At the 25th Salão Internacional do Automóvel in São Paulo this week Fiat Automóveis is stressing its credentials in the area of alternative fuel vehicles, exemplified by the Palio Weekend Elétrico, an extension to an ambitious on-going project.

At the 25th Salão Internacional do Automóvel in São Paulo this week Fiat Automóveis is stressing its leading-edge credentials in the growing area of alternative fuel vehicles, its technology exemplified by the Palio Weekend Elétrico, and extension to an ambitious on-going development project that has seen a fleet of all-electric Palios being used over the last year.

On the Fiat Automóveis stand, in the "Technology for the Environment Service" space, the Siena Tetrafuel ― first car to use four different fuels in the world ― and the Electric Palio Weekend Elétrico, designed in partnership with the Itaipu Binacional Hydropower Plant, will be pointing the way towards an alternative power future.

The Palio Weekend Elétrico was born in a partnership between Fiat Automóveis, the hydroelectric Itaipu Binacional and the Swiss company KWO, besides other collaborators from technology companies and research institutions.  The deliberation to make it work only by electricity is a reflex of the moment where auto industry lives in quest for a definitive alternative for clean and low cost energy.

Palio Weekend Elétrico is completely powered by electric energy. It is equipped with an engine that generates a full power of 15 kw (20 hp) and maximum torque of 50 Nm (5.1 kgfm). Its energy comes from a nickel battery, located at the bottom of the trunk, and its range is 120 km. Externally Palio Weekend Elétrico is identical to the versions that run with gasoline and ethanol. However, the transformation is made inside, compared to internal combustion engine models. Instead of the traditional gearshift lever, there is a joystick-like artifact that can be placed in three positions – Drive, Neutral and Reverse.