Just ahead of playoffs, Kia is rolling out a new feature for EV9 owners, enabling them to represent their favorite NBA teams with custom interior display themes.
Kia EV9 owners gain custom NBA interior display themes
Whether your team is the Golden State Warriors or the LA Lakers, you can personalize your vehicle’s display with custom colors and logos. It can also welcome you and send you off with unique sounds.
The EV9’s 12.3″ instrument cluster displays the colors and logos for each of the 30 NBA teams. Are you a Golden State Warriors fan? Your display will show the team’s iconic blue and gold.
Perhaps you’re more of a Lebron fan with the LA Lakers. You can choose for your EV9’s display to show the team’s purple, gold, and black worn on game night. NY Knicks fans can show off the team’s famous blue, orange, and white (shown below).
“This is just the tip-off,” Steven Center, Kia America COO and EVP, explained. Custom NBA themes are the latest as the automaker works to introduce new features and personalized options to make owning an EV even more exciting.
Kia EV9 In-Car Custom NBA Themes (Source: Kia)
Kia began rolling out over-the-air updates for the EV9 custom NBA display themes earlier this month and ahead of playoffs starting April 20.
The EV9 is the first Kia to gain remote upgrades with its new Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment system. The NBA themes will be available for $39.99 per team through Kia’s Connected Store’s Digital Features and Services. You can unlock it through the Kia Access App or Kia Owner Portal.
2024 Kia EV9 (Source: Kia)
Kia’s first three-row electric SUV is already off to a hot start in the US, with over 4,000 units sold through March.
Kia EV9 Trim
MSRP (including $1,495 destination fee)
EPA Est. Range (miles)
Light RWD
$56,395
230
Light Long Range RWD
$60,695
304
Wind e-AWD
$65,395
280
Land e-AWD
$71,395
280
GT-Line e-AWD
$73,900
270
2024 Kia EV9 trim prices and range
After the EV9 launched late last year, Kia called its under $55,000 starting price (excluding destination) a “wake-up call” for the industry.
Although the EV9 is being shipped from Korea, Kia plans to move production to the US next month. By building the electric SUV at its West Point, GA plant, Kia expects the EV9 will qualify for the federal EV tax credit.
Kia EV9 interior (Source: Kia)
At 197.2″ long, the EV9 is just longer than the Kia Telluride but is the same height (70.1″) and width (77.9″)
It also includes 42.8″ of rear legroom, which is more than the Cadillac Escalade and 3-row Range Rover P400. It’s no wonder the EV9 is in demand in the US.
Have you been eyeing Kia’s new three-row electric SUV? We can help you find the right model at the best price. You can use our link to find deals on the 2024 Kia EV9 in your area.
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“Honda hydrogen is open for business,” says David Perzynski, assistant manager of hydrogen solutions development at American Honda. “(We have) the fuel cell technology, the expertise, and the supply chain to power a variety of zero-emissions products, including commercial trucking and stationary power generation.”
The company arrived with a more developed version of its Peterbilt 579EV-based HFC semi concept, which is based on one of that brand’s existing BEVs and uses the Honda fuel cell as a range-extending generator for its 120 kWh battery … or, rather, it would – if it was ever plugged into a charger.
On battery power alone, the big Pete is good for up to 150 miles of fully loaded range. With the fuel cell along for the piggyback ride, however, the truck’s range climbs to more than 500 miles at an 82,000 lb. combined vehicle weight.
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More than just a range-extender
Honda envisions a world where its hydrogen fuel cell is used in much more than transportation and logistics applications. At the ACT Expo, Honda had a scale mock-up of what a hospital-sized hydrogen backup generator could look like – and hinted that such an installation might soon become a reality.
This is all very normal for Honda
Honda FCX hydrogen fuel cell concept; via Honda.
If it seems weird that Honda is pushing hydrogen so hard these days, it shouldn’t. Honda’s been developing hydrogen fuel cells for nearly forty years, and put its first hydrogen fuel cell car (the FCX concept, above) all the way back in 1999.
Since then, it’s put a number of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles into series production, including the innovative Honda CR-V HFC hybrid that lets you fill the car’s 17.7 kWh battery with electrons at home for up to 29 miles of all-electric driving, then fill up the hydrogen tank for another 241 miles of driving … and they’re not stopping there.
We had a chance to chat with David Perzynski on Quick Charge last year, where he talked us through some of Honda’s hydrogen plans in more detail. You can check it out, below.
Volkswagen of America is recalling nearly 5,700 2025 VW ID. Buzz vans because the NHTSA says the third-row bench seat is too spacious. (For real.)
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the third-row bench is physically wide enough for three people, but it’s only designed to hold two, so it’s only equipped with two seat belts. That mismatch violates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, which covers occupant crash protection. A bench that invites three passengers but only protects two isn’t just awkward – it’s a safety risk. It simply makes it too easy to squeeze that third person in the back “just that once” without a seatbelt, and that’s inviting trouble.
Volkswagen will fix the ID. Buzz issue by having dealers install “fixed unpadded trim parts” that adjust the seat’s usable width, and they’ll do it for free, because recall repairs are always free. It’ll probably be hard plastic on the seat to ensure a third person can’t squeeze in. Owner notification letters are expected to go out starting June 20, 2025.
Volkswagen has reported that, to date, there have been “no field claims known” of safety issues caused by the extra-wide third row bench seat.
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Electric vehicle charging and battery storage specialists Zenobē have inked a deal with Canadian leasing company 7Gen to fund more than 500 commercial EVs and their associated charging infrastructure.
Last week, Zenobē agreed to provide up to $48 million (Canadian) in debt financing to 7Gen to help expand its vehicle-as-a-service electric truck leasing program across Canada.
7Gen supports fleet operators with a comprehensive set of vehicle leasing and financing solutions that cover EV charger deployment, energy management systems, and ongoing operational support for Canadian fleet customers operating electric trucks, vans, and school buses.
Zenobē secured $1.6 billion in equity from its joint majority shareholders KKR and M&G Infracapital to fuel its global expansion into EVs and grid-scale batteries back in 2023. Since then, it’s grown to support more than 2,000 EVs and 120 charging depots across markets in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
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“We’re bringing our innovative funding approach to Canada and specifically to 7Gen,” says Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director of Zenobē. “We see momentum behind decarbonization in Canada’s supportive government policies and the clean, affordable power that will ensure a lower total cost of ownership for zero-emissions vehicles. We look forward to sharing our global experience electrifying over 120 depots to benefit 7Gen, its fleet customers and the wider electric fleet market in Canada.”
That innovative funding strategy is something Steven and I had a chance to discuss this week at the ACT Expo in Anaheim, California. “We’re being very careful in the way we approach the North American market,” he said (paraphrasing). “The market is fairly littered with the graves of other UK EV companies that have tried to find a foothold here and failed, so we’re being very careful about our partners.”
Despite living just a few minutes from his Chicago HQ, I’d never met Steven before this week. He’s a super-interesting guy and you will definitely learn a thing or two about how to build a multimillion dollar energy management company like Zenobē from our upcoming podcast (stay tuned for that). But the news here is 7Gen.
“Zenobē’s debt financing supports 7Gen’s next growth step and allows us to help our customers step up the pace of their EV adoption and benefit immediately from operational cost savings,” says Frans Tjallingii, CEO, 7Gen. “Zenobē’s team is well aligned with ours and we are thrilled to partner to scale our impact in Canada together.”
The company will begin rolling out its Zenobē-funded electric trucks in the coming weeks, with new partners and projects set to be announced shortly.
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