Italian automakers are doing their best to bust out of the boring just another SUV EV mold.

This week on EV Rider we’re taking a video look at the Italian EVs that were on display at the 2025 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Could The Fiat Topolino Be Coming To A Beach Town Near You?

Let’s start with the most unconventional car and that’s the Fiat Topolino. Here in the states it’s best described as a LSV – or low speed vehicle.

The best direct comparison is golf carts, which have gotten quite popular in beach towns and master planned communities as a second or third vehicle.

A spokeswoman told me Fiat is seriously considering importing the Topolino in the U.S.

It’s hard to know what it would cost, especially with the trade war instigated by the Trump administration, but she told me the target is $10,000, while in Europe it’s expected to be available at a price equivalent to under $12,000.

Given new golf carts can easily top $14,000 if Fiat could import it for $12,000 or less, it could be an attractive new option, although with the trade war, who knows.

The Topolino goes approximately 46 miles on a charge, which given it’s meant to be only a neighborhood runabout is perfectly fine.

It has a top speed of about 28 miles per hour, which also works here in the U.S. where the speed limit for golf carts and other LSVs is 25 miles per hour.

Perhaps the Topolino’s most delightful aspect is its style, which harkens back to the old Fiat 500 Jollys. They were beach-buggy styled cars designed by Ghia that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s at some seaside resorts. You’ll find a few video clips of those in the video at the top of this post.

Fiat Finally Sells Second Generation 500e In U.S.

Next, is Fiat’s latest U.S. entry, the 500e; which recently returned to the states as one of the most affordable EVs currently on sale. It was originally introduced in Europe in 2020 as the model line’s second generation EV.

Now that MINI has stopped importing the Cooper SE EV to the U.S., Fiat has the subcompact EV car market to itself for the moment.

At the time of this posting, Fiat was offering a lease deal on the 500e for as little as $156 a month for 2-years with $2,000 due at signing. MSRP starts at $32,500

That gets you a nice urban car with Apple Car Play, Android Auto, classic 500 styling and handling. It’s achilles heel is range, which is rated at 149 miles per charge from its 42 kWh battery. It has a peak DC charging speed of 85 kW, which adds 31 miles in 5 minutes. It takes 35 minutes to reach 80% of charge.

Next up is Masarati’s 2025 GranTurismo Folgore coupe and convertible. The coupe starts at $192,000 while the cabrio is based priced at $205,000.

Since I didn’t get a chance to spend any time with the Masaratis, we’ll leave the details for another episode at some point down the road, but they are certainly stylish rides. For more on the Fiats, see the video at the top of this post and visit the the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance section page for more coverage from The Amelia.

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This week on EV Rider we’re bringing you an in-depth video discussion with Eli Electric Vehicles Head of Operations James Seargent II. 

If you’re not familiar with Eli, I’d invite you watch EV Rider’s earlier video looking at its first U.S. model, the Zero EV microcar, which has a $11,990 base price. Eli is positioned to launch a new category in the U.S. EV space as the first EV-powered microcar with air conditioning, safety features and more before the close of 2024. 

I caught up with James shortly after the new Biden tariffs on Chinese EVs were announced. Although Eli is headquartered in Long Beach, CA, the EVs are assembled in China. 

Like golfcarts, the Eli speed-limited to 25 mph due to U.S. regulations. But unlike golf carts, the Eli Zero is designed like a real car complete with an available sunroof, air conditioning, heating, power steering and ABS brakes. It even has available Android Auto and Apple Car play.

I hope you’ll enjoy the video discussion about how Eli plans to sell and service its micro EVs here in the U.S.

Earlier Video: A Look At The Eli Zero

Specifications

The post $11,990 Eli Micro EV On Track For 2024 US Launch appeared first on EV Rider.

A $11,990 EV microcar is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. later this year and it just might make sense. 

Eli Electric Vehicles has announced it is now taking orders in the U.S. for its electric microcar, which is basically the fanciest golfcart you’ve ever laid eyes on. 

Called the Zero, like golfcarts, it’s speed-limited to 25 mph due to U.S. regulations. But unlike golf carts, the Eli Zero is designed like a real car complete with an available sunroof, air conditioning, heating, power steering and ABS brakes. It even has available  Android Auto and Apple Car play. 

While a car that makes a Mini Cooper look big might sound silly, there’s actually a pretty good use case for it here in Florida and a number of other states in the U.S. 

Florida is filled with master planned communities with roadways designed specifically for low-speed vehicles. The idea is things like the Eli, golf carts and e-bikes can be good secondary transportation vehicles to run around town to the grocery store or dinner. 

For example, in the suburban Jacksonville, FL master-planned community of Nocatee, the streets are filled with golf carts thanks to special lanes for micro-vehicles, allowing residents to use them for everything from shopping and dining to recreation and other amenities located within the community.

Nocatee is also becoming a work hub, meaning for some, Eli’s microcar would make a great commuter vehicle. 

The same holds true at many of Florida’s beach towns, where it’s common to see golf carts running around New Smyrna Beach’s mainland and barrier island, to cite just one more example. 

But unlike those golf carts, Zero drivers won’t be sweating in the summer thanks to its air conditioning.

The Zero can either be plugged in at home or be charged at Level 2 stations. It’s got a rated range of 90 miles per charge. 

In the U.S. roughly 75% of journeys are under 10 miles, according to Micromobility Industries.

“The U.S. is the largest micro-EV market, with an addressable market of over $120 billion, representing a significant opportunity for Eli to lead in this segment,” said Marcus Li, CEO and founder of Eli Electric Vehicles in a news release. “Our goal is to transform urban trips, empowering riders to reconnect with their communities through compact and agile EVs that allow for a better utilization of urban space.”

With a $200 fully refundable deposit, U.S. customers can reserve the Eli Zero with expected sales to begin in the third quarter of 2024 and deliveries to follow. Eli plans to sell through local distributors and dealer partners across the country, with a production capacity of over 4,000 vehicles per year.

Given new golf carts can easily top $14,000, the Eli Zero microcar certainly looks competitive. The Eli Zero has a starting price of $11,990. Eli Electric Vehicles is headquartered in California while the microcars are made in China.

Whether that pricing will hold is questionable. Just as this story was about to be published the Biden Adminstration announced a new 100% tariff on electric vehicles exported to the U.S. from China.

At the time of the story’s posting, Eli’s website was still advertising a starting price of $11,990 but based on the White House news release it seems likely Eli’s pricing model will be signficantly impacted, although specific details regarding any possible exceptions weren’t in the news release.

Eli says so far hundreds of its EVs have been sold in Europe and French Polynesia where the EV microcars are being used for personal transportation, eco-tourism and government fleets.

Specifications

Eli-ZERO | Eli-ZERO PLUS

• Included
• Option
• ×Not Available

*The vehicle’s range may be influenced by factors such as vehicle load, air conditioner usage, ambient temperature, terrain slope, driving habits, and more. The product may differ from the images shown on the website due to variations or upgrades. Some displayed features may be included in certain models exclusively, not available on others, or provided as optional on specific models only.

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