[This article was first published on straitstimes.com]
Sustainable driving can be fun, practical and friendlier on your pocket with the Kia Niro EV
With far less harmful emissions, a quieter drive and cheaper running costs, electric cars have long been touted as the future of sustainable motoring. Just as COVID-19 made us rethink the way we work, it’s also time for us to rethink the way we look at the cars we drive.
In tandem with a whole new generation of electric vehicles, and a growing availability of more charging points, new measures have also been introduced to encourage more drivers to make the switch from cars with a traditional internal combustion engine, to one with an electric drivetrain.
Rebates, by way of an Electric Vehicle Early Adoption Initiative and an updated Vehicle Emissions Scheme, now mean that electric cars cost as much as $45,000 less than before. Road taxes are also set to be revised. To meet the needs of electric car owners and address the issue of charging, there are plans between now and 2030 to have some 60,000 charging points at public car parks and private premises.
Most notably, electric cars themselves have come a long way and have proven themselves to be more than just a pretty-looking concept. They not only look good as a beacon of progress, but drive just as well – if not better – than their petrol-fuelled peers.
Building on the popularity of compact crossovers in Singapore, the Niro EV is Kia’s first fully electric offering in Singapore for the most discerning and progressive of consumers. By harmoniously integrating an all-electric drivetrain with zero-emissions, intelligent technology and an eye-catching design that offers everyday practicality, the Korean carmaker forges a new chapter in electric mobility with the Niro EV.
Here are five reasons why you should charge up your driving experience with the Kia Niro EV.
455km: this is the distance the Kia Niro EV can manage on a single full charge of its high-capacity 64kWh lithium ion polymer battery pack.
Given that the average Singaporean driver clocks about 60km of driving a day after making school and office runs, the Niro EV’s 14.7kWh per 100km consumption rate means that it’ll be slightly more than a week before the car needs to be charged up. Crucially, this means that there is no need to change one’s driving style or habits due to range anxiety as charging frequency is similar to how frequently one would visit a petrol kiosk to gas up a normal car with an internal combustion engine.
Range anxieties are non-existent in the Kia Niro EV as a full charge will yield 455km in range. A 100kW charger simply takes 54 minutes to juice the car’s lithium ion battery pack from 0 to 80 per cent.
Charging the Kia Niro EV could take place overnight at home or in the office car park while at work. Either way, charging your car with electricity compared to topping it up with petrol will allow owners to enjoy dollar savings of at least 50 per cent.
With more charging points becoming available in convenient places such as office and shopping centre carparks, charging up the Niro EV can take place wherever and whenever it is convenient – you can make the most of your time spent out at a mall having a meal or grocery shopping, by giving the Kia Niro EV a fast charge. Most notably, fast charging can juice up the Niro EV’s batteries from empty to 80 per cent full in just 54 minutes.
Moreover, many of these fast charging points are increasingly found in convenient locations – in many malls across Singapore such as Great World City, Zhongshan Mall, Marina Bay Sands, attractions such as Resorts World Sentosa, and across the heartlands in areas including Ubi and Tampines. The best part? Many of these charging points are located right where the lift lobbies are – because being progressive and embracing the future of motoring ought to have its perks.
In the meantime, smart regenerative braking plays a part in charging the battery on the go as well.
Embracing sustainability doesn’t have to be a compromise, especially when the roads become increasingly crowded as more drivers return to work in the office. With 204PS and 395Nm of torque, the Kia Niro EV is a zippy performer. A choice of three different drive modes add character to the morning drive by changing up the way power is delivered with the same effortless efficiency. The Niro EV may be capable of going from 0 to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds, but what that accelerative ability translates to, is giving its driver the confidence to find and navigate into space on crowded roads and make neat overtakes with ease.
Did you know that by 2030, some 60,000 charging points for electric vehicles will be deployed in public carparks and private premises across Singapore?
In the meantime, here are two mobile apps from the largest operators of charging points in Singapore to help you find out more about the charging points closest to you.
SP Utilities App
Search by location nearest to you, or by availability, the SP Utilities mobile app will connect you to the nearest charger in its network of 299 charging points. Prices start from $0.40/kWh.
Greenlots
With a network of 73 chargers in 39 locations, many of them centrally located in office buildings or malls in the city. The Greenlots mobile app will let you search out the nearest charger in its network. Prices start from $1.50/hour.
The Niro EV features an electric motor and batteries instead of an internal combustion engine, which means that the car has one less part to maintain. As the official distributor of the Kia Niro EV in Singapore, Cycle & Carriage and its Aftersales team are fully committed to giving owners the peace of mind that all aspects of the Niro EV will be taken care off with no less than an excellent experience. Maintenance schedules – which take place at 10,000km or six-month intervals, whichever comes first – are no different from that of a regular car. Rest assured that your new vehicle comes with a warranty coverage of five years (unlimited mileage), while the car's battery will be covered for five years or 150,000 km.
The Kia Niro EV boasts a well-appointed interior with premium technological features such as wireless smartphone charging and blind spot detection.
A family’s delight, the Kia Niro EV ticks all the right boxes with spacious practicality in a well-appointed interior cabin. Beyond easily accessible isofix mounts for child seats, the Niro EV even has a larger boot capacity (451-litres vs 427-litres) than the Niro Hybrid. This makes it perfect for family outings when bulky items such as strollers need to be packed in with the shopping and groceries.
As Kia’s standard bearer for sustainable motoring in Singapore, the Niro EV also features other premium features that underscore its progressiveness. These include a wireless smartphone charger that keeps the cabin organised without the fuss and mess of dangling wires, mobile Bluetooth connectivity with the infotainment system, ventilated front seats for those swelteringly hot days, and a blind spot collision warning that serves as an extra pair of eyes for safety on the road.
With the Niro EV, Kia has boldly made its mark – proving that green driving is practical, convenient, economical, and above all, truly enjoyable. And even more so once more charging points become available in the near future.
Be among the first to embrace the future of motoring and personally experience what the Kia Niro EV has to offer today. Book your test drive, or find out more by visiting kia.sg/NiroEV or WhatsApp at https://wa.link/uu3zsh.
[Source article: The Straits Times] © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Published 24 Apr, 2021
