If it is really true that it’s better to give than to receive, Kia is on the right track. The Korean company has announced a trio of “smart technologies” for some of its electric vehicles, starting with the new EV9. One of the systems is dubbed the V2G for “vehicle-to-grid.”
This rather blue-sky technology, the company says, “can store energy gained from renewable sources and feed it back into the power grid at times when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing. On a broader level, thousands of electric vehicles connected to the grid could act as a virtual power plant, potentially providing enough energy to power towns and cities for temporary periods.”
Other advanced connectivity solutions particular to Kia, announced in Europe, are called Smart Charging and Kia Charge, aimed at “delivering the next generation of sustainable mobility solutions involves the seamless and holistic interaction of electrification, connectivity and new services,” said Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President of Marketing and Product at Kia Europe.
The EV9 will be able to use an app to tap into to “Kia Connect Store,” which can stream data from the vehicle to access software upgrades for the so-called “Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (CCNC).” That has dual-band GPS for improved location accuracy. “Over-the-air updates enable the system to undergo constant improvement, with the latest maps, interfaces and software enhancements,” a. statement says. It will also feature an “EV Route Planner” that suggests the best charging points based on a vehicle battery level en route to a destination.
Kia Charge app enables customers to utilize a charging network from a single point of access. The network in Europe includes more than half a million charging points in 28 countries, the company reports. For public fast-chargers, Kia is expanding regional joint ventures to establish 30,000 new chargers by 2030. The company is also setting up co-branded fast chargers at dealerships for a “more personalised and comfortable” charging, whatever that means.
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