Kia's mysterious restomod is a Pride EV
More than 100hp, a five-speed manual and twin battery packs for Kia's latest one-off
Kia has worked with Electrogenic - the company behind the battery powered DeLorean - to convert its heritage fleet Pride into an EV. It was revealed at the Bicester Scramble yesterday, marks Kia’s 80th anniversary, and is described as ‘somewhere between a curio and a plaything’.
Naturally, power has climbed quite a bit, the original 60hp/87lb ft 1.3-litre four-cylinder replaced with a motor that can deliver maximums of 108hp/173lb ft. Power comes from a pair of battery packs, split into 10kWh under the bonnet and 10kWh under the boot floor for best weight distribution, with the five-speed manual retained also with an upgraded clutch. Kia reckons the Pride EV can scoot to 62mph in eight seconds with its Sport mode enabled, or eke out 120 miles from its 20kWh in Eco mode. Weight has only climbed 20kg to 870kg, with balance improved thanks to the location of the battery packs. And yes, they are still 12-inch wheels with very narrow tyres - it should be a hoot.
Obviously this isn’t going to charge like an EV9, the Pride EV said to take around six hours for a full blitz from a conventional plug or your wallbox, aided by a 3.3kW onboard charger. Where the Pride is a little more like new Kia EVs is in the colourway, with a respray in White Pearl and Lime Green accents through, as per the EV6 GT. Neat.
Using Electrogenic’s proprietary ‘DCU’ electronics, moreover, means the Pride’s original dash can be retained and functions with the new powertrains. Throttle is now by wire for even sharper responses. And as with all other Electrogenic builds, nothing is cut or welded to make batteries and motors fit; the Pride EV could have its transplant entirely reversed.
The ‘socket rocket’ has an Auto drive more alongside Eco and Sport. Auto is said to be more like a conventional EV (where the other two feature minimal regen, to complement the manual and make it feel more like an ICE) with around 75 per cent of maximum power and torque. It also limits top speed as Auto requires third gear; Kia says it’s the ‘mooching around town mode’, with Eco there to squeeze out every last mile and Sport ‘ideal for overtaking in the right conditions, or lunching the car’s front tyres in the wrong ones.’ Crikey. Should be fun getting the full suite of performance stats later this year.
What happens with the Pride now isn’t quite clear. There are lots of serious sentences at the bottom of the press release about how this is a one-off project that doesn’t influence future strategy (duh) and how many production EVs are coming by the end of 2027 (many). But presumably this remains a Kia Heritage Fleet car; we know from the DeLorean drive, too, that Electrogenic conversions work a treat. It’d be rude not to have a brief go, right? We’ll keep you posted.
"....eke out 120 miles from its 20kWh in Eco mode"
6 miles per kWh for a boxy classic conversion with 80's aero is challenging to believe.
"....eke out 120 miles from its 20kWh in Eco mode"
6 miles per kWh for a boxy classic conversion with 80's aero is challenging to believe.
(Says the owner of a typical 2.4t 'family' EV)
This thing is awesome, just needs fast charging and you'd be back out tearing around in minutes!
Enjoyed it, easy to drive, simple controls, went well, sipped fuel, handled ok, plenty of headroom during the period when headroom was vanishing rapidly, and some of the best all round visibility this side of a square Forester, what more do you want from a runabout.
The only downside i recall was the rear dampers weren't up to the job, similar to Puntos of the period.
Against the backdrop of most of us seemingly nonplussed / depressed at another intangible 1,000+bhp hypercar, this seems the perfect tonic. Well played Kia, this is a great news story simply because it has no weight behind it at all, it’s just good fun.
The manual box with EV is also a big step in the right direction for enthusiasts.
I like it.
It epitomises my idea of the ideal EV: small, light, cheap, with limited range for city use. Leave the ICE cars for the longer journeys.
I wonder how much the install cost and whether I could do the same to our old Fiat Panda?
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