Telluride-Sized, 300-Mile Electric SUV Due Soon
The recent Kia EV9 all-electric concept SUV that debuted in November is apparently being fast-tracked for production, with company bosses claiming the 300-mile production version is coming by the end of next year. Expect it to command a premium over the similarly sized, combustion-powered Kia Telluride when the new EV goes on sale—likely starting around $50,000.
There were heavy hints that something like the EV9 was headed to dealerships sooner than expected when it debuted in L.A. Now, in interviews with MotorAuthority, Kia execs confirmed the EV9 will go into production in the second-half of next year. We can expect the exterior of the concept model to mostly make it to the final production form, according to Chief Designer Tom Kearns, but the conceptual interior will get a much more practical overhaul.
The model is expected to get around the 300 miles of range figure touted at the concept’s reveal, which Kia COO Steven Center told MotorAuthority is the “sweet spot or minimum entry for a larger vehicle” without the weight penalty of a larger battery pack. The EV9 will ride on a stretched version of the Kia EV6’s E-GMP platform with 800-volt fast-charging electric architecture.
The EV6—a much smaller vehicle than the EV9 is anticipated to be—sports 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque. At a 350 kW charge rate, the platform’s battery pack replenishes from 10 to 80 percent in just 20 to 30 minutes.
Given the high demand for the popular Telluride model, it makes sense that Kia is hurrying its efforts to get the EV9 out the door. We don’t see why the automaker wouldn’t try to offer a similar pickup in the U.S., but intense competition, and present market shortages of high-value parts that need to be allocated to Kia’s current plans, may limit future options for the time being—whether it wants to sell a pickup or not.
