespective of ambient light. Nothing I can find in the settings changes this behaviour in the 500e. Again, my Mini does the same thing when in AUTO headlights.

Will be interesting to know how you get on in one pedal driving, the regen braking aggressiveness has reduced since first owning and I don't know if this is a software or mechanical change but does now make it easier to modulate the accelerator pedal. Either way, there is a suggestion by a few dealers to run in normal mode occasionally so that the traditional braking system gets a bit of use.

 

[IanML]

I don't find the one-pedal driving awkward, except for when inching forward to emerge from a side road. Ww have very poor visibility at our intersections, and my inching consists of little movements punctuated by squeeking jerks as the system brakes. The EPB squeeks every time its applied when moving, however slowly. A liitle more progressive accelerator action at low speeds would be a good thing.

Changing the subject, I have a very nice bluetooth 12V battery monitor I'd like to fit, to check how well the system keeps it topped up. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to remove the cover over the +ve terminal in a non-destructive manner. I release the two fastenings at the -ve end, and the two at the sides, and the cover seems to be stuck in the region of the +ve terminal. Any tips very welcome.

 

[gazz_bee]

Just struck me that many people won't know what the (un)oily bits look like under the bonnet. Note the very Germanic gas struts instead of a traditional bonnet stay and the largest washer fluid funnel in the world leading to the smallest washer reservoir. Yes, it still has coolant, brake fluid and a 12v battery. Not sure where the dipstick is though.....

 

[speedyuk]

Hi, thanks for the forum, I found it today searching for 'how do you turn the headlights off!' I got my '21 plate La Prima today. It was a Facebook marketplace purchase from just the other side of town to me - couldn't have been easier and good deal at £12k8. Took advantage of the falling EV prices. Hope it doesn't fall too much more! I'm waiting for the V5 to come back in my name before I can get the connect access registered. Looking forward to being able to control things with the app. Cheers for now.

 

[Daffo1950]

Welcome, good luck on your trip. Charging levels are automatically set at handshake between car and charger and there's a bit of trimming by the car's battery management system in the first and last 20%, particularly during DC charging, to keep temperatures under control.

My wife has p/x her 9 year old Panda for a 500e icon and now that she has more or less got used this new driving experience and absolutely loves it , she was initially apprehensive going from an ice to electric and the different ways to drive it ie for economy and harvesting energy from brake regen but she is now very happy with it . It is proving to be very frugal partly due to us having a home charger with a good night tariff , the car itself is a delight to drive and vert comfortable ,happy days