From Fiat Professional comes a revival of the legendary “Ape,” produced by Piaggio for 76 years. This new proposal is called “Tris”, it’s fully electric, and its powertrain borrows components already used in the Fiat Topolino and Citroën Ami
At the end of 2024, Piaggio announced the end of production for the Ape—a vehicle that, since 1948, had played a significant role in Italy’s economic and social development. In a world that moves faster by the day and imposes increasingly strict emission standards, the charming, smoky, and rickety three-wheeler from Tuscany could no longer keep up, having been outperformed by the more modern Porter series of commercial vehicles, also made by Piaggio. As a result, production in Italy was halted, remaining active only in India, where regulations are more lenient.
In response, Piaggio supplemented the traditional internal combustion versions of the Ape with fully electric models: the “e-xtra”, with a cargo bed, and the “e-city”, for passenger transport. Both are powered by a liquid-cooled electric motor with 18 kW (about 25 hp), supplied by lithium-ion batteries with a capacity just under 7 kWh—good for a range of around 60 kilometers. Once depleted, the batteries can be quickly swapped with charged ones using a battery swap system, allowing near-continuous operation with declared energy costs of just five euro cents per kilometer. These ultra-economical vehicles are ideal for developing regions—the same market Fiat Professional is targeting with its own project, “Tris”.
Tris is a lightweight three-wheeler—the first ever to bear the Fiat badge—that shares the powertrain used by Stellantis in the Topolino and Ami quadricycles. It features a 48-volt permanent magnet electric motor delivering 9 kW, powered by a LiFePO4 lithium battery with a capacity of nearly 7 kWh. This setup offers a theoretical WMTC range of 90 km, and a top speed limited to 45 km/h. The battery is rechargeable from a standard power outlet in about 4 hours and 40 minutes, though unlike the Ape, it is not designed for quick swapping.
Available in versions with an open cargo bed for general transport or a closed, flatbed version for specific applications, the Tris closely resembles the Ape—perhaps too closely—with a simple, highly practical design built on a galvanized frame engineered for durability and tough conditions. It offers a payload capacity of nearly 550 kg and boasts extreme maneuverability, with a turning radius of just 3 meters, allowing the vehicle to practically pivot in place.
Measuring 317 cm in length and offering a cargo area of over 2 square meters, the new electric trike is already engineered with potential European homologation in mind. It’s ideally suited to last-mile delivery tasks—those small-scale, door-to-door freight needs that are often handled today by larger, overqualified commercial vehicles.
Title: Tris by Fiat Professional: sometimes They Come Back
Translation with ChatGPT
