Italian car manufacturer Fiat has used the opportunity of World Environment Day to announce that from 2030 their entire line-up will consist of electric cars only.
During a wide-ranging conversation between Fiat CEO, Olivier Francois and urban architect Stefano Boeri, the pair discussed how to create cities of the future against the backdrop of Milan’s famous Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest). Clearly the future of urban mobility is heavily connected with electrification of global vehicle fleets, and Francois admitted that the company had made plans to go all-electric even before the UK government imposed a 2030 ban, and even before covid changed the world.
“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’,” the Fiat CEO said.
“In fact, lockdown was only the latest of the warnings we have received. At that time, we witnessed situations that would have been unimaginable until then, for example wild animals roaming the cities, proving nature was taking back what was rightfully hers.
“Plus, as if it had still been necessary, we were reminded of the urgency of taking action, of doing something for the planet Earth. 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.”
Fiat’s commitment to green-thinking has also brought about a change at the company’s former factory in Turin, where previously there was a test track on the roof, now there will be hanging gardens, with more than 28,000 plants.