The Kia Niro EV is raking in the kudos, receiving praise from across the press as well as new owners. But winning “Car of the Year” from Popular Mechanics magazine may be its biggest award yet.
CleanTechnica spent time behind the wheel of the Kia Niro EV for two days in Santa Cruz, California. I walked away feeling that, finally, we have no more excuses to not own an electric vehicle (EV).
The Kia Niro electric crossover is almost here. With an EPA range of 239 miles and a load of standard equipment, it should be well received when in goes on sale in North America early next year.
As the first affordable, fully electric compact utility vehicle (CUV) in the world, the Kia Niro EV is one of the most highly anticipated electric vehicle launches. Being the new guy on the block, every step is being watched and eagerly reported.
Kia says it Niro Electric SUV is rated 301 miles of range in the European WLTP testing protocol. Expect EPA range to be around 250 miles when it gets into showrooms in the US at the end of this year.
The most popular CleanTechnica stories of the past week centered around some of the most popular electric cars in the world — the Tesla Model 3, Kia Niro EV, and … Tesla Model 3. There were also some surprises — a solar tech advancement, an electric pickup truck concept, Elon smokin’ weed (or not), Formula E, and more. Check out the full list of the 20 most popular CleanTechnica stories of the past week:
With the recent rush by the prestigious European marques to try to grab all of the glittering limelight for their forthcoming SUV-style EVs, a similarly sized offering coming in at half the price is quietly proving its merits with superior efficiency and range. The Kia Niro EV’s early real-world tests show it will have range within 5% to 10% of it’s significantly smaller “efficiency-champ” sibling, the Hyundai Kona, and far better efficiency than any of the purportedly well-engineered European marques. Only the Tesla Model 3 has better efficiency than the Koreans, but that’s not an SUV or CUV.
The Kia Niro Electric has been officially introduced to the Korean market. It features more or less 200 miles of range and a lifetime battery warranty. Sales in Europe begin later this year and in North America next year.
After spending a week with the Kia Niro plug-in hybrid, I found the car was comfortable, capable, and convenient. I want one.
Kia has released final pricing details for its Niro PHEV, which comes in LX, EX, and EX Premium trim levels. The cars should begin arriving in dealer showrooms in January.
