The most powerful car Kia has ever made just got even better. Kia upgraded the EV6 GT, its electric sports car, giving it a stylish facelift and even more power. And it’s still one of the most affordable sports cars (gas or EV) you can get your hands on. The new EV6 GT launched in Korea on Tuesday, starting at just over $50,000.

Kia launches the upgraded EV6 GT in Korea

After revealing the EV6 GT in 2022, the company proclaimed it was the “Most powerful Kia production vehicle ever.”

Boasting 576 hp, the electric sports car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Kia put the EV6 GT up against Ferrari Roma and Lamborghini Huracan Evo to prove its prowess, beating both off the line.

Two years later, the electric sports car is already due for a refresh. Kia launched the new EV6 GT in Korea on Tuesday, starting at just over $50,000 (72.2 million won).

With improved front and rear electric motors, the upgraded Kia EV6 GT now packs up to 650 hp (478 kW) and 770 Nm torque when the launch control is active. Without it, the EV sports car still has a whopping 609 hp (448 kW) and 740 Nm max torque.

A Kia official said the upgraded model “will become a new standard that will change the paradigm of high-performance electric vehicles.”

The new standard for electric sports cars

The added power is good for a 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/hr) acceleration in 3.5 seconds. With Kia’s 4th-gen bigger (84 kWh) battery pack, the new EV6 GT has a driving range of up to 220 miles (355 km).

It also gains faster charging speeds. The new EV6 GT can fast charge (10% to 80%) in under 18 minutes with a 350 kW charger.

The electric sports car gains more control and stability with an electronically controlled suspension (ECS) and electronic limited-slip differential (e-LSD) included as standard.

Kia improved the interior with its latest convenience and infotainment features. It also added an 8-way power function to its exclusive EV6 GT sports bucket seats. The new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens is at the center.

Despite the improvements, Kia said it’s “freezing its sales price.” With incentives, the new EV6 GT starts at just over $50,00 (72.2 million won) in Korea.

In comparison, the Ferrari Roma starts at about $245,000, while a Lamborghini Huracan Evo will run you around $215,000. Even the 2025 Porsche Taycan GT Turbo has a starting price tag of $230,000. At $50,000, Kia’s new electric sports car is a steal.

For those in the US, don’t worry. Kia America introduced the updated EV6 last week at the LA Auto Show. The new model features a bigger battery, faster charging, and an NACS charging port to access Tesla Superchargers.

Thanks to a larger 84 kWh battery, the new EV6’s range is up to 319 miles. The GT model gets a slight performance upgrade, with 601 hp, 25 hp more than the previous model. Prices will be announced closer to launch, which is scheduled for the first half of 2025.

With the 2025 model arriving, Kia is offering massive discounts, with current models available to lease starting at just $159 per month. You can use our link to view offers on the 2024 Kia EV6 near you while models are still in stock.

Elon Musk fired back at California Governor Gavin Newsom who said the state might exclude Tesla from a new EV incentive meant to replace the federal one Musk is trying to kill.

The knives are out.

As we previously reported, Trump’s transition team has already been strategizing about how to repeal the Inlfation Reduction Act and more specifically, the updated federal tax credit for electric vehicles.

Elon Musk is supporting the move even though he admitted that it would hurt EV sales in the US, including Tesla’s, but he believes long term it would help Tesla, which has a more competitive cost structure than other EV manufacturers who could fail without the credits – much like Tesla could have failed with them just a few years ago.

Recently, we even learn that Tesla, which lobbied to get the new federal tax credit, is also now lobbying for Trump to remove it.

Yesterday, we reported that California announced that if the federal tax credit does go away under Trump next year, it will step in with its own extra credit to compensate for it.

Governor Gavin Newsom has since elaborated on the proposal to add a market-share limitation criteria for EVs that would exclude Tesla, which has the most EV market shares in the market. The goal is reportedly to “create the market conditions for more of these car makers to take root.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk called the proposal “insane”:

Tesla is the only one making cars in California, so this move hurts jobs in California.

Tesla employs many people in California, especially at its Fremont factory in the Bay Area, but it also employs engineering and design teams in both southern and northern California.

It sounds like Musk, who is lobbying to remove the federal tax credit, believe that Tesla might have to cut jobs in California if this plan is executed.

Electrek’s Take

As you know if you have been following my commentary on Musk using and not using his influence on Trump to advance EVs in the US, I am really disappointed in him pushing to kill the federal tax credit.

It will undoubtedly slow down EV adoption in the US, which is already lagging behind the rest of the world, and it feels like Tesla is pulling the very useful ladder it itself used just as it doesn’t need it as much and other EV companies greatly need it.

That said, I’m not sure I agree with Newsom’s approach here. Before the Tesla exclusion was discussed, I actually tweeted this:

Since the goal is to replace the federal tax credit, I think it makes sense that California would exclude anyone company who is lobying against it, like Tesla, rather than just because of market shares. They are asking for it, after all.

I think it’s a better reason to exclude them than just: you guys already have too high market shares.

You want to slow EV adoption to gain a competitive advantage, then that’s what you get. Musk couldn’t complain about that without being a hypocrite – though that doesn’t seem to be a big concern for him these days.

The Events and Transportation Department at UCLA has secured a grant from the state of California totaling nearly $20 million. The funding will be used to transition the university’s bus fleet to 100% electric vehicles, expand service, and fund California’s first in-road EV charging system with the help of Electreon.

UCLA is one of the more prominent universities in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area and wields its presence in
California by promoting sustainable technologies. The school recently shared plans to electrify its entire campus transit service, BruinBus, in anticipation of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will take place around its home city.

Recently, UCLA announced the award of a grant that will help make its transition to electric buses possible. The grant will also enable the deployment of a wireless in-road EV charging program with Electreon—the first of its kind in California.

California’s first in-road EV charging is coming to UCLA

UCLA Events and Transportation shared details of the new grant from the California State Transportation Agency’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, totaling $19.85 million. The grant was awarded in collaboration with  CALSTART — a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating clean transportation in California, wireless charging provider Electreon.

Currently, UCLA’s BruinBus routes connect students across residential neighborhoods, the Westwood Village commercial district, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, academic buildings, and other facilities around campus.

Per UCLA, the grant will expand its fleet of five all-electric buses and an all-electric passenger van by adding another eight EV buses. Additionally, Electreon will install inductive charging coils below the road along routes on Charles E. Young Drive between the Westwood Plaza intersection and Murphy Hall.

A first-of-its-kind in California, Electreon’s wireless EV charging technology (seen above) will enable electric passenger shuttles and heavy-duty buses to recharge while driving atop those routes. Electreon has already successfully deployed the same technology along routes in Detroit and recently announced an expansion of the services to support commercial delivery vehicles.

Additionally, UCLA will install static wireless charging spots at passenger pick-up and drop-off locations and transit depots, including a new transit hub between the UCLA bus depot and the planned UCLA/Westwood station. Per Clinton Bench, director of UCLA Fleet and Transit:

The new transit hub and extension will be a game-changer for connectivity in Westwood. It will make it easier for everyone to travel between UCLA and key destinations throughout Los Angeles, especially as the city prepares to host the Olympics, thereby fostering a more integrated and accessible urban landscape.

The electrified bus fleets and wireless EV charging areas are expected to be fully operational in California in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.