The Wall St Journal reports that Kia Motors Corp. has rolled out its Ray EV, an electric city car with a range of up to 86 miles and what the company describes as “lively performance.” Acceleration for zero to 62 mph takes just under 16 seconds.
While Kia says the car is for sale in Korea only, it may provide a strong hint of what many cars around the world may look like in the near future. Its size, power system and other design features reflect a direction many car makers, including U.S. manufacturers, are exploring as they try to lower overall fuel consumption and emissions of their fleets.
A 50-kilowatt electric motor and a 16.4 kilowatt-hour lithium ion polymer battery pack power the front-wheel-drive Ray EV, which is based on the Ray CUV, a conventionally powered car that went on sale in Korea last month. The new car is a small breakthrough for the company in part because it can share an assembly line with traditional gasoline vehicles.
The Ray EV also has a navigation system specially designed for electric vehicles, with a 7-inch screen that and provides information that is important to EV drivers, like the location of the nearest charging stations. The display also shows a circular area representing the vehicle’s range, so drivers can see which destinations they can reach without recharging the battery.
Kia said there are 500 slow- and fast-charging stations in Korea, with plans to have 3,100 operating by the end of 2012. Kia plans to build 2,500 Ray EVs through the end of 2012, which will be used by government and public agencies as part of a long-term research and development program for environmentally friendly transport.
