Renewable Gossip

The Kia Naimo Concept.

Last week, Kia Motors brought its 5-door, 4-seat Naimo electric sedan concept to the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The car is the Korean automaker’s third electric vehicle to debut in roughly a year?the other two being the already-released Kia Ray EV and the Kia Pop concept, which was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 2010. According to the Kia, the electric Naimo Concept “explores the possibility of introducing a zero-emissions, five-door, four-seater city car” in the near future.

Power for the Naimo comes from an electric motor with a maximum output of 107 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. The highway-capable Naimo has a listed top speed of 93 miles per hour and its 27-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack supposedly provides up to 124 miles of range. The Naimo is quick-charge capable?charging in 5.5 hours under normal conditions?and is described as a fully working prototype representing Kia’s vision for the future.

At the show, Michael Sprague, Kia’s vice-president of marketing and communications, detailed that vision:

“Where the Naimo EV concept looks into the future of zero-emissions vehicles from Kia, the Ray EV is the first realization for the brand and represents exciting new possibilities for the future in the North American market.”

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