Kia is introducing a suite of smart technologies that aim to make electric vehicle (EV) mobility more convenient, accessible, and efficient than ever before – with Kia Connect, Kia Charge and Kia Smart Charging: V1G (Automated Unidirectional Smart Charging), V2H/B (Vehicle-to-Home/Vehicle-to-Building), and V2G (vehicle-to-grid).
“Delivering the next generation of sustainable mobility solutions involves the seamless and holistic interaction of electrification, connectivity and new services,” said Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President of Marketing and Product at Kia Europe. “Starting with the new EV9 Kia is working towards making EVs fully connected and future-ready to enable vehicles to be updated as new innovations and features become available.”
Kia’s overall technology strategy aims to create seamless and simple connectivity through integrated networks. Kia Connect promotes an “always on” connection between the vehicle, Kia servers and data providers, enabling the live streaming of data to deliver real-time updates and information to drivers, via the Connected Car Cloud. Kia also utilises live data to improve the customer experience by making it easier to find available charging stations and predicting vehicle maintenance. Additionally, live data can help make roads safer for everyone, enable efficient management of fleets, and improve emergency response times.
The company’s connectivity strategy extends to the dedicated Kia Connect app that allows customers to take advantage of features available in the new Kia Connect Store. This store is the go-to place for customers to purchase upgrades for their cars, enabling a vehicle to be continuously updated with the specific technologies the customer wants. The EV9 will be the first car that will benefit from the Kia Connect Store, which is also the first Kia vehicle to have the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (CCNC), with dual-band GPS for improved location accuracy. Over-the-air updates enable the system to undergo constant improvement, with the latest maps, interfaces and software enhancements. On top, the Kia EV9 will also have the EV Route Planner feature, which suggests you the best charging points based on your vehicle battery level while travelling to your destination.