Miguel Sánchez
SEAT 600 AND e600 PHOTOS: SEAT / MOVELCO
Converting a SEAT 600 to electric it is not something new. From America to Italy passing through Spain there are several examples in this regard. In fact, just this 2019 Madrid students of industrial technology have begun another conversion. A project that has the collaboration of Marcelo luna, the Argentine who has just electrified a FIAT 600.
However, the e600 is the first marketable electric 600. Since after three years of work the companies Little cars y movelco have achieved the homologation of the model. In addition, they already accept orders, launching the first series of units for this April.
The prototype will be presented in the middle of next March within the Motortec fair at IFEMA in Madrid. Something that is not going unnoticed, fueling the debate about the conversion of classics among the national fans. And it is that, when we saw that of the electrification of the E-Type by Jaguar Classic... We did not suspect that soon it would be the turn of the quintessential Spanish classic.
e600: DESIGNED IN VIGO AND WITH NEXT COMMERCIALIZATION
The electrical experience of the two partner companies from Vigo for the e600 is not small. movelco It has a wide range of electric mobility solutions, including the necessary chargers. Meanwhile Little cars offers a range with 6 self-made models oriented to the needs of industries and municipalities.
On this basis, the jump to passenger cars had to come at one point or another. The surprise has been to choose a classic like the 600. Of course, Striking a chord with motoring enthusiasts has been an immediate publicity hit. In this way, they have jumped to the rotaries of numerous media since, on February 28, they published their press release.
What remains to be seen is whether the e600 will also achieve commercial success. For the moment they have planned a first series of 25 units. A conversion proposal that Movelco and Little Cars do not apply only to the e600, since They offer an electrification program for any classic.
KILOWATOS PER HORSES. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE E600
Accustomed to reviewing displacement and horsepower, it is an impact to speak of kilowatts, but the future looms and it seems that it is necessary to document about it. Far from mounting the typical four-cylinder in-line SEAT 600, the e600 has some 13'3 Kw batteries and with a nominal power of 15 Kw and a peak of 30. With this impulse it is capable of launching at a speed capped at 100 km / h. Its autonomy reaches 150 kms, being able to recharge to 80% in about two hours.
It has two driving modes, and the weight on the scale is set at 700. About 100 more than the original. What's more has regenerative brakesTherefore, each time you press the brake pedal, you accumulate part of the kinetic energy of the vehicle in addition to stopping it. Everything is to power the batteries.
Assuming that the heart of a car is its engine… Converting a combustion classic to electric raises a lot of debate. In short, the controversy is served. Anyway, the prototype with which the e600 homologation has been achieved part of a 1971 unit saved from scrapping almost certainly. Discussions aside there is one thing that is clear: the e600 is a sincere tribute to the car that has most marked the history of our country.
