The Kia EV9 leads the way in the rush of electric cars

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(Elbil24): The Hyundai Group representing the Hyundai, Ioniq and Kia brands has been pushing hard on the accelerator in the development of electric vehicles. At the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show, a new Kia EV9 concept car is now being launched, a full-size SUV that will also come as a production model somewhat later.

The Kia EV9 is a seriously five-meter car, which is indicative of a massive car. It will therefore end up in the same class as the BMW iX, Tesla Model X, Hongqi E-HS9 and partly BYD Tang and Nio ES8.

And if the car is long, then the same can be said about the wheelbase, which is 3.1 meters.

This testifies to the fact that Kia prioritized good space, as one of its selling points, because the further apart the hubs are, the more mounting space inside. That being said, the Kia EV9 will of course be a completely battery electric car, at the same time we have to point out that the vehicle shown here are images of the concept version, where the flexibility is often extended a little longer.

secretive

As usual at such an early stage, there’s little Kia wants to share, other than showcasing the concept car. We cannot fully trust that this is the final design, neither externally nor internally. We can still interpret some of the cues, and Kia refers to the rear roof pillar, the D-pillar, as innovative, because it lets in light. Often this is an object that obstructs the rear view, but it is still a necessary evil for part of the construction.

Kia reports that it now lets in daylight, and you can see what’s coming out of it.

On the outside, Kia also used all sorts of new lighting technology, and for the photographer, it was fitted on four 22-inch wheels. This is gradually becoming popular, so do not lose sight of the fact that it may also become available when the car is launched on the market.

Third place, hardly without production cars

elegant – tidy

Inside, it’s very elegant, and we really hope Kia keeps that profile, also on the production model. The material appears to be typical recycled plastics, which resonate well when done properly. In the center of the dashboard, a 27-inch wide screen was placed. That’s pretty wide, but despite huge dimensions like 27 inches, it’s not that high, so the screen space isn’t as big as the number of inches suggests. Given the few physical buttons, it’s clear that Kia intends to add as many functions as possible to the electronics engineering, a race we’ve seen so far in full boom from Tesla, among other things.

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Both Kia and Hyundai are adept at finding practical solutions in their cars – and here, too.

The car must have three different modes, the “active mode” being applied while the car is in motion. Then you have normal benches and seating positions, while in ‘pause’ you have upside-down front seats. Since the car has three rows of seats, and therefore has a capacity of seven, the middle row of seats is placed on a table. Thus, both the third row and the front seats can be seated facing each other, with a seating table in the middle.

The third is “Enjoy Mode”, where the doors open, and the car can almost be used as a kind of pergola with a seating area underneath, where the car is the pergola, and the benches make up the seating area. It is said that imagination has no limits.

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Few details

Kia is strict about technology, but notes that the car should be able to charge 350 kW at most. No other car has yet promised such high power in a charge, although for a while it was said that the Porsche Taycan would be able to receive so much. It wasn’t said by Porsche itself, but some clever little heads added 1 and 1, and got three, when the Ionity came with 350 kW chargers at the same time as the 800-volt Taycan was launched.

Kia says they should be able to charge at this high power, and the only one that can at present – in a significant way – deliver that high charging power is specifically the Ionity, of which Kia is a part.

On the other hand, Kia doesn’t say anything about battery technology, capabilities, or anything else. The only thing they mention in this way is the range, which is estimated to be more than 300 miles. In kilometers corresponds to more than 48 miles. Let’s guess the dogs are 50 years old before they hit the market. when? No, Kia doesn’t say anything about that either.