Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Kia Motors introduces two electric vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Only one might make it to North America but not the other one. But, with Kia entering the electric vehicle fray.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/kia-chooses-las-vegas-not-detroit-for-e-v-debuts/
January 12, 2012, 6:00 am
Kia Chooses Las Vegas, Not Detroit, for E.V. Debuts
By JERRY GARRETT
...
Both vehicles — a purely electric version of the Ray subcompact already on sale in Korea, and the Naimo E.V. concept — are powered by lithium-ion polymer battery packs and an electric motor. The Naimo’s set-up produces 107 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, and is capable of pushing the vehicle to a top speed of 93 miles per hour and providing up to 124 miles of range on a charge, according to Kia.
Introduced in December, the Ray was the first mass-produced E.V. on the Korean market. It is assembled on the same production lines as its gasoline-engine counterpart, and was designed and built with the Korean market in mind.
The Ray E.V., which is slightly less powerful than the Naimo concept, would go up to 86 miles on a single charge, Kia said, and is powered by a 50-kilowatt electric motor (roughly 67 horsepower) and 16.4 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion polymer battery pack. Its top speed is 81 m.p.h.
“There are no plans at the moment to import the Ray E.V. into North America,” said James Hope, a Kia spokesman. “But the industry is changing rapidly, so anything is possible.”
January 12, 2012, 6:00 am
Kia Chooses Las Vegas, Not Detroit, for E.V. Debuts
By JERRY GARRETT
...
Both vehicles — a purely electric version of the Ray subcompact already on sale in Korea, and the Naimo E.V. concept — are powered by lithium-ion polymer battery packs and an electric motor. The Naimo’s set-up produces 107 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, and is capable of pushing the vehicle to a top speed of 93 miles per hour and providing up to 124 miles of range on a charge, according to Kia.
Introduced in December, the Ray was the first mass-produced E.V. on the Korean market. It is assembled on the same production lines as its gasoline-engine counterpart, and was designed and built with the Korean market in mind.
The Ray E.V., which is slightly less powerful than the Naimo concept, would go up to 86 miles on a single charge, Kia said, and is powered by a 50-kilowatt electric motor (roughly 67 horsepower) and 16.4 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion polymer battery pack. Its top speed is 81 m.p.h.
“There are no plans at the moment to import the Ray E.V. into North America,” said James Hope, a Kia spokesman. “But the industry is changing rapidly, so anything is possible.”
Might this be the beginning of the "affordable" electric vehicle???
(I put that in quotes because when you add up the savings in fuel and maintenance costs EVs are already more affordable that gasoline cars.)