Korean car manufacturer Kia is preparing for another landmark. After recently revealing a fully electric version of their newest SUV, Niro EV, another important solution towards sustainable mobility has been revealed. What we are talking about here is a new mild hybrid power plant, consisting of a diesel engine that is via belt drive paired with electric starter, doubling as an electric generator and a battery hiding in the boot of the car and working on 48-Volt technology. First car to be equipped with such technology is going to be Sportage.

This technology, which in essence is quite similar to systems, made by other manufacturers like Volkswagen or even Audi and Mercedes is called EcoDynamics+ and is made for several purposes. It will help providing additional power when accelerating or driving uphill, reducing consumption of diesel fuel, thus lowering levels of CO2 and other toxic exhausts. Those are also going to be even smaller thanks to the technology of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), with which cars are also going to be equipped. According to new standard WLTP, mild hybrid should help to reduce toxic exhausts by up to four percent.

New mild hybrid system is just another step, Kia made to achieve cleaner and more environmentally friendly ways of transport. They are already producing regular hybrid cars, plug-in hybrids and fully electric SUV. In the near future – until the year 2025 – they are planning to introduce much more new power plants, 16 to be precise: five regular hybrids, five plug-in hybrids, five battery-driven electric cars and in the end a new, fuel cell-driven electric car.