2023-06-11 17:32:00
The Kia Niro is one of the rare cars to exist simultaneously in simple hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and 100% electric. It’s fun to think that they represent so many levels to overcome in the game of sustainable mobility. For example, Béatrice has gone from the hybrid level to that of the rechargeable hybrid. However, she explains to us why she does not intend to go to the 100% electric stage.
Two generations of Niro
From 2016, we expected to see the Niro SUV land in France in simple hybrid and rechargeable hybrid, and hoped that the idea then put forward by Kia of a 100% electric version would succeed. This is what we were then able to see when we went in the fall of 2018 to the inauguration of the Paris – Grande Armée concession dedicated exclusively to electromobility.
Kia is affiliated with the Korean group Hyundai, which also offered the three architectures on the Ioniq sedan, the efficiency of which is well established. Kona, Ioniq 5, EV6, EV9, etc. : By betting at the right time with attractive, high-performance and very well-equipped electrified offers, the 2 brands are driven in France by a progression that many other manufacturers would also like to know. Imagine if there were also rechargeable city cars in the catalog.
The new generation of the Niro has been available since last year. Small coquetry possible with the superior finishes, this body part of another color which makes it stand out in traffic. This is also how the Kia Niro plug-in hybrid from Béatrice looks: mineral blue metallic with ebony black rear pillar.
From Toyota Auris they have Kia Niro
The teacher-documentalist at the hotel school in Guerche-de-Bretagne, in Ille-et-Vilaine, has been driving a hybrid car for several years now, first with a Toyota Auris: “ This is primarily for environmental reasons. I practice walking and cycling. I know what it’s like to be overtaken by a thermal car, especially on a hill ».
Our interlocutor then adopted the hybrid Kia Niro of which she had two copies: “ I had already noted differences between the Auris and the Niro. For example about the triggering of the thermal engine which did not intervene in the same places on my route. I was also able to see improvements on the second Niro hybrid. In particular the possibility of driving up to 80 km/h on electric power by operating with tact ».
Béatrice drives thoughtfully: “ With the simple hybrid, I had a lot of questions about when it was better for me to exploit the operating capabilities on electricity rather than gasoline. ».
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From hybrid to plug-in hybrid
« I had received my second hybrid Kia Niro, in LOA, just after the first confinement due to Covid. It was in May 2020. I kept it for two and a half years », recalls the Breton motorist. It has been driving since January 2023 with the next-generation Kia Niro, this time with a plug-in hybrid architecture.
It almost allows him to cover his 70 kilometers daily for his home-to-work journeys entirely on electric power: “ I only managed to complete the full round trip twice without firing up the gas engine. I estimate the autonomy on the battery at about 65 km “. This performance is also the result of a habit: ” When gas prices skyrocketed, I gave up on the expressways. Which saves me 6 kilometers ».
His copy of Niro PHEV was a show model: ” It had about 1000 km when I received it. “. Five months later, the odometer already shows 11,200 km. Our interlocutor finds nothing wrong with her new vehicle: “ It is quiet and very pleasant to drive. ».
Having the choice between two energies
Since last January, Béatrice has had the satisfaction of not going to a gas station often. However, she would like to be able to benefit from a few extra kilometers on the battery, so that she does not have to use the thermal block a little every day. So why not switch to the electric Kia Niro or another model available on the market?
« I want to always have the choice between two energies. The bi-motorization leaves me until the last moment the possibility of switching to one or the other “. Reasons for this, our interlocutor can line up several.
Already because of a rather unpleasant experience her husband had with a Kia e-Soul: ” He had to make a big trip to Brest and it was in winter. He had plugged in his car on arrival, but charging had stopped. 2-3 years ago, the coverage in terminals was not the same. He had to make a detour via Morlaix. My husband came back with less than 20 km of autonomy ».
This adventure had an impact for him: “ He only kept the electric Kia Soul for a year. Today it went back to gasoline ».
Let’s go back to 1986
The social movements which created some difficulties in fuel supply a few months ago still reinforced Béatrice in her decision to switch to the plug-in hybrid and not to consider moving towards 100% electric.
This asserted position goes back to an event that is almost 40 years old: “ At the end of 1986, there were strikes at EDF. I lived on the 12th floor of a tower and was expecting my third child. I was 7 and a half months pregnant. Since this episode, I don’t want any electricity at all in my home, and above all, I don’t want to depend on an elevator. You can quickly become vulnerable during strikes ».
It’s not just a wish. Our interlocutor has really organized her daily life around the double energy: “ My current home was all electric for heating, we had an insert added. I do have an electric oven, but the hob is gas. For my car, I also want to have this choice. It will never be 100% electric ».
Recharge
Overall, Béatrice’s Kia Niro PHEV will be charged at home. In such a way, however, that the operation is finished before going to sleep. For what ? As a precaution: We had a problem with the wall switch that controls the socket outside. We had put in a power strip and an extension cord. I think the latter was too weak. The fuse did not blow. The switch started to work less and less well ».
The time to regenerate the battery with a plug-in hybrid car can often correspond to the time between returning home and going to bed: ” It takes three hours and 10 minutes to fully power up with the Niro. I prefer to cut before mounting “. Our contact person plans to have a more secure system installed.
His car has already known at least one public terminal: “ We were in the snow at Mont-Dore. There was a charging point in front of the gîte. It was convenient. My husband realized that the price was dissuasive after a while ».
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The Kia universe
The professor-documentalist is really satisfied with her third Kia Niro: “ I’m very happy to have switched to the plug-in hybrid. The car corresponds to what I want, it is comfortable and spacious. Being able to refuel at home is practical ».
As many Kia cars to have passed through the foyer also testify to satisfaction with the brand and the dealership: ” I feel very well at Kia, with a 7-year warranty, and reminder messages that I consider reassuring to improve and make the vehicle more reliable. The Rennes dealership provides very good follow-up. I was offered a session to properly use a hybrid. It took place over an hour of driving. I appreciated that it was individualized, which allowed me to ask a lot of questions ».
With sometimes answers that may have surprised him: Leaving a village, for example, I was advised to arrive at 80 km/h as quickly as possible to consume less in the end. ».
Our interlocutor noted that her car appeals and that many people would be interested in the plug-in hybrid: “ It’s at the level of the price that it stumbles ».
Automobile Propre and I would like to thank Béatrice very much for her excellent welcome and her very interesting testimony.
« You can quickly become vulnerable during strikes “: This sentence uttered by Béatrice during our live interview resonates in me with a particular tone.
The strike at EDF in 1986, I don’t remember. But that of 1995 in public transport, yes. I was then living in Meaux and working in Paris, in the ninth arrondissement. So I had to take the car every day for 25 km to go as far as Sevran, then the bike for the same distance, by the Canal de l’Ourcq, in winter, at night, hoping not to be one of those who end up in the water approaching the bridges without visibility or protection. Same punishment, but in the other direction, in the evening.
This is where I swore to myself to leave the Paris region as soon as possible and no longer depend on public transport. Which became a reality in several stages before the transition to the year 2000, even affecting my professional life. I then became a journalist, abandoning the job of network computer scientist on large Bull systems.
I therefore fully understand the main reason that motivates our interlocutor to support the rechargeable hybrid. I would not necessarily have thought of a case like his before listening to his comments. They prove once again that wanting to fit all motorists into a single mold in the name of sustainable mobility is not the best possible scenario. Each is a special case. Only a plurality of energies is credible to leave no one by the wayside, while effectively reducing the impact of our travels on the environment.
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