Bright spark from Ducato
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• Fiat has celebrated building its 500,000th Ducato by unveiling an electric-powered version, the Ducato Elettra. The Elettra is identical to the other electricpowered Bevels from Peugeot and Citroen (CM 3-9 Oct). Power to the 25kW (33hp) elec
tric motor comes from 28 batteries. Maximum torque of 230Nm (1691bft) and maximum power are produced at 1,700rpm. The high torque usually means that a conventional gearbox is not needed, but to keep costs down, the five-speed gearbox from the internal combustion models is retained.
A brief drive in an unladen Ducato Elettra showed its main advantages_ The impressive torque gives reasonably brisk acceleration while noise is much reduced. The limited top speed — Fiat claims 90km/h (55mph) — and a 70km (44-mile) range make it suitable for urban use only. Recharging takes eight hours.