Kia Ray ― quiet, spacious, smooth

What new EV needs most is nationwide network of recharging points

By Kim Da-ye

NAMYANG, GYEONGGI PROVINCE ― Looking around inside and checking the dashboard is unavoidable when one slides into the driver’s seat of, Kia’s new electric vehicle, the Ray.

The notable difference from GM’s Volt ― a hybrid with an auxiliary gasoline engine ― is a greater feeling of freedom with more headroom and legroom. Maybe, it is because of the Ray’s rectangle shape.

The prospect of driving a purely electric vehicle, although in a controlled environment, makes you give up the comparison and enjoy the moment.

That is if you overcome a mild cultural shock. The emergency brake is on the floor to the left side of the driver. This feature could be good, if mentioned in advance.

As expected, the ride is quiet and smooth, with the motor humming along. But peace of mind may not last long, if you are on the expressway and the next recharging point is 100 kilometers away.

Then, the feeling is not that smooth (as I will explain in my second Ray story next week).

With 2,500 Rays planned to be produced by the end of 2012 and all the parts domestically developed, Korea’s second largest automaker said the car will open the era of Korean-made electric vehicles (EVs).

“The Ray could be mass-produced because all its features including safety functions have met the required standard. We have prioritized driving performance and stability in developing this model,” Yang Woong-chul, the vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group who heads the research and development center, said in a press conference.

The electric version of the boxy multi-purpose vehicle touts a driving range of 139 kilometers per full charge by Korean standards and 91 kilometers by U.S. standards, which will be adopted domestically next year.

The price is still under negotiation between Kia Motors, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Ministry of Environment.

Lee Ki-sang, the senior vice president of Hyundai Motor Group’s Eco-Friendly Vehicle System Development Division, said the company spent about 28 months and more than 100 billion won on EV development.

The Ray can reach speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour, and a test drive at Hyundai’s research center in Gyeonggi Province found the car accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour within 20 seconds. Kia said in a press release that the electric version speeds up faster than its gasoline counterpart with a one-liter engine.

It takes 25 minutes to recharge 80 percent of the battery with a fast charger while slow version would take six hours for a 90-percent charge.

The driving range per charge would drop by 20 percent when the air conditioner is on and by 39 percent with the heater on.

In 2012, 2,500 Rays are planned to be sold to government agencies and state-owned institutions. After the one-year test period, Kia Motor will decide if the same model will be distributed to the private sector including ordinary consumers.

The Ministry of Environment currently provides a subsidy of 17.2 million won to an EV buyer in the public sector. The amount for 2012 is yet to be decided while subsidies for the private sector haven’t materialized.

A Ray buyer would also benefit from exemption of acquisition tax and a 50-percent discount on highway tolls and fees for public parking.

The automaker said that it costs only 94,000 won a year to charge the Ray with cheaper electricity available late at night while gasoline for a vehicle with similar specifications would add up to nearly 1.15 million won.

The Kia officials who attended the press conference on Thursday stressed that the biggest task for the entire EV industry is improving batteries. SK Energy supplies the battery for the Ray, which is estimated to cost around 5 million won.

“When the car ran 350,000 kilometers, the battery’s capacity dropped to less than three percent. The battery is expected to last longer than other auto parts by the end of the vehicle’s life,” Lee said.

Expanding the EV lineup to the compact segment, Kia plans to unveil an EV based on the Soul in 2014 and Hyundai Motor a model based on the Avante in 2015.

“We believe the launch of the Ray will lead Korea’s early entry to among the top four manufacturers of green vehicles,” Yang said.