Kia to Offer Picanto in Battery-Electric and Turbo Three-Cylinder Variants in 2012
By Scott Doggett June 10, 2010
South Korean automaker Kia will offer the Picanto in all-electric and turbocharged 3-cylinder versions in Europe in 2012, according to news reports.
The plug-in electric and turbo tri-cylinder variants will follow the standard, next-generation Picanto, which is expected to go on sale in Europe next year.
The Picanto EV will carry a 50-kilowatt electric motor and a lithium-polymer battery, which is smaller and more powerful than a lithium-ion battery, while the gas-powered version offered about the same time will feature a one-liter, three-cylinder engine generating 110 horsepower.
The electric and fuel-sipping Picantos will continue Kia's green-car efforts. Last year the automaker launched an LPG hybrid version of its Forte C segment model in Korea. It is a precursor to diesel hybrid versions that will come to Europe within the next two years.
Liquified petroleum gas is widely available in South Korea, where it costs about half as much as gasoline. For this reason it is widely used by buses and taxis. The Forte might be the world's first LPG-injection hybrid.
Kia has said that it intends to roll out a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle later this decade. Several are currently on trial in South Korea and the U.S. today.
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This should read 'a 50 kilowatt motor, powered by a lithium polymer battery'
No way has this twice the battery capacity of the Leaf! ;-)
Indeed. Motor, not battery, is 50 kilowatts. Made the change.
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