Kia Motors is developing a reputation for forward thinking
in the green vehicle market. At February’s Chicago Auto Show, Kia presented the
plug-in hybrid Ray to much acclaim. The Geneva Motor Show offered Kia another
opportunity to highlight its prescience in this growing market niche. Kia’s big
splash at Geneva was an all-electric version of the Venga with smaller waves
coming from an upgraded version of the cee’d hatchback. The Kia Venga EV and to a lesser extent the
cee’d should act as warning shots to larger competitors to pick up the pace in
terms of green vehicle development.
The Kia Venga EV is a front-wheel concept featuring an 80kW
electric motor and two 24kWh lithium-polymer batteries. The electric motor and
other drive components are located under the hood while the battery packs are
placed under the rear seats. Kia claims that the Venga EV is capable of a range
up to 112 miles per charge with a maximum speed of 87 miles per hour. The Venga
EV is capable of reaching 60 miles per hour from a dead stop in 11.8 seconds. The
Kia electric drive system can be recharged up to 80% of capacity within 20
minutes and requires eight hours for full recharges using household outlets.
Kia’s latest version of the cee’d reduces emissions by up to
11% compared to the previous model year. This hatchback is powered by a
1.6-liter diesel engine, a six-speed manual transmission and a lithium-ion
battery. Kia added a stop-start system to the cee’d to reduce fuel consumption,
decrease carbon emissions and collect energy for battery recharging. The Eco
Driving Guide assesses engine power and desired speed before advising upward
and downward shifting. Though this cee’d version is not slated for production,
the stop-start system and Eco Driving Guide figures to be prominent in future
Kia models.
The latest flurry of Kia innovations show that the automaker
is catching up to major competitors in the race to green vehicle supremacy.
From the plug-in Ray to the Venga EV, Kia is building buzz among industry
experts and consumers alike for its advanced technologies. We still need to see
how Kia translates motor show buzz into real world success. The confluence of
sleek designs, efficient drive systems and Kia’s reputation for affordability
could mean a bigger chunk of the green vehicle market in the next decade.
