Fiat will integrate charging cables into the bodywork of its next generation EVs, beginning with the new Grande Panda next year.
In that car, it will be stored behind a panel on the EV’s front fascia, featuring a sprung cable in what Fiat describes as its novel way of “reinventing” charging.
Integrating retractable cables into a car’s bodywork could play an important role in boosting the perceived user-friendliness of EVs, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Fiat parent Stellantis, said: “We are coming up with a solution not to put the charging cable in the mud.
“You have these fantastic cars – full of technology, great materials, nice trims – and the first thing you do is you put the cable on the ground, and it’s dirty and you throw it back in your trunk. That’s not very high technology. If you look at vacuum cleaners, they found a better solution.”
In the Grande Panda, due to hit UK roads early next year, the integrated AC cable can charge at speeds of up to 7.4kW, meaning it can add some 120 miles to the Panda’s 44kWh battery in 4 hours and 10 mins.
It is understood that the front-mounted charging cable will not be capable of rapid-charging because of the cooling requirement this would incur. A separate DC charging port is positioned on the side of the car for faster charging speeds of up to 100kW.
When it hits UK roads next year, the Smart Car platform-based Panda will be one of the cheapest electric cars on the market with pricing said to start at “less than £22,000”.
