2010 Geneva Auto Show: Kia Venga Electric

Although the 2010 Geneva Auto Show is dominated by world premieres of Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche or Lexus, there are several other vehicles that deserve a closer look into its offering. Such an example is the electric Kia Venga, an all-electric plug-in concept car based on the newly-released Venga.

Just as its name suggests, the electric concept is identical to the regular Venga but, instead of a combustion engine, it employs an electric motor that develops 80 kW (107 horsepower) and a maximum torque of 280 Nm. Translate this into performance figures and you get a 0 - 100 acceleration in 11.8 seconds and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h).

Power comes from a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery that provides a maximum range of 112 miles (180 km) per charge. The quick recharging mode allows to restore 80 percent of the battery in 20 minutes, while under a normal mode, the battery is fully restored in 8 hours. The battery is located under the boot floor, while the electric powertrain is placed under the hood, just like a regular combustion unit.

Kia hasn't mentioned whether it really intends to push the electric Venga into production but, given that fact that this represents the first all-electric plug-in model, it probably has some chances to be mass-produced. However, in case such a scenario becomes reality, a two to three years timeframe to see the production version is very possible.