The Kia EV6 built on the new E-GMP platform provides some advantages compared to the architectures used for combustion engines. The 100% electric SUV is the first model conceived as such since its inception, offering fast charges , access to a wide network of chargers , considerable autonomy and a leading space compared to some of its competitors. As we were able to verify during the test of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the distant cousin of the EV6 with which it shares many of the components, the habitability will be its great spearhead, as well as the connectivity, technology and the ride comfort of its propulsion zero emissions.
Design, like everything related to taste, is subjective. Both Korean firms (along with Hyundai) have opted for completely different images for their electrics, representing a new era with them. In the case of Kia, the EV6 bets on more curvilinear lines and a rear that will not go unnoticed . In terms of functionality, the long wheelbase (2.9 meters) provides 1,078 millimeters of legroom for the front passengers and 990 mm for the rear passengers. That supposes a level of comfort that few models with thermal propellants (gasoline or diesel) can offer us.
Another way of looking at electrification
During its presentation to the Spanish media, the Kia firm highlighted its innovative propulsion system. As a world first, the EV6 has a high-speed multi-charging device, making it compatible with 800V ultra-fast chargers and the fastest charging available today, which is 400V. All without additional adapters or cables.
By plugging this SUV into an 800V socket, the current goes directly to the battery without having to be transformed. This advance allows the EV6 to charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes with a maximum power of 239 kW. On the other hand, when we depend on a 400V charger, the car uses its own motor and the inverter to convert the 400V of the station into 800V to take advantage of the maximum voltage of the battery.
We are talking about an infrastructure that, to this day, is non-existent in our country. For this reason, if we charge the Kia EV6 in an 11 kW AC outlet (the most common), it will take more than 6 hours to complete the batteries . On a 50 kW DC outlet, such as those served by the Ionity network, it will be reduced to 57 minutes.
The importance of infrastructure
As you have seen, the charging infrastructure is the real challenge for electric cars. Firms have already managed to develop systems capable of keeping us waiting for a few minutes, something that we would already do while having a coffee or eating during a stop on a long journey. To alleviate this dependency, Kia works with the Ionity network as co-owners, offering services and reduced prices of KwH in the more than 400 stations that exist in Europe.
As Kia explains: “The Ionity network uses the leading European charging standard, Combined Charging System (CCS) and is supplied with 100% renewable energy, which means that EV6 drivers will be able to travel , in addition to no local emissions, with total carbon neutrality ”. Even more so if we consider that the versions of the Kia EV6 with rear-wheel drive and 77.4 kWh battery can travel up to 528 kilometers , with a combined consumption of 16.5 kWh / 100 km according to the WLTP cycle .
Able to load other cars
Another of the innovations of this Kia EV6 is the integrated charge control unit that allows you to use your battery for bi-directional charging . This ICCU allows transferring up to 3.6 kW of power to other devices and even electric cars, something they have called V2L de (Vehicle to Load) . This requires the cable with the control unit (In-Cable Control Box ICCB) and the V2L connector, which comes standard with the purchase of the EV6. The car battery is preserved from dropping below 20%, at which point the V2V (vehicle to vehicle) function is disabled.
