{"id":21097,"date":"2022-04-29T12:04:27","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T16:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=21097"},"modified":"2022-04-29T12:04:27","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T16:04:27","slug":"1135718_first-generation-kia-niro-ev-continues-as-zero-emission-taxi-special-for-home-korean-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=21097","title":{"rendered":"First-generation Kia Niro EV continues as zero-emission taxi special for home Korean market"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a redesigned, second-generation 2023 Niro lineup<\/a> ramps up for a fall arrival at U.S. dealerships, Kia isn\u2019t just discontinuing the first-generation Niro EV.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, the much-loved first-gen Niro EV<\/a>, which would likely have been Green Car Reports\u2019<\/em> Best Car To Buy<\/a> had it been more widely available from the start, is seeing a (new) second life as a taxi model\u2014called the Niro Plus.<\/p>\n

To arrive at the Niro Plus, Kia says that it stretched the length of the Niro EV by 10 mm (0.4 in) and its height by 80 mm (3.1 in), with \u201cslimmed-down structures\u201d plus thinner seats and door trims that altogether help expand passenger space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kia hasn\u2019t noted anything different about the Niro EV\u2019s specs, so it\u2019s likely the Plus continues with a single permanent-magnet motor at the front wheels, making 201 hp and 291 lb-ft of torque. A 64-kwh battery pack delivers an EPA-rated 239 miles, although in lower-speed driving it will do better than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Niro Plus versions also get a new All-in-One display that puts taxi functions right on the screen as part of infotainment displays.<\/p>\n

\"Kia<\/p>\n

Kia Niro Plus – purpose-built electric taxi<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Plus isn\u2019t going too no-frills with the package, as it\u2019s not just expected to be for round-the-clock urban cab duty. Kia expects some of them to essentially fill a need as executive cars that will be used for the commute during the week and then retreats or getaways on the weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kia says that the Niro Plus is the brand\u2019s first \u201cpurpose-built vehicle\u201d (PBV) for mobility services\u2014in this case, fleets or taxi operators in Kia\u2019s native South Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Niro Plus precedes a dedicated PBV from Kia due in 2025 that Kia says \u201cwill be similar in size to a mid-sized vehicle, with inherent scalability.\u201d It follows the Ray Van, a \u201csingle-seater van\u201d positioned for small cargo-delivery services\u2014and yes, related to the Kia Ray EV<\/a>, an electric kei-car-like offering for Kia\u2019s home market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Kia<\/p>\n

Kia Niro Plus – purpose-built electric taxi<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Although the Plus is intended for Korea, Kia does note that it will also be available in \u201cselect overseas markets.\u201d And we will soon be seeing even more \u201cpurpose-built\u201d EVs for taxi duty\u2014Arrival\u2019s EV designed for Uber duty<\/a>, for instance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Does a Niro EV-based taxi or ride-hailing car make sense in a lot of the globe\u2019s urban environments? We think so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a redesigned, second-generation 2023 Niro lineup ramps up for a fall arrival at U.S. dealerships, Kia isn\u2019t just discontinuing the first-generation Niro EV.\u00a0 Instead, the much-loved first-gen Niro EV, which would likely have been Green Car Reports\u2019 Best Car To Buy had it been more widely available from the start, is seeing a (new) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-cars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}