The second generation of the all-electric Kia Niro is basically a new body with virtually the same drive technology. While good progress has been made in the details, we ask: is this still enough to convince drivers in 2023?
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Since the end of 2018, the e-Niro has been the compact electric car in Kia’s range that could definitely convince with space and efficiency despite its mixed platform. A small drawback was perhaps the hard plastic-dominated interior and the dust-attracting high-gloss surfaces since that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
We already described the key data of the second generation in detail from its presentation last year. So here’s the short version: the body is seven centimetres longer and now measures 4.42 metres. The permanent magnet synchronous machine mounted on the front axle continues to produce 150 kW. Now, the maximum torque is capped at 255 Nm, which used to be 390 Nm. This decision by the developers has no effect on the driving performance; just like its predecessor, the Niro EV accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. Also new is that after the change of battery cell supplier from SK On to CATL, the battery now comes to 64.8 instead of 64 kWh. The WLTP range increases only minimally from 455 to 460 kilometres.
The changes in the new Niro EV also go deeper beyond the surface, because, on the one hand, the body and interior are completely new (more on that in a moment), and on the other hand, the electric drive has been improved in detail. Admittedly, the 255 instead of 390 Nm of torque seems like a step backwards on paper, and some will miss the powerful drive, which is now a little more subdued. But it must be said that this generation of the Niro EV has a more comfortable and refined acceleration, and the front tyres are supposed to last much longer.
Another new feature is that just like its larger counterparts EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Niro EV now has battery preconditioning. DC charging power has never been one of the electric Niro’s strengths, but the preconditioning should at least help mitigate this under as many conditions as possible. The system brings the battery into the optimal temperature window before a fast charge process so that the cells are in their comfort zone and the battery management can release the best possible charging power for the respective state of charge – or so the theory goes.
In practice, the system at Hyundai-Kia comes with a challenge, which we already described in detail recently in the test of the current Hyundai Ioniq 5: With the Korean company, battery preconditioning is tied to the car’s own navigation system, so the car only pre-conditions the battery if a fast charging station stored in the system is entered as an (intermediate) destination in the route guidance. Anyone who likes to be guided to their destination by other apps such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, or who wants to charge at a new charging station not yet registered in the system will have to do without the new function. In addition, the way in which such a charging stop has to be added to the route more or less manually is not intuitive and, above all, requires a certain amount of prior knowledge about the charging stations in the vicinity or along the route. Because the charging stops are not automatically scheduled as with other manufacturers or special EV route planner apps.
Half an hour of battery preheating is not enough
With a little practice from the Ioniq 5 we had driven only a short time before and knowledge of the known HPC facilities in the area, we headed for a location with six 300 kW hyperchargers. In the run-up, the battery preconditioning was active for precisely 30 minutes, recognisable by a small coil symbol on the cockpit display.
Admittedly, it wasn’t a long haul that we started on with a full battery and for which we had planned the first charging stop after 2.5 hours. Instead, we set off with about 30 per cent charge in order to drive that half hour to the desired charging station. As it turned out, the system would probably have needed a little longer to warm up the battery sufficiently at an outside temperature of four degrees. As the following graph shows, we missed the optimal charging curve with the light blue line, especially when the charge level was low, presumably because the battery was still too cold.
After a short peak at 15 per cent State of Charge (SoC) with 73 kW, the charging power at the Hypercharger settled at first at 53 and later at 63 kW – in a range in which the charging power should actually still be around 75 kW. From about 43 per cent SoC, however, our charging curve at four degrees corresponded quite closely to what is possible with the battery.
In other words, we lost a few minutes in the charging time, but as mentioned, this was probably due to our only half-hour journey to the charging stop. In the end, the test charge from 14 to 81 per cent took an impressive 50 minutes. According to the charging station, 45 kWh flowed through, which makes a rate of 53.5 kW charging power on average. The factory specification of ten to 80 per cent is 41 minutes, which is also possible at higher outside temperatures without the complicated preconditioning via the navigation system.
But just how long would the charging process have taken at four degrees without preconditioning, or what the charging curve would have looked like at -10 degrees, for example, cannot be deduced from our test. We, unfortunately, didn’t have the kind of conditions that would have made these tests possible.
The distance to the EV6 is too great
Over 1,170 kilometres, the onboard computer showed a consumption of 19.4 kWh/100km, when the car was mostly driven on the motorway and at single-digit temperatures. The consumption and the resulting range of 334 kilometres are okay. On individual motorway stages, consumption rose to as much as 23.5 kWh/100km (corresponding to a range of 275 kilometres). In contrast, on short urban journeys, a calculated range of about 450 kilometres was possible with 14.3 kWh/100km – and that was in the temperature range mentioned above! At 12.7 kWh/100km, almost 500 kilometres would be possible.
The fact that Kia splits its electric car portfolio when it comes to charging time and deliberately leaves some room for the 800-volt EV6 model is quite understandable – with prices starting at 46,990 euros, the basic EV6 with the 58-kWh battery and 18 minutes of (theoretical) charging time is even slightly cheaper than the Niro EV (with prices currently starting at 47,590 euros). However, the gap has turned out to be a little too large because 41 minutes, in the best case, is simply no longer competitive in 2023. 100 kW at peak and around 30 minutes charging time would probably be more appropriate. The Niro EV is well-equipped, but it is also quite expensive – a price breaker would probably be more forgiving when it comes to charging power. However, the Niro EV’s charging curve does not suit every driving profile, which limits the potential target group. Even if the range is sufficient for 95 per cent of journeys (especially in combination with a dedicated wall box charger), prospective buyers will think twice before choosing the Niro EV, even for occasional long-distance journeys in view of the growing range of models on offer.
That is a shame because the car itself is well-made! With the generation change, the Korean automaker has improved many points. The ambience in the interior, for example, can hardly be compared to its predecessor. The new generation is thoroughly styled, and many things are reminiscent (albeit in a slightly smaller form) of the EV6 instead of the old e-Niro. The two 10.25-inch displays and the touch bar under the infotainment display are familiar from its big brother. This is the usual Hyundai-Kia system with its known strengths and weaknesses.
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