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The unique
dual-fuel Panda MultiEco showcar is attracting much
attention on the Fiat stand in Geneva this week, as it is a
low-emission and cost-effective city transportation that
fuses Fiat's environmental consciousness with attractive,
dynamic styling. The Panda MultiEco is the latest graphic
demonstration of Fiat's on-going efforts to bring genuine
alternative fuelled cars to the market. Into the equation
has now come Fiat Centro Stile, who have ably created a
concept that for the first time fuses exciting, youthful
styling with low-emission cars. Thus not only will the Panda
MultiEco be very practical for the consumer to use, but
importantly also it is set to become a fashionable product,
which will build its own niche in the burgeoning Panda's
family of values.
During the Fiat
press conference in Geneva Brand & Commercial CEO Luca De
Meo, emphasised the Panda MultiEco, and the significant role
it is set to play: "We are preparing for the long-term as
the Panda Hydrogen which we have just presented at the
Olympic Games in Torino demonstrates," said De Meo. "We
believe that in the short term today in the cities it is
technically reliable, it is inexpensive for the consumer, it
is just an easy, cheap, intelligent solution typical of
Fiat. We are the leader in CNG in Europe, we sell more than
24,000 cars a year and we are ready to follow the
development of distribution networks in countries like
Germany and France." He added that Fiat expects to sell more
than 30,000 CNG powered cars this year, and pointing to the
Panda MultiEco concept car on the stand De Meo said it will turn
in a 'remarkable environmental performance' while confirming
that it is set to go into full production 'at the end of
2006'.
Fiat Panda MultiEco
Fiat sees
this unit as the future of cars with a low environmental
impact: the concept car represents the most advanced
frontier achievable in terms of emissions and
consumption, synergically combining technologies
that already exist or are ready for industrialisation. The show-car
combines an innovative ‘powertrain’ architecture – an
engine with dual petrol/methane fuel supply, MTA
transmission and BAS device – with the use of
eco-compatible materials (recycled, recyclable or of
natural origin) for the exterior and interior. The
result is made even more interesting by the painstaking
optimisation of the aerodynamics and a significant
weight reduction.
In detail: the Panda MultiEco is equipped with a
dual-fuel (methane and petrol) FIRE engine – future
developments will also make it possible to use a
methane/hydrogen mix – combined with a BAS (Belt-driven
Alternator-Starter) device and a Dualogic robotised
gearbox. The first device, which is at once an
electric generator and starter motor, makes for easier
starting and more efficient electricity generation. The
innovative MTA (Manual Transmission Automated) gearbox
on the other hand makes for optimal management of gear
changes and outstanding mechanical efficiency.
The automated transmission paves the way for
‘intelligent’ management of the on/off state of the
engine. By controlling the clutch, the system disengages
the internal combustion engine from the transmission
whenever drive is not required and the engine can be
turned off.
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The Panda MultiEco is equipped with a
dual-fuel (methane and petrol) FIRE engine – future
developments will also make it possible to use a
methane/hydrogen mix – combined with a BAS (Belt-driven
Alternator-Starter) device and a Dualogic robotised
gearbox. |
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The Panda MultiEco showcar is attracting much
attention on the Fiat stand in Geneva, as it is a
low-emission and cost-effective city transportation
that fuses Fiat's environmental consciousness with
attractive, dynamic styling. |
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It is restarted, immediately and silently,
by a reversible electric motor, known as BAS
(Belt-driven Alternator-Starter) which replaces the
alternator on the belt circuit and performs the dual
role of starter motor and electric generator.
What is more, in addition to its exclusive built-in
propulsion system, the Panda
MultiEco incorporates interesting improvements in
the fields of aerodynamics (Cd of 0.295) and weight
reduction. Suffice it to say that the show-car weighs 92
kg less than the methane version that will soon go into
production, thanks to the use of a number of components
(engine bonnet and tailgate) made with thermoplastic
materials, the adoption of ‘stripped’ seats which are
pre-assembled in pairs on carriers, and of cylinders to
store the methane made of high-yield steel and carbon
fibre. The Panda MultiEco is fitted with Pirelli tyres that are state of
the art; they have an innovative pattern and
constant-wear tread, and a mix that has low hysteresis
but guarantees the same elasticity and grip on both wet
and dry surfaces.
The
innovative lay-out of the methane cylinder storage
system is unique for a city car, thanks to the Panda’s
modular floorpan (the CNG cylinders are positioned under
the floorpan, one longitudinally in the central tunnel,
and the other, with a capacity of 50 litres,
transversally under the rear floor), guaranteeing a
methane range of over 350 km without detracting from the
roominess of the car or the luggage compartment in any
way.
The
combination of these solutions, which were developed
within the Fiat Group (Fiat Auto, Fiat Powertrain
Technologies and Centro Ricerche Fiat), together with
the use of proprietary control strategies, means that
the new show-car guarantees a drastic reduction in
emissions. C02
emissions in particular are 42% lower than those of the
petrol version in the urban cycle and 32% lower in the
NEDC cycle, reaching a value of 90 g/km in this case. In
terms of emissions, this result is added to the benefits
of methane propulsion, which is the only solution
realistically possible today that could help to
significantly raise the quality of exhaust emissions,
particularly those of substances responsible for
photochemical smog, with a considerable impact on human
health. The other advantages for customers are lower
consumption and the lower cost of methane, which
therefore means a substantial reduction in the relative
cost per kilometre (-63%).
To sum up,
the Panda MultiEco is further proof of Fiat’s commitment
to the protection of the environment, not only to meet
even more stringent European limits in future but also
to achieve a significant reduction in consumption
without penalising the performance or functionality of
the car. In the short-term, this commitment will take
the form of the launch of the Panda Natural Power, the
new methane and petrol dual-fuel version, later in the
year.
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