Kia has said that the company is ramping up EV efforts by joining in on a commitment to mass produce fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) by the year 2015. We hear at Tom Dolan's Reno Kia believe this move is an indication that Kia is going greener in the sense of environmental responsibility that is.
Back in 2003, Kia actually started cranking its FCEV cogs with an experimental Kia Sportage variant. Since then, the creative minds at Kia have advanced the technology and come out with an FCEV offering that can tackle over 4 hundred miles on a tank of hydrogen. In mileage terms, this puts the Borrego FCEV at a 54 MPGe.
In addition to crossing any low-mileage range problems off the list, Kia engineers can successfully say they've solved safety issues as well. Now, the largest issue at hand would be the need to offset extra costs incurred by building the advanced electric machines. The answer? Mass production.
As part of an effort to truly launch FCEVs into the thriving automotive market, Kia has joined a handful of others in a promise to pump out such autos at high volume by the middle of the decade. Specifically, Kia plans to produce 10,000 FCEV models by 2015 and then quickly move up to 100,000 after that.
Can you see a Kia FCEV cruising around the Reno area come 2015? At this point in time, details surrounding the introduction of such models are vague. Likely the automaker will begin testing in Europe first.
No matter which direction Kia goes, be sure to keep an eye on our new Kia vehicle blog for the latest updates and swing by 9455 South Virginia St in Reno with any questions.