- Kia despatched the EV4 to the Nürburgring for a killer torture check.
- After 6,200 miles of flooring it and DC quick charging, the electrical sedan simply would not die.
- After the equal of 160,000 miles, the battery’s State of Well being was nonetheless at 95%.
Hyundai and Kia obtained a nasty rap for reliability within the ’90s that each manufacturers have been making an attempt to interrupt out of for many years. One of many ways in which they have been doing that is by stress testing absolutely the life out of their vehicles, particularly new automobile platforms like the brand new 2026 to EV4.
To see how properly it might carry out beneath absolutely the worst of the worst circumstances, Kia determined to push the EV4 to the bounds by subjecting the little electrical automobile to 68,000 miles of agony, together with an unnecessarily aggressive (and likewise gloriously deranged) 6,200-mile battery torture check on the mighty Nürburgring Nordschleife.
And you already know what? It simply would not die.
Photograph by: Kia
This large slog across the inexperienced hell wasn’t meant to be a gauge of an financial system automobile’s lap time ‘around the ‘Ring. As a substitute, it was a check to see how properly the EV4’s battery would maintain as much as a really excruciating check meant to determine any weaknesses or failure factors within the engineering. Meaning electrical, mechanical and thermal checks had been confused to the max because the automobile zipped across the monitor.
This wasn’t just a few financial system freeway velocity run, both. Kia’s engineers particularly ran the sedan between 90 and 95% energy output for everything of the check. That is sort of insane, as a result of simply take into consideration how a lot stress you place in your total automobile by virtually flooring your automobile for six,200 miles straight. Drivetrain parts are beneath fixed load, springs are sprung and suspension parts are working additional time to deal with greater speeds.
Between every run, the automobile was subjected to “hypercharging” (doubtless referring to the brand new 150 kW quick N Charging Station that it simply put in on the Nürburgring), which means not solely was the automobile tortured by outputting energy at a excessive fee, however its 400-volt battery structure was additionally quick charged to oblivion.
Photograph by: Kia
So what makes this so spectacular?
Properly, after the total 74,200 miles of testing—that features the 68,000 miles of pure street checks and the 6,200 miles of Nürburgring terror—Kia says that the little EV4’s battery was nonetheless at a whopping 95% state of well being.
The automaker says that that is doubtless a “gentle” quantity, too, as the 6,200-mile check was equal to round 93,205 miles of “buyer circumstances” (which means that for each one mile a Kia EV drives at 90-95% of energy output, it is the equal of round 15 miles of regular commuting. So consider this extra like a check of greater than 160,000 miles.
Now, it is price noting right here that battery abuse is not the one factor that causes degradation. In truth, battery age is likely one of the quickest contributing elements to battery well being, particularly in a Lithium Ion Phosphate (LFP) pack. So the determine you are seeing from Kia does not actually consider long-term degradation over the size of possession. Nonetheless, it is spectacular nonetheless.
The excellent news right here is that Kia is absolutely displaying the world that EVs aren’t simply disposable vehicles. These battery-powered machines are rated for some critical abuse, and with fewer transferring elements than gasoline vehicles, it means much less total upkeep for homeowners who hold their vehicles for a very long time. In truth, that is why it ensures that the EV4 will retain not less than 70% of its battery capability after 100,000 miles or eight years.
Let’s be actual. The EV4 can be a success for Kia, even when it will not have the EV tax credit score to again it up and is impacted by tariffs. The automobile boasts as much as 391 miles of vary (on Europe’s WLTP cycle) and an anticipated beginning price ticket of simply $39,000 within the U.S.
Now, couple that with a battery that may stand as much as even essentially the most heavy-footed, DC-fast-charging drivers on the market? Offered.
