Kia EV6 might be getting all the attention as one of the best EVs in the market if not in the history of EV, but Niro EV isn't all that bad either! Two spectacular EVs from one manufacturer! What will be your choice?
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Now that the long-awaited Kia EV6 is finally ready to make its introduction in the US, the anticipation and the excitement are going through the roof.
And there are many reasons to be excited about it. Including its newly released lower-than-expected price, and the outstanding EPA published range. However, there also exists a gloomy forecast of supply issues, similar to what we are currently experiencing with the IONIQ 5.
We will explore the reasons why the Kia EV6 may be one of the best electric cars to be introduced in the EV history, and find out what to expect when it’s finally released in the US and Canada after a long wait, as the waiting can be even longer after the official release.
As a non-EGMP EV, and thus less publicized model, the all-new Niro EV will attract far less attention, and therefore should be more readily available to purchase
The first reason to be excited about the EV6 is the price. With the impending release just around the corner, Kia has officially announced the price for the US, and it's far lower than what has been expected, with the most basic rear-wheel-drive standard range model starting from $40,900, a tad more than the IONIQ 5 counterpart, but less than $45,000 originally anticipated and certainly a lot less than competitors such as Tesla Model Y, which now starts from $60,990, as only the long-range version is now available. The equivalent 321 hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive, 77.4 kWh battery long-range version of the EV6, will sell for $10,000 less than the Tesla Model Y at $50,900, which represents an incredible value. If you prefer the model that would give you the longest range, the 225 hp single motor rear-wheel-drive long-range model, with the same battery will set you back $47,000. The standard range model with a 58 kWh battery, will only come as a single motor rear-wheel-drive configuration, with 168 hp, which has the MSRP of $40,900 as mentioned but can be reduced to $33,400 after the $7,500 federal vehicle tax credit.
It's not only beautiful, the EV6 also offers one of the best values.
This makes the EV6 one of the best-priced EVs in the market for models that have a range that exceeds 300 miles, which brings us to the topic of the second reason, the range.
Recently, EPA has released its official range certification for the EV6, and it’s also far greater than it was expected. At 310 miles, it even exceeds the IONIQ 5’s EPA figure of 303-miles, which was tested earlier, even though the platform sharing IONIQ 5 has the same battery and drivetrain, despite the fact that the EV6 actually weighs more by nearly 200 pounds. This is thanks to improved efficiency that engineers were able to implement into the EV6 since the introduction of the IONIQ 5, which has been released a few months earlier, and we expect that the range would increase even further at later date, with products like IONIQ 6 to be released in the summer.
The EV6 drives farther than its competitions, like nearly identically priced VW ID4 with an only 260-mile range, and even beats out 300-miles Ford Mach E, which has a higher starting price. It’s a bit shorter than the Tesla Model Y Long Range’s 330 miles that cost $14,000 more, but knowing that Hyundai Kia EVs tend to fair a lot better than the EPA range, certainly make it promising, with reports of the equivalent IONIQ 5 attaining up to 600 km or 373 miles in real range. Also, Hyundai Motor Group EVs with their innovative heat pumps, are also known to perform better than competitors such as Tesla in cold temperatures as well, and with the addition of the battery preconditioning feature, the charging speed would not suffer greatly either.
Tesla Model 3, VW ID.4, and Ford Mach E are some of the eV6's key competitions. (For more info: https://youtu.be/Ziu49kQzB7Q)
The third reason why EV6 might be the best EV that you can buy, is its amazing charging speed. Like the other EGMP based EVs, the ultrafast charging speed of the EV6 is obviously the greatest strength of the 800-volt charging architecture-based EV6, with its blazingly fast 18-minute charging time of 10 to 80%, compared to 30 minutes to 1 hour for the competition.
Fourth and the last reason, but maybe the most important reason is its availability, as Kia’s first-ever dedicated electric vehicle will be available in all 50 states, unlike the IONIQ 5, which is currently available in a select few states, consisting mostly of the CARB ZEV states with a few more scattered around. Also, Kia dealers are well equipped and trained to handle the servicing of EV6, as Kia is more experienced in EVs with years of a head start over Hyundai, with the introduction of Soul EV in 2014, compared to Hyundai’s introduction of the original IONIQ EV hatchback in 2017. 725 of Kia’s 776 US dealers are EV-certified, meaning they are fully trained and equipped to service EVs, as well as having no less than 4 level-2 chargers within the premise.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that all Kia dealers will be fully stocked with the EV6s when it's finally released, unfortunately.
Only 1,500 EV6 First Editions were available to the lucky few. (For more info: https://youtu.be/Ziu49kQzB7Q)
If you are not one of the lucky first 1,500 people that have reserved the EV6 First Edition back in June of 2021, you might be in for a long wait. The First Edition EV6, which retailed for $58,500 with a long-range 77.4 kWh battery, and 320 hp all-wheel-drive power electric system, was sold out in a matter of hours when it was available to the public back in June 2021. And after the initial release, the wait on the production of the highly desirable Korean-made EVs could be incredibly long, unfortunately. According to sources in Korea, the estimated wait time is now an incredible 13 months until you can get your hands on the car if you were to place an order right now.
This is mainly attributed to the chip shortage problem, as it’s lasting longer than it was originally expected, and fact that the state-of-the-art EVs like the EV6 require up to 500 semiconductor chips to produce, compared to only 200 required for the conventional ICE vehicles.
To find out more about Hyudai's future plans for the batteries and semiconductors, please check out our feature video. (https://youtu.be/yHs3LiAzTe8)
In particular, it’s reported that Hyundai’s inventory of MOSFET chips that control electricity flow, and are more needed in the production of electric cars, in particular, are at a critical level adding to the production problem even further. Until now the supply problem was mainly attributed to the more commonly used MCU or Micro Control Unit, but as the demand for the EVs increased exponentially, the semiconductor crisis is taking a turn for the worse.
To resolve this problem, Hyundai has recently created a new department that oversees procurement of all semiconductors used in its vehicles, by amalgamating independent chip purchasing activities that were taking place at the sub-department levels. Hyundai hopes that this reorganization will create synergy by maintaining a better long-term chip strategy and gaining greater purchasing power.
If you can't wait for the EV6, Niro EV may be easier to get. (For more info: https://youtu.be/Ziu49kQzB7Q)
One of the new action plans is to work with other automotive manufacturers, as well as the electronics industry to operate a swap program that shares surplus chips between companies. Although experts expect that the automotive chip supply problem will be resolved by 2023, the future is uncertain as the chips that are used in automobiles are not exclusive to cars or EVs, but are used by all industries such as electronics and high-tech companies like smartphone manufacturers, and therefore hard to predict the overall demand. This is the reason why the new semiconductor department of Hyundai is also considering producing its own chips through its semiconductor development subsidiary called Autron.
For more detailed information on Hyundai’s plan for chip and battery manufacturing, please refer to our feature video, which also talks about the strategic partnership with its arch-rival Samsung.
The all-new Niro EV offers excellent new design inside and out that rivals EV6. (For more info: https://youtu.be/Ziu49kQzB7Q)
The long and the short of it is that, until the chip supply issue is resolved, the long wait for the EV6 will continue.
However, another option might be to consider alternatives. One example is the upcoming all-new Niro EV, which is going into production in April 2022 with the expected arrival in the US later on in the year. The latest Niro EV offers just about every feature in the EV6, including the stylish interior that’s near duplicate of the EV6’s, all at a lower price and more practical boxier shape. It’s based on the latest 3rd generation platform known for its strength and lightness, so you know that it will be more nimble and fun to drive than the model that it replaces, while maintaining the excellent power electric system that’s rated at 201 hp, and powered by the 64 kWh battery, that offers 239 mile EPA range or real range of up to 300 miles, which makes it actually more powerful and longer driving than the equivalent standard range EV6, with only 168 hp and 58 kWh that renders 232 miles of EPA range.
As a non-EGMP EV, and thus less publicized model, the all-new Niro EV will attract far less attention, and therefore should be more readily available to purchase, as is the case with the current Niro EV, which still tops the sales chart in Europe as one of the bestselling electric vehicles, in the countries like the UK. So, reserve your copy of the upcoming Niro EV now, as the words may get out as to how great the car is.
For more in depth information on the upcoming all-new Niro EV, please check out our feature video. (https://youtu.be/Ywq0J_1DLWg)
In fact, in Korea, Kia has closed reservations on this year’s allotment of approximately 20,000 units within 3 hours of opening the system. When Niro EV is released in the US at the end of the year 2022, the estimated starting price will be $42,000, which would put it right in between the standard range and the long-range EV6s. For more information on the upcoming Niro, please check out our feature video on the subject.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Ziu49kQzB7Q
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