Hands-on: The Kia EV9 is huge, but its backseat and frunk are not
The LA Auto Show is in town, and we got a chance to hop in the EV9 and see how big this three-row EV really is. It turns out, from the inside, it was smaller than expected.
This isn’t a full review, first drive, or even a first ride. All we got to do was check out a stationary version of the car up close on the show floor. Kia invited us out a few months ago to check out the EV9 but when we got there, the demo model we were to view was broken.
The main question that we think people will have about this car is: does it fit three rows worth of adults comfortably? And from our short experience, it feels like the answer is no.
The conditions of the impromptu test involved several members of the media climbing into the car to see how it felt. The EV9 in question was a 6-seat “captain’s chair” configuration, where the second row includes two chairs with armrests and a passthrough in between for access to the third row without having to fold the second-row seats down. For the record, I like this configuration and I think it is the most common on the Model X.
When I hopped into the car, there was a relatively small woman in the third row, and I asked if I could join. So I, a 6′ tall man (who nevertheless fits into small seats relatively well – I drive a Tesla Roadster, for example), got back there and had a seat, and the second-row seat was positioned way too far back to be comfortable. After adjusting the second-row seat approximately to my liking (which I could do by reaching around to the side electronic seat controls from behind – it wasn’t the easiest reach, but it was doable), a shorter person sat in the 2nd-row seat in front of me.
In this configuration, all three of us were unimpressed with the amount of space that we had. Despite having moved the seat forward, I didn’t really give myself a particularly spacious knee area, just the bare minimum. And the man in front of me was unenthused about the amount of room that he had.
As for my third-row-mate, the captain’s chairs had a post connecting to the floor of the vehicle right around where either of us in the back would have put one of our feet. The choices were either to twist our bodies unnaturally outward to put both feet underneath the second-row seats, or to leave one foot in between the second-row seats, wherein we ended up fighting for foot space. There was enough foot space for the both of us, but our feet were close enough that it felt like a game of footsie could break out at any moment.
All of this experience can’t really be summarized perfectly well in pictures, but I did take a couple just to give an idea of what was going on.
Even though the three of us did fit, it really didn’t feel like it would be comfortable for a particularly long ride.
Not long after, I walked over to the Lucid Gravity booth, and while I wasn’t able to sit in the third row seat of that vehicle, Lucid assured us that it has much more room in the seats. But then, every company says its cars have lots of room. It should be an interesting comparison when we get the chance, given that the Lucid is 1 inch longer than the EV9, so they fit into the same category.
As for other impressions – the dashboard was nice, striking a good balance between the spartan interiors that I love (Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Ioniq 5) and those that offer a lot of functions and buttons. However, we didn’t really spend time in the front seat, because the back seat was of far more interest given that the third row is a big selling point.
The frunk was bigger than the frunks we’ve seen on other Kia vehicles. The latter are quite small, with room perhaps for a messenger bag or some charging cables. The EV9’s was much deeper, but compared to a Rivian or Model X, it’s not all that big.
Personally I’d prefer more rear/interior space over more frunk space anyway, and I think a lot of people might agree with that, since frunks tend to be used a lot less than trunks do. But then again, that’s because a lot of other frunks are bad, so why use it if it’s not great.
And if the car already has a big hood, might as well give us room to store things if we want it. I’m not going to say that Kia entirely missed the mark on this frunk, and it feels less tacked-on than frunks from less serious EV brands, but it seems like it could be better. And it’s certainly not as well-thought-out as the Lucid’s frunk, as far as we’ve seen anyway.
Finally, the EV9 display showed the potential to use the car for V2H. While Kias already have 1.9kW V2L capacity, the EV9 will be capable of V2H with an external unit from the company Wallbox. Kia told us this would be capable of 4-5kW (we didn’t get a specific number yet), and could power a home for multiple days off the car’s giant 76.1/99.8kWh battery (depending on options).
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
The Canadian home improvement chain picked up a pair of Volvo VNR Electric semi trucks, and it’s putting them to work on last-mile delivery routes in the Greater Toronto Area.
This month, the Canadian home improvement retailer Home Hardware began operating two Volvo electric semi trucks out of its St. Jacobs, Ontario truck depot. The pair of trucks will fulfill last-mile deliveries throughout the area, and mark the company’s first step towards transitioning its entire fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
The Volvo VNR trucks have an operating range of 442 km (about 275 miles). Their delivery routes will take them from Home-brand stores within a 100-150 km (about 90 miles) radius of the St. Jacobs distribution centre.
“We are proud to introduce our new battery-electric trucks to our privately-owned fleet,” said Kevin Macnab, president and chief executive officer, Home Hardware Stores Ltd. “Recognized by the Private Motor Truck Council as Safest Large Fleet, as well as Trucking HR Canada as a Top Fleet Employer and a Fleet of Distinction, Home Hardware Stores, Ltd. is committed to forward-thinking logistics that evolve our supply chain to best support our dealers so they can serve their communities.”
Home Hardware debuted their new Volvo VNR Electric trucks at the company’s 60th anniversary celebration and annual franchise event, the Home Hardware Homecoming, held last week in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Electrek’s Take
Home Hardware is the latest in a growing list of companies – and they’re already adding to the tally of tens of millions of all-electric, zero emission miles driven by Volvo customers. By the time Volvo rolls out its next-generation VNL and FH electric semis next year, it will be the company’s third generation of Class 8 EVs, and it will be backed by more than 100,000,000 miles of real-world data collected by thousands of trucks across dozens of companies.
Is that an insurmountable head start for companies like Tesla to make up? It’s hard to know (and my brain is broken, anyway), but I invite you to check out this episode of Quick Charge recorded a few weeks ago (below) talking about Volvo Truck’s lead, and then share your take on the state of the electric semi truck market in the comments.
Quick Charge
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Trucks.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
The newest edition to the CAA-Quebec roadside fleet is a fully electric Lion5 flatbed – and the CAA says it’s the first 100% electrique tow truck in service in North America!
Based on the Lion5 medium-duty truck and upfit with a flat bed body developed by XpaK Industries, CAA-Quebec (think AAA, but in Quebec) is marking an important milestone in its 80-history with the deployment of the first electric tow truck in Canada.
“Roadside assistance has always been in CAA-Quebec’s DNA, and it goes without saying that we are taking the lead in electric towing. We have a responsibility to set an example and take a leadership role in protecting the environment,” said Marie-Soleil Tremblay, president and CEO.
As far as the truck itself goes, the Lion5 chassis is packed with 210 kWh of in-house, 800V battery packs. Those are good for a range of up to 310 km (a touch over 190 miles) courtesy of an energy-efficient, high-torque electric motor putting 315 hp that Lion Electric claims can eliminate between 75 and 100 metric tons of greenhouse gas per year compared to a comparable diesel truck.
What’s more, the Lion5-based tow truck promises to reduce CAA-Quebec’s energy (read: fuel) costs by about 80%, and regular maintenance costs by about 60% compared to gas or diesel vehicles in the same class.
“With this new 100% electric, made-in-Quebec tow truck, we are helping to redefine the future of the towing industry,” said Patrick Gervais, VP Trucks and Public Affairs at Lion. “We are proud to be part of a cleaner and more sustainable future with players like CAA-Quebec and XpaK.”
The Lion5 tow truck was delivered in July, and will spend a year being put through its paces in a multitude of towing situations and extreme weather conditions. CAA-Quebec’s roadside assistance service will share its experience with partners throughout Canada and the AAA in the US.
Electrek’s Take
“Electrek’s Take” is where we put our industry experience to use interpreting the news we report. Here, in an article about a “first ever” new commercial segment being entered by a highly visible EV, I probably should be talking about operating costs, “dollars and sense,” and the importance of stabilized costs for a fleet manager’s projections.
Instead, I’m just going to picture some bro-dude’s lifted 4×4 Ram pickup getting hauled out of a parking spot he’s ICE’d and giggle a bit. You try it, too, and let me know if it made you smile in the comments section.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Lion Electric, via TowCanada.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Best known in the US as the OEM behind Nikola, Italian truck brand IVECO entered the 2.5 to 3.5 ton medium duty commercial van segment at this week’s IAA Transportation conference with this: the eMoovy electric chassis cab.
Co-developed with Hyundai and riding on a modified platform of the Korean brand’s Staria ST1 van, the IVECO eMoovy is entering a red-hot commercial EV space with a 215 hp electric motor and either a 63 kWh or 76 kWh battery good for up to 199 miles of range.
The IVECO version leverages the Hyundai’s excellent 800V architecture. That means the eMoovy supports ultra-fast 350 kW charging and V2x functionality, so it can be used to back up a job site, supply power to workers, or even power a home (presumably).
A long time coming
We’ve known than a commercialized IVECO version of the Hyundai van (which isn’t sold as an EV, that I’m aware of) has been in the works for some time. In fact, Peter Johnson wrote about the 2022 deal way back in February.
In that article, Peter wrote that, while Hyundai would develop and build the chassis, IVECO would customize the electric vans to suit broader commercial markets and distribute the vehicles throughout its network. If that sounds familiar, that’s because (on the surface, at least) the deal seems pretty similar to the one IVECO has with Nikola … which begs the question: will Nikola get an eMoovy variant to sell in the US?
The new electric van will directly target Ford E-Transit customers in Europe, so there’s no reason to believe it won’t be an attractive alternative for commercial fleets on this side of the pond, as well – especially with the “big rig” street cred that could come with the Nikola association.
Electrek’s Take
The commercial EV market is driven by dollars and cents. If EVs have a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than their gas or diesel counterparts? They’ll continue to sell, and their market share will continue to grow. The only question Hyundai and IVECO need to answer is whether North American truck buyers be more likely to buy a Hyundai-branded van, or a Nikola one.
We asked a similar question to Kia’s James Bell on Quick Charge a few weeks back. Listen to his response to those questions, below, then share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Kia’s James Bell on Electrek Quick Charge
SOURCE | IMAGES: IVECO, CarScoops.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports6 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports11 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company