Many carmakers have promised to electrify their entire vehicle lineups. But if there are brands that seem dead serious about their promise, it has to be the ones in the Hyundai Group. Kia has just held its “EV Day” in its home market of South Korea.
At the event, the company presented its vision for the future: “EVs for all.” Kia wants to design, develop, and manufacture new electrified vehicles for people of different needs. Here, the brand has just launched a new EV and two more concepts. This is in line with its promise to continue expanding its electrified lineup “significantly and rapidly.”
First, Kia has previewed the Concept EV3. This electrified small crossover fuses practicality and driving fun. It will mostly follow the design ethos of its larger EV9 sibling, albeit quirkier.
For example, the roofline slopes ever so slightly. The fender’s edgy arches have asymmetrical cuts. Finally, the back features disconnected C-pillars, giving the illusion of a wraparound rear windscreen.
The seats, the tiller, the dash, and the trims on the Concept EV3 look futuristic. But we expect things to be different should a production model be made. After all, this is still a concept.
The other model previewed is the Concept EV4. The car looks like a sedan, but Kia would rather call it a “new type of EV sedan,” which doesn’t seem to make sense. Like a car from the future thanks to the exterior and interior styling, this is different from what we’re used to seeing.
The last and probably most important bit is the full launch of the EV5. Kia teased the production model in China, but now, the Korean carmaker is finally revealing the electric SUV’s technical specifications.
Based on the brand’s E-GMP platform, the exterior and the interior also look very similar to the EV9, only smaller. There are two 12.3-inch displays for the instrument cluster and the infotainment system. The latter has simple-to-navigate menus for ease of use, and allows you to tinker with EV-specific functions.
For example, Kia has limited the number of physical buttons (for better or worse) to just four—to functions that would otherwise need 17 hard buttons or switches. Some markets will get front bench seats. These, including the ones at the rear, will get heating and cooling, massaging functions, and better lumbar support.
The rear seats can turn into a full-flat bed. You can enjoy drinks or meals from the available refrigerator/warmer. Al fresco meals while camping are possible as the rear luggage board transforms into a table. Plus, the EV5 also offers Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) functionalities so you can power your accessories or provide power during emergencies. To stay true to its eco-friendly ways, the EV5 will only use recycled PET fabrics and Bio-PU leather materials in the interior.
The vehicle also comes loaded with various safety features like the newest seatbelt technology. The body has improved rigidity and strength. And there come the latest advanced driving-assistance systems and active safety features like the Highway Driving Assist 2 suite of functionalities.
There will be three variants of the EV5 available: standard, long-range, and long-range AWD. The standard model has a 58kWh battery, while the long-range version will have an 81kWh battery pack.
Both versions will have a 160kWh (215hp) front motor. An all-wheel-drive model is available based on the long-range variant where Kia throws in an additional 70kW (94hp) motor on the rear axle. This bumps the power output up to 225kW (302hp).
All of the variants will be available in its home market, Korea, but may vary in other territories. The new EV will be sold in China later this year, and later on in other select markets.
But the event is more than just launching or previewing EVs. Here, Kia also announced that it plans to help in building charging stations all across the globe. Since Kia EVs generally use the North American Charging Standard (NACS), its vehicles can be charged using Tesla’s 12,000-strong supercharger network. But it will also build 30,000 more fast-charging stations in North America through the help of six OEM groups.
The Korean company is also working with four OEM groups, forming Ionity. This venture will install 2,800 charging stations along key highways in Europe. But the bigger goal is to have 7,000 operational charging stations in 2025.
This will not be the first Kia EV Day. The firm plans to continue holding one annually to promote the brand, update us about changes in its EV strategy, and share its vision about the future of mobility. Kia has launched three EV models in just a couple of years. And if only for that, we cannot doubt its resolve to push for electrified mobility and make sure it becomes a reality soon.
We just hope that Kia keeps small markets like ours in mind as it moves toward its fully electrified future.
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