Kia Presents its Vision for Future Mobility at CES 2018
After Hyundai, it’s Kia’s turn to present its vision of the future of mobility at CES 2018. Like its sister brand, Kia proposes a variety of electric, hydrogen and autonomous vehicles.
Interesting Promises
It was under the body of an all-new, Niro EV concept, a fully electric crossover with a range of up to 383 km, that Kia unveiled its future projects. Like Hyundai, Kia proposes a new era of transportation that the carmaker calls “Boundless for all” which includes both electrification and fully autonomous cars.
The plan includes several technological advancements such as the implementation of autonomous driving technology in all Kia vehicles by 2030. As a matter of fact, a virtual reality simulator is currently at Kia’s booth at CES, giving participants the opportunity to live the “connected car” experience, which allows cars to communicate with each for improved safety, all in real time.
Kia also promises 16 electrified vehicles by 2025, either hybrids or fully electric, as well as fuel cell-powered. Speaking of which, an all-new, hydrogen-powered vehicle will appear in 2020, says Kia. Finally, the carmaker confirmed that it will commercialize level 4 autonomous vehicles in smart cities by 2021.
To sum it all up, Kia’s mobility promise includes three parts: autonomous driving, connected cars that will communicate with each other to improve road safety, and electrification through the use of either hybrid, lithium-ion or hydrogen fuel cell technologies.
These are all exciting claims, and let’s hope the carmaker will be able to deliver. If we look at how quickly the Kia/Hyundai group’s R&D has evolved in recent years, we wouldn’t be surprised that all of this becomes reality much quicker than we can imagine.