Kia presents serial version of the Niro EV
At a South Korean fair, Kia has now presented the serial version of their fully electric Niro. The Kia Niro EV will be released in Korea in July, and will be introduced to the European market after the Paris Motor Show in October.
The electric car will complete the Niro model lineup, which until now consisted of a full hybrid and a plug-in hybrid version. The purely electric Niro will be offered with two battery variants of 39.2 kWh and 64 kWh, similar to the Hyundai Kona Electric, presented in February.
The batteries guarantee ranges of over 300 km with the smaller lithium-polymer battery, and over 450 km with the larger battery pack. The combined consumption was stated by Kia to be at 13.9 kWh with the smaller battery and 14.3 kWh per 100 km with the larger one. These values correspond to those reported for the Kona Electric as well.
The serial version of the vehicle was presented at the International Electric Vehicle Expo in Jeju. January also saw a presentation of the concept version of the Niro EV at the CES in Las Vegas. A notable exterior element is the interactive light display that is run with modern lighting technology. This EV is also charged in the front of the vehicle.
During the presentation Kia also announced that they already have around 5,000 reservations for the vehicle in Korea. The market start for the vehicle is part of an extensive electrification strategy for the company: by 2025, Kia wants to expand their electrified lineup to a total of 16 vehicles. Currently five hybrids and plug-in hybrids are planned, as well as five battery electric vehicles and one fuel cell electric vehicle.
The Hyundai-Kia alliance had also announced their increased production quotas for the electric Kona and Niro some months ago. As of now, the plan is to produce 18,600 Kona EVs per year and an annual 21,000 Niro EVs. Together with the Kia Soul EV, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric and the PHEV version, this would mean a yearly production of more than 100,000 electrified vehicles by the two companies.
Update 07.06.2018: At the Busan Motor Show, KIA has announced further details regarding the Niro EV and has also included the first image of the interior. The Niro EV will go on sale in Korea during the second half of 2018, and will be introduced to other markets – including Europe – in due course.
pulsenews.co.kr, paultan.org, insideevs.com, autocar.co.uk, kiapressoffice.com, carscoops.com
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