Kia will re-launch the light electric vehicle ‘Ray EV’ in September, which has increased its battery capacity by more than twice as much as before, to enhance its commerciality. It’s been more than 5 years since the model was discontinued due to aging and low sales. The new Ray EV, which has been certified to have a mileage of more than 200km in a single charge, is actively targeting the urban electric vehicle market with a van model as well as a passenger.
The new Ray EV got a one-time charging mileage of 210 km from the South Korean Ministry of Environment which are always more conservative compared to WLTP. It can run 238 km in the city center and 176 km on the highway.
The updated electric keicar will reportedly feature a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery supplied by China’s CATL. The Ray EV is the first to apply an LFP battery among Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicles. Considering that it is a light electric car, it adopts a relatively inexpensive LFP battery, which is interpreted as the intention to expand the popularization of electric vehicles by increasing price competitiveness.
The battery capacity is 35.4 kWh. The battery capacity has more than doubled compared to the initial Ray EV (16.4 kWh), making the range significantly longer than the previous Ray EV (complex 91 km). However, due to the nature of LFP batteries that are vulnerable to low temperatures, the low-temperature combined mileage fell by 20% to 167kg (163km in the city and 172km in the city).
Driving performance has also been greatly improved. The boxy model has a single motor on the front wheel, with a maximum output of 87 horsepower. The tolerance weight is 1295 kg based on the regular passenger model. It is said to have been lightweight by adopting the integrated driving module (iDM) of U.S. auto parts company Voguerunner. The maximum output is 20 horsepower and the tolerance weight is 110kg higher than the existing Ray EV.
Ray EV pioneers the market for urban electric vehicles with a range of unrungible urban driving and the largest level of indoor space in its class. In addition to the general passenger model, it is expected to add a one- and two-seater van model to the lineup and play the role of purpose-based mobility (PBV) such as light commercial vehicles for small business owners.
