Kia CV electric SUV to be revealed on March 21 – over 500 km range, 0-100 km/h in 3 secs, on sale in July

At Kia’s CEO Investor Day virtual broadcast today, CEO Ho-Sung Song revealed the first key specifications of the company’s forthcoming electric vehicle, codenamed CV. He also announced the date of the car’s world premiere, which is slated for March 21.

The CV is being projected as Kia’s new flagship vehicle, and it has the specifications to match. For a start, the car will have a range of over 500 km, plus “ultra fast charging” capability that will allow users to add 100 km of range in just four minutes. Song said that 100 km is 2.5 times the Korean daily average travel distance, so a quick charge can provide enough range for daily mobility.

Impressively, the CV is also able to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in just three seconds, which would almost certainly make it the quickest production car ever to wear the Kia badge. All this is possible thanks to the dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which will underpin a total of 11 battery electric vehicles across the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands.

A skateboard-style architecture, the E-GMP utilises the world’s first mass-produced integrated drive axle (IDA) that combines the motor, inverter and single-speed transmission into a single module. By default, the IDA is mounted on the rear axle, but a second motor can be fitted at the front to provide all-wheel drive.

The E-GMP also features modular pouch-like battery cells that enables the range and wheelbase length to be tailored to the needs of a specific car, as well as lowering the cost of repairs by allowing individual damaged cells to be replaced. A separate cooling structure reduces the size and weight of the cells, in addition to increasing energy density by 10% over existing battery technology.

Other noteworthy bits include a hairpin-wound stator coil, a more direct spray-type oil coiling system and silicon carbide power semiconductors, all of which improve the motor’s efficiency. The E-GMP also supports 800-volt fast charging – likely where the aforementioned four minute per 100 km charge time comes from. Lower voltages are supported using an inverter step-up method, rather than a separate onboard charger.

Not a lot is known about the CV just yet, but past spyshots have shown a low-slung SUV body that gives the car a sportier look compared to the related Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the unnamed Genesis EV. It will go on sale in Korea starting July 21, exactly four months after its debut.

GALLERY: Kia CV spyshots

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