The Kia EV4 is quite modular in body styles, whereas the Kia EV2 concept previews a quirky entry-level electric vehicle
Kia’s electric vehicle line-up just got bigger as they’ve taken the wraps off the production-spec EV4. In addition to this, they’ve also revealed the EV2 Concept that will lay the foundation of a future compact electric vehicle. Both EVs have their own unique attributes so let’s take a deeper dive into what the Kia EV4 and EV2 Concept are all about.
EV4
The Kia EV4 already stands out with a unique option of either speccing it out as a hatchback or a sedan. Of course, there are other standout bits as well such as the low-slung nose, meeting a streamlined body, complemented by Kia’s signature “Star Map” lighting setup. Aside from the obvious roofline differences, the EV4 sedan gets further differentiating bits via a two-piece spoiler with the hatchback version getting a sloping rear window.
What remains the same from the two EV4 body styles is the cabin that is fairly minimalistic, featuring things like a two-spoke steering wheel, as well as a rotating armrest and a sliding table console. Taking centre stage is a 30-inch wide digital screen that comprises a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a 5.3-inch climate control setup and a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display that makes up the digital real estate. It’s got quite a bit of tech onboard with streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+, a Theater Mode which has mood lighting that enhances the ambience inside and an optional eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.
The modular options for the EV4 extend to the powertrain selection. Based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), there’s a 150-kW (204-hp) electric motor that can be juiced by either a Standard (58.3-kWh) or Long-Range (81.4-kWh) battery pack. The Standard setup is the quickest to accelerate to 100 km/h from a standstill (7.4 seconds) while the Long Range option is just three tenths behind at 7.7 seconds. Top speed for both are capped at 170 km/h.
Different battery packs and body styles translate to a variety of WLTP-claimed range figures, that includes 410 km (Hatchback), 430 km (Sedan) for the Standard variants and 630 km (Sedan) and 590 km (Hatchback) for the Long Range variants. A 10 to 80 per cent charge can be done in just 31 minutes via a DC fast charger and the 11-kW onboard charger supports both single-phase and three-phase inputs. Other key tech includes the i-Pedal 3.0 customisable regenerative braking function, as well as Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities.
EV2 Concept
While the Kia EV2 is still in concept form, its design suggests much of it will make it to the production model. Talking design, this one is very much a compact electric SUV and retains a lot of the clean surfaces that have become commonplace for modern Kia models. What really stands out is the boxy silhouette–although there are a few curves if you look closely, dual-claw headlights, and a strong upright stance with a lot of cladding.
A suicide door setup allows one to enter quite a quirky cabin setup apart from the layout being clean with two digital screens. For starters, sustainable materials have been used, with a flexible seating layout that has bench seats for front passengers and folding bench-style second row seats in the second row that can be slid back for clever space maximisation. Complementing all this are the pop-up luggage dividers and diagonal LED lighting with a unique dashboard animation.
The fun stuff doesn’t end with the EV2 concept as there’s things like OTA updates, a message window feature that can display text on the windows for pedestrians and road users as well as removable triangular speakers that can even be taken outside. Of course, you might want to take this with a pinch of salt as this is a concept vehicle, but can hope at least one of these interesting bits makes it onto a production model soon enough.
As for when we can expect the Kia EV4 or EV2 Concept in India, there’s no word on either of them, but the former could be under consideration considering we already have the EV6. As for the latter, it is slated to go into production in markets abroad by 2026 and since we recently have the Kia Syros in India, it will likely be a long wait before there’s any chance of the EV2 coming to the country.
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