The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the stylish Fiat 500e's highway-cycle performance at 108 MPGe, which is unsurpassed by any electric vehicle (EV) on the U.S. market. MPGe is the EPA-devised measure for determining how many miles an EV can travel on a quantity of battery-generated electricity that has same energy content as a gallon of gasoline.

EPA testing also has indicated that, when fully charged, the Fiat 500e will travel about 87 miles, which is best-in-class and better than all U.S.-market EVs produced by high-volume manufacturers.

In addition, the EPA estimates the annual cost to power the Fiat 500e is, coincidentally, $500.

The estimate is calculated by factoring electricity price projections into 15,000 miles of travel at a vehicle's combined city/highway performance rating. The Fiat 500e has a 116-MPGe city/highway rating; its city-cycle rating is 122 MPGe.

"The FIAT brand is about unique Italian style, fuel efficiency and great value. Now we have taken a page from our own playbook to change the expectations of what an electric vehicle can be," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of FIAT Brand North America.

"Our environmentally sexy Fiat 500e offers a design proposition like no other, while delivering unsurpassed MPGe and class-leading range making our 500e a serious contender in the market."

EPA testing estimates the car's energy-consumption rate at just 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles. Further, the Fiat 500e scores a perfect "10" on two EPA scales that reward vehicles for low tailpipe emissions.

The battery-electric Fiat 500e is, of course, a zero-emissions vehicle.

The 2013 500e builds on the Fiat brand's successful small-car formula, while adding an all-new, battery-electric powertrain that produces 111 horsepower (83 kW). It recharges in less than 4 hours with its Level 2 (240 volt) on-board charging module (OBCM).

Supplementing its distinctive styling cues are eight efficiency-inspired exterior enhancements that contribute to a 13 percent improvement in aerodynamics, compared with the already fashionable Fiat 500 Lounge.

The Fiat 500e arrives at FIAT Studios in California in second-quarter 2013.