Kia keen on ‘green car’ push
Kia Motors announced plans for the development of a greatly increased range of environment friendly vehicles. The brand’s ‘green car roadmap’ sets out Kia’s ambition to become a leader in the low emissions car market by 2020.
It is anticipated that the five-year development plan will see Kia further increase its investment in research and developmentinto fuel-efficient technologies and new products, with a range of all-new models and highly advanced powertrains for global markets.
The new investment by Hyundai Motor Group, Kia’s parent company, totals 11.3 trillion won ($10.2 billion) for the development of a range of new eco-friendly models and building the facilities required for the brand’s efforts to further reduce its carbon dioxide output. The investment is likely to result in the creation of thousands of new jobs in domestic R&D positions.
By 2020, Kia’s current green car lineup is expected to grow from four current models to 11. This expanded range of environmentally-friendly vehicles will encompass a wide range of advanced powertrains, from hybrids and plug-in hybrids to battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.
The first models to be launched featuring new types of powertrains under the brand’s 2020 vision for low emissions cars will be the Kia Optima PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), which will feature a high capacity lithium-polymer battery pack and electric motor, as well as an efficient six-speed automatic transmission, and the Niro hybrid utility vehicle (HUV), which will target carbon dioxide emissions of 90 g/km (combined, based on the New European Driving Cycle).
As part of this five-year plan, Kia is targeting a 2020 launch for mass production of an all-new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, featuring next-generation hydrogen fuel stack technology. Kia is working alongside 300 partner companies to develop the next-generation FCEV technology for global markets. Production of the new Kia FCEV is aimed to be around 1,000 units per year, a figure expected to rise as demand for fuel cell vehicles increases.
Kia’s FCEV will feature a fuel stack similar in size to a 2.0-liter internal combustion engine, which development teams believe will offer drivers a high level of durability and power density from the advanced powertrain. Kia engineers are planning to develop the brand’s next-generation fuel cell stack to be 5% more efficient and offer 10% greater stack performance, despite being around 15% lighter and 15% lower in volume, compared to current generation fuel cell stacks.