KIA revealed its first pure Electric Vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show: the KIA Soul EV with a 124 Mile range and a charge time as little as 25 minutes.
Embodying the iconic design of the recently-launched second-generation KIA Soul, the Soul EV will become the brand’s first globally-sold electric vehicle when production starts in the second half of 2014.
KIA chose the Geneva Motor Show to reveal all-new ‘mild hybrid’ powertrain using an electric supercharger to simultaneously reduce emissions and improve engine performance in KIA’s next-generation models.
Developed by Kia’s European R&D centre in Russelsheim, Germany, the new hybrid system uses a 48 volt lead-carbon battery that powers a small electric motor to increase the engine’s power output and cut exhaust emissions. Lead-carbon batteries were chosen in preference to lithium-ion equivalents as they require no active cooling, are more easily recyclable at the end of the vehicle’s life and can function much more efficiently in sub-zero temperatures.
Peugeot will officially unveil the new 308 SW at the Geneva Motor Show which takes place in early March.
