- Hyundai and Kia’s heat management innovation maximizes EV driving range in low temperatures
- EV drivers can heat the cabin without a significant impact on electric driving range
- Industry-leading heat pump technology originally introduced on first-generation Kia Soul EV in 2014
- Kona Electric wins Norwegian Automotive Federation’s real-range validation test
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation have today revealed new details of their innovative heat pump system, deployed in Hyundai and Kia’s global electric vehicle (EV) line-up to maximize their all-electric driving range in low temperatures.
Hyundai and Kia’s heat pump is a leading heat management innovation that maximizes the distance that Hyundai and Kia EVs can travel on a single charge, scavenging waste heat to warm the cabin. It enables EV drivers to heat their car’s cabin in cold weather without significantly impacting electric driving range, unlike other EVs.
The technology was first introduced in 2014 on the first-generation Kia Soul EV. Comprising a compressor, evaporator and condenser, the heat pump captured waste heat given off by the vehicle’s electrical components, recycling this energy to heat the cabin more efficiently. The technology meant the Soul EV’s 180 km electric range was protected in cold weather driving conditions.
The industry-leading heat pump system has now been developed further for new EVs from Hyundai and Kia. The new system scavenges waste heat from an increased number of sources for optimum cold-weather EV range. These innovations mean that Hyundai and Kia EVs offer more consistent range in temperatures where other EVs start to see a significant decline in the distance possible from a single charge. Equipped with the latest heat pump technology, the Kona Electric proved this in a recent test in Norway, the most advanced EV market in the world.
