Kia will head to the Consumer Electronics Show in full force with a new all-electric concept car. The new concept is called the Niro EV, and it’s actually a model that we’ve seen recently in the wild getting some test runs under its belt. The Niro EV is unlikely to hit production anytime soon, but it does feature a slate of new technologies that Kia hopes will be introduced on production models in the coming years.
Parse through Kia’s plans for the Niro EV, and it’s clear that the concept has a bigger purpose than just being a show car. It has, in Kia’s words, a “never-before-seen” human-machine interface and a “motion graphic” lighting system, two technologies that could find their way in future production models, provided that there’s some interest behind them.
Beyond the allure of these new tech features, the Niro EV is an electric car at heart. It’s also the third model variant to carry the “Niro” nameplate, following the mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants that are already out on the market. Details about the EV version will be released at CES, though it’s likely that the concept will carry a similar electric powertrain package that’s similar to the one found inside the Hyundai Ioniq EV.
Should that be the case, we can expect the Niro EV to come with a single electric motor that produces 118 horsepower and 217 pound-feet of torque. A single-speed reducer transmission is in charge of sending power to the two front wheels while a 28-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery is responsible for delivering an estimated range of 155 miles. Since we’re talking about just a single electric motor, charging it up to 80-percent capacity will only take around 24 minutes using a 100-kW fast charger.
The arrival of the Kia Niro EV isn’t surprising since the Korean automaker has been pushing to build its lineup to include more hybrids and EV models. It already has the Soul EV in the market, and given the popularity of the Niro’s two hybrid variants, it makes sense for Kia to add an all-electric version into the mix.
References
Kia Niro
Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Kia Niro EV.
Read our full review on the 2017 Kia Niro.
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