KIA ADDS TO EV HOME CHARGING PARTNERSHIP

Kia Motors (UK) Limited has struck new partnerships with bp Chargemaster and Pod Point to offer Kia customers preferential terms for the provision of a homecharge point.

As part of these new partnerships, all Kia dealers are able to offer Kia EV and PHEV owners preferential prices for a home 7kW smart charger and its installation. Taking into account the £350 Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) grant, a “universal” Pod Point 7kW homecharge point costs £509 – a £20 discount versus RRP – while the equivalent bp Chargemaster point costs £549 – a £60 discount versus RRP.

Both products come with a three-year warranty and connect to the internet to provide ‘smart’ functionalities.

The Pod Point charge point automatically manages charging speed to balance electrical load across the household and receives over-the-air software updates which can unlock new features. Drivers can use the free Pod Point App to see their homecharging activity and access over 3,700 public charging bays without membership fees or a subscription.

bp Chargemaster’s charge point comes with a free Smartcharge app to manage one’s homecharge point, and benefits from 24/7 customer support, 365 days of the year.

Charging at home unlocks all the convenience and cost-effectiveness of owning one of Kia’s range of electric and plug-in hybrid models. With several energy companies introducing energy tariffs tailored specifically to electric car owners, customers who charge at home can benefit from very low unit costs during the night – when there is less demand on the national grid. Off-peak rates on certain tariffs can be as low as £0.047* versus standard rates of £0.20* per kWh. This means a Soul EV can be fully charged – delivering 280 miles of range – for as little as £3.

David Hilbert, Marketing Director at Kia Motors (UK) Limited commented; ”With our range of PHEV and full BEV’s growing at such a rate, it’s important that our customers have access to quality charging solutions at home to ensure they are making the best use of their vehicles, being able to charge frequently, quickly and economically. With Pod Point and bp Chargemaster, we believe we have an attractive proposition to complement our range of class-leading plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles”.

In addition to a discount on the homecharge point, bp Chargemaster offers new-car customers two years’ complimentary Polar Plus subscription when they install one of their homecharge points. This unlocks many benefits when charging away from home. The Polar Plus subscription – which normally costs £188 over two years – allows customers to access free or discounted charging at over 7,000 charge points across the United Kingdom.

This offer needs to be redeemed within one month of the vehicle’s registration. With a Polar Plus subscription, customers will be able to charge a Soul EV at 50kW DC for £0.15 per kWh versus £0.25 when paying via the pay-as-you-go Polar Instant facility – a 40 per cent saving. Charging the Kia Soul EV using a 50kW DC charger replenishes the battery to 80 per cent in approximately 1 hour 15 minutes only.

Kia currently offers a wide range of fully-electric vehicles, including the award-winning e-Niro, and plug-in hybrids including Ceed family models, Niro PHEV and soon to launch all-new Sorento PHEV; customers of which can benefit from these preferential partnerships. Outlined in its Plan S strategy, Kia is investing significant efforts into the electrification of its current and future products, with a plan to offer 11 EVs by 2025.