Kia is debuting its first all-electric plug-in concept car – based on the just-arrived Venga – at the Geneva Motor Show this morning.

The Venga EV concept car is identical to the regular Venga B-segment MPV but features an electric motor producing 80 kW and maximum torque of 280 Nm.  Venga EV is capable of accelerating from standstill to 62mph in 11.8 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 87 mph.

Venga EV uses a twin-pack 24 kWh battery using innovative LiPoly (Lithium Ion Polymer) technology that provides a driving range of 112 miles on a single charge. Under the quick recharging cycle (50 kW) the battery can be recharged to 80 per cent of its capacity within 20 minutes.  Under the normal cycle (3.3 kW), 100 per cent power is attained after eight hours. The Venga EV has a front-wheel drive with the electric powertrain placed within the existing engine bay, while its battery pack is located under the boot floor.

The Korean carmaker is known for its development of hybrid and fuel cell concepts, but the Venga EV is the first time the carmaker has produced an all-electric car. As part of its drive towards producing more green cars, the brand also has on display at the Swiss show its cleanest yet version of the diesel-powered cee’d ecodynamics.  The new cee’d model achieves a significant 11 per cent reduction in emissions – down to just 98 g/km, compared with 110 g/km for the current cleanest cee’d. The new five-door hatchback is powered by Kia’s new ‘U2’ family 1.6-litre diesel engine, designed and engineered at Kia’s R&D centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany and manufactured in Slovakia. The new cee’d makes use of Kia’s fuel-stretching Intelligent Stop and Go system and Eco Driving Guide – a gear-shift up/down indicator – is displayed in the cabin. No on sale date has yet been confirmed for the cee’d. 

The Korean carmaker- part of the Hyundai-Kia group-announced a near £2 billion of investment (4 trillion Korean Won) in ‘green growth’ last year, designed to propel the group forward to become one of the world’s top four manufacturers of low emission vehicles by 2012.

Kia is showcasing its latest green car technology at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show this week.

The Korean carmaker is using the opportunity to display among other innovations, its plug-in hybrid concept called ‘Ray’. The show opened yesterday (10th) and runs until the February 21.

Based on the Kia Forte platform, the new Ray is displays a sleek and sophisticated coupe body, reminiscent of a up-market brand.

Designed with lightweight and recycled materials, as well as hexagonal solar cells embedded in the glass roof panel to power extra lighting or climate control systems, the Kia ‘Ray’ boasts a range of up to 746 miles.

The ‘Ray’ also features touch-screen controls, drive-by-wire steering, ‘cool-glazing’ solar glass and a lithium-polymer battery.  As a plug-in hybrid, the ‘Ray’ is designed to cover driving distances of more than 50 miles using just its electric motor on a single charge, and has a fuel economy rating of more than 202 miles per gallon for a total range of 746 miles.

Designed to be super aerodynamic, the Ray has a low profile and flowing design to eek out the extra miles. Strong, lightweight materials are used, a single piece of glass extends over the hood and another piece of glass extends from the cowl of the windshield to the rear header to offer occupants a spacious, airy feeling. 

A tapering greenhouse cabin and a longer ‘tail’ improve aerodynamics while reduction of drag is attained through a one-piece integrated underbody panel, narrow tyre width and flush wheel design. 

Instead of side-view mirrors and door handles, motion-detector cameras are mounted flush with the body for safe lane changing procedures and opening of doors.

The new hybrid model also incorporates ‘cool car’ technology, including nano-laminate films and cool-glazing materials to dramatically reduce solar heat and demonstrate how keeping the interior cool will reduce air conditioning loads and greenhouse emissions.  When the vehicle is parked in the sun, the solar cells provide a trickle charge that helps operate a cooling fan to reduce interior temperatures.

The concept is designed to be powered by an all-aluminum 153-horsepower Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) 1.4-litre engine mated to a permanently-engaged fixed ratio Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), used in combination with a 78kw electric motor. 

Depending on driving conditions, power is sent to the front wheels from the petrol engine, the electric motor, or both together.

The car is equipped with an engine-power saving alternator management system and a toggle gear-shift indicator to encourage economical driving. Custom-designed low-rolling resistance tyres featuring a hexagon pattern in narrow 20-inch (195/50R20) construction also improve efficiency.

Kia of course, has mentioned nothing as to when this car might begin production.

Kia is to unveil a new plug-in hybrid at the forthcoming Chicago Auto Show, the carmaker has announced.

The unveiling will be the first preview of its latest concept car. Called Ray, the car will be unveiled to the world’s motoring press on February 11, ahead of the opening of the show to the public from February 12.

The show which takes place at McCormick Place, in Chicago, Illinois, will play host to the model, set to be the centre-piece of Kia’s display and will contribute to the carmaker’s on-going development of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Already Kia has pioneered potentially real-life fuel cell vehicles and has working prototypes operating in California and Korea. Additionally Kia has various hybrid-engined vehicles providing real-world data in various locations and plans to commercialise Liquefied Petroleum Gas hybrid vehicles in Korea within the next 12 months.

Currently no date has been set for hybrid Kia models to be put on sale in the UK but on-road testing of petrol and diesel hybrid vehicles is due to start in Britain this year.

If Japan is leading the way with hybrid and electric technology, then Korea is surely the front-runner for LPI (Liquefied Petroleum Injection) Hybrids.

Now, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has started a test run of LPI hybrids from Hyundai-Kia Motors as taxis – the test period began on December, 3.

According to reports, the Korea National Joint Conference of Taxi Association will select participating taxi companies and support the monitoring of its operation. Meanwhile, Hyundai-Kia will monitor the technologies including making an analysis of the vehicle components’ durability.

A total of 10 taxis will be deployed across five taxi companies in Seoul with the Korea LPG Association to support the supply of fuel for the taxis and the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Ministry of the Environment to offer administrative support.

As for the vehicles themselves, they are powered by an LPI Gamma engine displacing 1.6litres, as well as a pancake type permanent magnet synchronous motor and a continuously variable transmission. The Hyundai-Kia Elantra LPI hybrid electric vehicle emits just 99g/km of CO2 – that’s 90 per cent fewer emissions that a standard petrol powered Elantra.

How do you know if a vehicle is environmentally friendly? Well how about if it has a certificate to tell you?

The new Kia K7 saloon car, which will be exported as the Cadenza, has received a carbon footprint certificate from the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute.

The Kia Cadenza will emit an estimated 29.5tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) throughout its life cycle with 11.8 per cent of those emissions to be produced during the sourcing and refining of raw materials, with 1.8 per cent produced during the vehicle assembly process, and 86.4 per cent produced by vehicle operation. The remaining 0.04 per cent is accounted for during final disposal.

Kia has expanded the life cycle assessment to its full line-up in 2006 to provide an evaluation of the environmental impact of its cars from cradle-to-grave. The certificate allows customers to evaluate one metric of the life cycle assessment before purchase.

As for the Cadenza itself – it benefits from a number of aerodynamic tweaks and engine efficiency improvements. It uses a six-speed automatic transmission as well as low rolling resistance tyres to minimise fuel consumption. The company now aims to create carbon footprint certificates for all of its vehicles.

The green car innovations just keep on coming and now the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has announced plans to add a diesel hybrid to its fleet.

The company, which already has both liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and petroleum hybrid offerings will attempt to commercialise a hybrid edition of one of its diesel models, according to a report in the Korea Times. The nation’s largest car maker made the revelation at the National Assembly on Monday, with Kim Hae-jin, the company’s managing director, stating that commercialisation will be established in 2011.

It is expected that Hyundai-Kia will focus on diesel hybrids rather than electric vehicles in the short-term. Kim outlined that electric cars will be produced in 2011 as well, but it will take five-six more years to churn them out and so the initial focus will be on diesel hybrid models.

Hyundai has already released hybrid editions of both the Avante and Forte saloon cars, and is also planning a hybrid version of the Sonata and Santa Fe.

Keep your eyes on Korean manufacturer Hyundai-Kia which is determined not to be forgotten in the green car race.

The company has developed its first, independent continuously variable transmission (CVT) for application in the Hyundai Elantra LPI Hybrid and the Kia Forte LPI Hybrid. The work on the transmission has taken three years and was carried out at the Namyang Research and Development facility in South Korea.

Soo-Jin Hong of the company’s research and development planning team stated that a CVT was needed because of its infinite number of gear ratios that would allow the company to optimise fuel consumption according to the driving conditions. He stated that because of packaging issues, a traditional transmission would have increased the overall length of the powertrain – but using the CVT meant the torque converter and traditional automatic transmission could be deleted because they were able to use a starter clutch with a direct solenoid valve for precise pressure control.

According to Hyundai-Kia statistics, the CVT contributes around a seven per cent fuel efficiency gain compared to standard four speed automatics, which in turn allows for a smoother shift feel.

As for the vehicles themselves, the LPI Hybrid is a mild hybrid powered by a 1.6litre liquefied petrol injection gamma engine; the Elantra LPI HEV emits 99g/km of CO2 and has 90 per cent fewer emissions than an equivalent standard Elantra. It has a fuel economy rating of 53mpg – a 47 per cent improvement over the 1.6l Elantra.

The CVT may be applied in other vehicles going forward, but modifications to the system would be needed.

Frustrated commuters spend more than two days (49.5 hours) each year stuck in stand-still traffic on Britain’s roads, it has been revealed.

Daily jams and queues blight 71 per cent of the UK workforce who make the journey to work by car, a survey by carmaker Kia has revealed. The average commuter spends 47 minutes on their journey, 12 minutes of which is spent either crawling below 5 mph or totally stationary.

According to Kia Motors’ Cleaner Driving Report, which assessed the driving habits of the UK’s commuters, the average Brit will spend 91 days of their working life grinding to a halt in a bid to reach their work place.
The worst affected of all are those commuters living in Greater Manchester forced to use the heavily congested A556. The 50,000 drivers who use the four-mile stretch of road each day collectively waste half a million hours sitting in queues each year.

Kia Motors found that:

• Two-thirds (66%) of commuters admitting to speeding when the traffic clears to make up time
• 62% of drivers grow angry when they hit queues, with one in three commuters admitting having experienced ‘road rage’ in heavy traffic
• Almost half (49%) say they’ve narrowly avoided a traffic-related accident
• One in five (19%) have suffered a bump or minor accident while driving to work
• 44% are regularly late for work due to traffic

Despite this, commuters are reticent to change their ways. Some 30 per cent of drivers rule out public transport due to inconvenience, while almost three-quarters (72 per cent) said they value the privacy and space that their journey to work affords.

Sue Mulcaster, a Kia Motors spokesperson said: “For many, driving to work is the only option – a lot of people need to use their car at work, while some live in areas where public transport just isn’t viable. Taking this on board, car manufacturers have a duty to ensure the cars that are on the road are as environmentally responsible as possible. By investing in green technology such as Intelligent Stop and Go (ISG), where the car’s engine switches off when stationary, the environmental impact of stop-start driving in heavy traffic is reduced, with fuel consumption and emissions significantly.”

The Frankfurt Motor Show is open to the public, so if you’re heading to the event what can you expect to see?

Here we offer our pick of the top 10 green cars at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show:

1. Ford Focus EcoNetic –
   
   With its start/stop engine technology, the Ford Focus EcoNetic promises to break the 100g/km carbon dioxide (CO2) threshold with emissions of just 99g/km. It is one of two Ford Focus EcoNetic vehicles debuting at the event – the other doesn’t have start/stop technology and has emissions at 104g/km – and includes features such as regenerative braking and low tension front end accessory drive (see article).
2. Volkswagen L1 – One of those weird and wonderful concepts that you just hope gets to see the light of day, the VW L1 diesel-electric hybrid is constructed from aluminium and carbon fibre, weighs just 380kg and emits just 39g/km of CO2 (see article).
3. BMW 320d EfficientDynamics – A remarkably clean vehicle from a luxury car maker with a price tag on a par with its conventional alternative – the 109g/km BMW 320d EfficientDynamics is sure to attract the eye at the show with start/stop technology, regenerative braking and electric steering (see article).
4. Renault Fluence, Kangoo, Zoe and Twizy electric cars –
   
   Four for the price of one from Renault which has unveiled a quartet of electric vehicles including the four-door saloon Fluence ZE which will go on sale in 2011. The Kangoo ZE is an electric delivery van; the Zoe ZE is an ultra-cute city coupe; and the Twizy ZE is a two-seat, four-wheeled electric enclosed scooter.
5. Volkswagen e-up! Concept – The VW Up doesn’t make its debut until next year, but it has already been surpassed in the innovation stakes by the lithium-ion battery powered e-Up which will have a top speed of 84mph, move from 0-62mph in 11.3seconds and have a range of about 80miles. It is set to debut in 2013.
6. Lexus LF-Ch –
   
   Considered a rival to the BMW 120d and the Audi A3 2.0 diesel, the petrol hybrid Lexus LF-Ch is expected to match its competitors for performance and price while emitting less than 100g/km of CO2. The first version of the vehicle is debuting in Frankfurt with a more complete production vehicle scheduled for next year’s Geneva Motor Show.
7. Kia Venga – With Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi absent from the show, eyes turned from Japan to Korea and in particular to the Venga – a tall super-mini MPV which will be available with start/stop technology and meets Euro 5 emission standards (see article).
8. Vauxhall/Opel Ampera – Europe’s version of the Chevrolet Volt was always going to grab attention at the show as it is seen as the centrepiece for the future of General Motors with its 40mile all-electric range. GM hopes to build around 220,000 a year.
9. Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion –
   
   Yes we’re already familiar with the BlueMotion concept, but the next generation of the eternally brilliant Polo promises to be the cleanest conventionally fuelled vehicle on the market with emissions of just 87g/km (see article).
10. Trabant nT – Previously a smoke-belching symbol of East Germany, the Trabant has been reborn thanks to motor parts maker IndiKar as an electric car. Definitely one for those with a touch of nostalgia (see article).

Keep reading our news section for all the latest Frankfurt Motor Show coverage.

Korean car manufacturer Kia is the latest carmaker to add their weight behind a joint ‘Letter of Understanding’ being sent out to governments, energy companies and other organisations to develop accessible hydrogen infrastructure for future fuel cell electric vehicles.

Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation/Opel, Honda Motor Co Ltd, the alliance Renault SA and Nissan Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation have declared that “A hydrogen infrastructure network with sufficient density is required by 2015”  The network should be expanded from metropolitan areas along corridors to give area-wide coverage.

The companies “strongly support the idea of building-up a hydrogen infrastructure in Europe and at the same time develop similar concepts for the market penetration of hydrogen infrastructure in other regions of the world, with the US market, Japan and Korea as further starting points.”

While Kia’s FCEV program will see a limited number of demo vehicles used in real world environments the company is targeting 2012 as the beginning of production. FCEV’s are part of Kia’s EcoDynamics strategy, an initiative which will bring to the market a range of products and technologies designed to reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

The new Kia eco-brand will receive its European premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show.