KIA EV6 REVEALED
LATEST KOREAN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CLAIMS HIGH GROUND
New electric crossover shares a platform with Ioniq 5 and shows how serious the Koreans are about delivering benchmark EVs
The range-topping EV6 GT will be the fastest car Kia has produced
KIA’S FIRST batteryelectric vehicle, the EV6, boasts classleading features that could upset the traditional players in the EV market.
The sleek-looking crossover is based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP electric vehicle architecture, shared with Hyundai’s recently unveiled Ioniq 5, and sits on a long 2900mm wheelbase. It goes into production late this year.
Entry-level EV6 and mid-range EV6 GT-Line will be available with either a standard-range 58kWh battery pack or a long-range 77.4kWh pack, and can also be specified in either rearwheel drive or all-wheel drive.
The 2WD 58.0kWh model will produce 125kW/350Nm and the
AWD version 173kW/605Nm, while the 2WD variant of the longer-range 77.4kWh battery pack is rated at 168kW/350Nm and the AWD version 239kW/605Nm.
Models with the smaller battery pack and AWD will be capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 6.2sec, while those equipped with AWD using the larger battery pack will make the same sprint in 5.2sec.
Range will vary depending on the model, with the 2WD 77.4kWh EV6 capable of travelling the farthest – 510km on the WLTP combined cycle.
Kia claims the EV6 will feature “the world’s fastest charging time” of any electric vehicle on sale thanks to supporting both 400V and, crucially, 800V ‘ultra-fast’ charging. It says all models, regardless of which battery is optioned, will be capable of charging from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes when using the 800V ultra-fast charger. With the 77.4kWh battery pack and 2WD, owners will be able to add 100km of range to the EV in less than 4.5 minutes, about the same time it takes to refuel a conventional car.
The EV6’s charging system is also said to move the game forward, utilising an Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) capable of discharging the car batteries’ power to external devices through a vehicleto-load (V2L) function.
As long as the battery pack has more than 35 percent charge, the
EV6 is capable of towing up to 1600kg, which should prove popular in the Australian market.
Kia/Hyundai has no plans to create local charging infrastructure in
Australia but says it will continue to assess the issue into the future.
The range-topping EV6 keeps the ‘GT’ badging seen on other high-performance Kia products like the Stinger GT, and the company promises the EV will more than live up to the performance pedigree the designation already delivers.
The EV6 GT will be the fastest car Kia has produced.
With dual battery-powered motors driving the front and rear axles and a combined 430kW and 740Nm on tap, the EV6 GT will sprint from
0-100 in just 3.5sec. And, despite its two-tonne weight and family crossover credentials, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential promises to deliver a dynamic driving experience when the going gets twisty.