Driving the Kia e-Niro: Range Anxiety is Real, and Why It Shouldn't Worry You

In celebration of World EV Day, we would like to share a brief experience driving one of the more popular EVs from a mainstream manufacturer. 

The Kia e-Niro is a crossover that shares its platform and electric drivetrain with the Hyundai Kona. As you can see, it looks like a raised hatchback, but its extra height lets you be more versatile and agile on the road. We drove it in Brunei Darussalam, where there is little traffic on city roads and highways. Kia Brunei is not yet selling EVs, and like the Philippines, this tiny oil-rich country has yet to let go of its attachment to fossil fuels. 

The Kia e-Niro nameplate has already moved on to a new generation model with the 2023 Niro EV. Although the 201 hp, 64.8 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack and the single motor have remained intact in the all-new Niro EV,  its Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) range has increased by only 5 kilometers to 460 km. This figure seems decent enough for in-city driving or, at most, quick jousts to Tagaytay or Clark, or maybe an overnight with charging at Subic. 

The Kia e-Niro's Drive

Driving the Kia e-Niro is similar to driving a diesel-fed crossover in terms of torque and acceleration response. You will be pushed back into your seat once the accelerator pedal is pressed. The real difference is the sensation of calm or quietness as you go about your drive.

The Kia e-Niro doesn't exhibit the usual noise, vibration, and harshness metrics we are used to with ICE cars.  No mechanical noises are coming from the engine, and all you will hear inside the cabin is your air conditioner blower, your music, and a soft purr of the electric motor once the car gets going. 

The steering is a little weighted, which can be reassuring as it helps keep the e-Niro steady and straight along the highway. It rides like a typical crossover if a bit smoother, as the weight of the battery pack keeps the car planted on the road even over bumps. 

What's appealing is the Kia e-Niro looks, feels, and operates like a typical subcompact crossover. Physical buttons for climate control still adorn the dashboard, and there is no culture shock when working the buttons and switches. It does not try hard to be modern or flashy, and it's just like any crossover out there but with a different powertrain. 

Will you suffer from range anxiety with the Kia e-Niro?

The short answer is yes. But the long answer is, it depends. You see, owning an EV will change your driving habits. You must factor in your idle time, traffic conditions, and how hard you drive the car when planning trips because an EV can only go as far as its range permits. When we received the vehicle from Kia Brunei, there was about 48% charge in the batteries, which translated to about 220 kilometers of range available.

Our long weekend drive from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan to Kuala Belait was a good 85 kilometers one way. So to ensure we got there and back, I had to charge the car's batteries. Unfortunately, the e-Niro came only with a Level 1 charger that could plug directly into a standard wall socket, which meant it could only do a trickle charge and to achieve 100% charge, it would take 18 hours and 20 minutes.

After being plugged in for 11 hours overnight, we started our drive the next day with a 78% charge and an estimated available range of 341 kilometers. We cruised on the highway at a steady 100 km/h.  And once we arrived at our destination, the remaining range dropped to 243 kilometers. 

After driving around KB and taking photos, we began our trip back to the capital with 233 kilometers available. Without any fast chargers along our route, it became unnerving that the range was falling off at a steady rate. Surprisingly, adjusting the climate control temperature affects the remaining capacity directly. Turning the temperature to a cooler setting would reduce the range figures, and you could see this in real-time on the LCD cluster. So I decided to keep it at a reasonable 23 degrees Celsius for the remainder of the journey.

As we drove on, glances at the remaining range figures made me anxious. From 233 to 217 to 134 kilometers left, we were a long way away from our home. Once we got to the capital for a grocery run, the remaining range showed about 110 kilometers left. I could relax and enjoy the drive again.

Does owning an EV make sense?

What this experience has taught me,  and what we have known all along, is that EV ownership is highly dependent on charging infrastructure. Without an established charging station network, motorists will remain within the ICE realm, and it would not be easy to sway many motorists toward EVs.

Also, having a hard-wired Level 2 charger at home is necessary to reduce charging times. This whole experiment would have been less worrisome had we started with a 100% charge. 

Another factor is not knowing if your EV's range is enough to cover the distance of a trip. Like any vehicle, one has to get used to the car's capabilities to plan better trips. 

If you're planning to buy an EV anytime soon, it would be good to note how you intend to use it. Driving within Metro Manila shouldn't entail much range as you can head home and charge up overnight and top off. But if you regularly go out of town, you might want to wait until fast chargers are already up along highways. Or at least have a Level 2 charger installed at your destination. 

I think Kia and other mainstream brands should soon introduce relatively low-priced models like the Kia Niro EV.  This model's range and lower price point, compared to the new Kia EV6, can spell the difference between EV mass adoption and having showrooms full of expensive accessories for the rich. We don't need high-tech, self-driving EVs. What we need are EVs that are affordable, reliable, comfortable, and work like their ICE counterparts, minus the tailpipe emissions and the high operating costs.

Whether we like it or not, the growing demand for Battery Electric Vehicles is a sign that people's mindsets are shifting toward environmental sustainability. And that they don't want to be dependent on fuel for their mobility. 

As countries introduce measures to wean their motoring populace off Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, there is still resistance to widespread adoption.  Aside from specific economic sectors being affected by the influx of EVs, there is still uncertainty among a majority of motorists who fear that EVs will not give them the range and peace of mind that they had gotten used to with their ICE cars.

While many nations have already introduced legislation promoting the shift to EVs, our country is still languishing at the tail end of the wave. The Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act was for release on September 8th. But this has been pushed back to the 20th. One can only imagine what massaging and lobbying is happening to the document now to serve the whims of a few. We can only hope that, in the end, the final version of the IRR will be in the best interest of many.

We hope that at next year's World EV Day celebration, we can talk more about the many ways motorists can transition to EVs and continue to enjoy the mobility they crave.