Kia Eco Cars 2010 Review - International

Kia Eco Cars

Quick Spin

Kia's not only making a noticeable shift from cheap-and-cheerful to competitive, quality cars. The young automaker also has a stake in what's currently agreed as the best paths to making motoring greener.

While attending the launch of the new Kia Optima we also were given the opportunity to drive the company's hybrid version of the good-looking, well-equipped and spacious midsize sedan.

Kia also has an LPI (Liquid Petroleum gas Injection) and mild hybrid-equipped Forte (Cerato here), and Hydrogen FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) currently demonstrated in its large US-market SUV Mohave model.

These are not pie-in-the-sky vehicles. Kia says it intends offering a production version of Hydrogen FCEVs by 2012 -- in automotive terms that's just around the corner --and the LPI Hybrid Forte is already sold in Kia's domestic market. In the case of the LPI hybrid the volume isn't large due to the premium -- an equivalent of $12K over the conventional offering, engineers told the Carsales Network.

Kia even has a full electric offering in store. During our visit the plug-in setup -- applied for road test purposes to the brand's Picanto light car -- wasn't available to drive. But as noted below, Kia's other green options appear well on the way.

Optima Hybrid
Kia's full hybrid system for the Optima midsizer works much like Toyota's for Prius, however, according to engineers it is simpler component-wise. Kia couldn't specify technical details during the drive program but after some prompting the engineers stated the drivetrain efficiencies related to the use of a conventional six-speed automatic transmission versus Toyota's CVT offering.

The Optima Hybrid uses a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and 30kW electric motor fed by a lithium polymer battery stack. Engineers couldn't tell us the pack's dimensions or how much it weighed. However their argument for lithium polymer batteries (over lithium ion, used by the likes of Nissan for LEAF) includes higher energy density, cheaper production costs and longer life (approximately 10 years) for the LG Chem-manufactured batteries.

At around 30km/h the Optima's IC engine kicks in; much around the same time and task as the Prius. Kia's midsizer moves with the promptness and pep we've come to expect in electric motor-driven vehicles -- immediately and quietly. The main powerplant is a hearty offering in its own right. As mentioned in our Optima drive review, the six-speed auto is a good combination to the 2.4-litre four.

Engineers told us the hybrid system will also be added to the 2.0-litre version for (at least) its domestic buyers.

Braking activates the battery regeneration 'circuit' like other systems but stopping feels natural under foot; without the block-under-the-pedal effect of Honda Civic Hybrid, for example.

System activity -- battery or engine use, and battery regeneration -- is easily read via a screen directly in front of the driver.

Otherwise, judging by the few dashes up and down one of the Namyang facility's flat test pans, all's much the same as what we expect living with the new, conventionally-powered Optima will be like: comfortable and (extra?) efficient.

Forte (Cerato) LPI Hybrid
In this case, the Cerato's four-cylinder engine (a 1.6-litre rather than the Aussie 2.0-litre offering) uses an LPG injection system and parallel hybrid setup incorporating a 15kW electric motor. Drive is via CVT transmission.

The LPI Hybrid offers start/stop function and uses the same regenerative braking system as the Optima Hybrid.

Being a mild hybrid (similar to Honda's IMAE system), the Cerato LPI doesn't take off under battery power alone but the engine is quiet at idle and has good response. Braking immediately activates the battery regeneration system and like the Optima Hybrid, feels normal underfoot.

The start/stop system is quick to activate while stationary and restart is smooth. After a quick spin it all feels like a good set-up and on paper the numbers look good: the standard 1.6-litre petrol-engined Cerato uses over 6L/100km whereas Kia's figure for the LPI hybrid version is 5.6L/100km.

As mentioned, the premium for the Forte/Cerato LPI Hybrid has prevented bigger take-up in its domestic market. This is despite Kia's claim that the cost can be recovered in two years -- at South Korea's price for LPG.

Consumption figures put the Cerato LPI in the same green zone as Prius et al. Thus while the price of LPG (here too) remains less than petrol and diesel, it can easily be argued an LPI Hybrid vehicle has a lower running cost. There are some emission advantages related to burning LPG as opposed to petrol or diesel.

Mohave Hydrogen FCEV
Probably most interesting of the three of Kia's 'green' machines was its fast-developed hydrogen fuel cell offering. Like Toyota's Kluger-based fuel cell tester, Kia has packaged its FCEV infrastructure in a family-sized SUV.

We've said before that the most powerful green motoring options should be first applied to the most power-hungry cars. Putting Kia's hydrogen fuel cell -- good for 115kW and approximately 300Nm -- in the big SUV is a good demonstration of the brand's spread of remedies.

Mazda has tried the hydrogen road with its peoplemover Premacy model but that vehicle burns the gas in a rotary engine and then powers a generator which supplies electric power to the motors that drive the vehicle. Kia's hydrogen vehicle is a true fuel cell offering -- like the abovementioned Toyota and Honda's FCX Clarity.

Kia's says its Mohave FCEV 'prototype' is close to production. The Korean brand says -- availability of hydrogen fuelling stations aside -- it wants to commence mass-producing hydrogen FCEV models by 2012.

The Mohave FCEV has a 202-litre hydrogen fuel tank located underneath the car, leaving rear cargo room available (unlike the hydrogen Premacy with its tank in the third row area). Apart from the energy feed gauge in the instrumentation display the fuel cell car looks exactly like the usual Mohave/Borrego on sale in markets like North America.

Start-up is silent aside from some barely discernible clicking noises (presumably from the activation of various fans and the like) and take-off is equally quiet.

The big SUV gets quickly up to speed and drive is super smooth.

Energy is returned under braking to a super capacitor rather than the lithium-poly battery stack used by the Optima and Forte hybrids. Engineers told the Carsales Network the benefits of using a super capacitor include no delay in power assistance, more power and stability in operation.

The Mohave FCEV test car is well sorted and appears close to production-ready. No doubt Kia can meet its 2012 deadline for mass-produced hydrogen-fuelled cars; aside from the cost of fuel cells (a substantial issue in its own right), the issue is fuelling hydrogen FCEVs.

Engineers admitted currently "only half a dozen" fuel stations in South Korea can serve hydrogen-powered vehicles.

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