Unlike most EVs, which use a basic electric heater for cabin climate control, the EV9 is equipped with a heat pump for added efficiency.
The heat pump works like a reverse refrigerator: when the outside gets cool, the inside gets warm.
And for even more efficiency, the waste heat of the e-motors and Power Electronics (PE) system is collected and used to heat the cabin.
This reduced energy consumption has a positive effect on driving range, as less electricity is needed to heat the cabin, meaning more battery power can be devoted to driving the car.
“Our goal is to tune the climate system to offer the best compromise between cabin comfort and energy consumption," said Richard Peiler, Group Manager HVAC & PT Cooling at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center.
“We are confident that EV9 customers will experience both a comfortable cabin and a satisfying driving range.”
The EV9 has three rows of seats to accommodate up to seven passengers. Two independent climate control systems create separate climate zones for the driver, the front passenger, and the rear passengers.
It also comes standard with ventilated and heated seats in both the first and the second rows, meaning the EV9 delivers even more comfort to everyone onboard. The wiring of the heated seats has also been improved to be more energy efficient.
“Having two independent HVAC systems doesn’t only increase comfort – it also reduces unnecessary power consumption”, says Gregor Krumboeck, Product Marketing Manager at Kia Europe. “They can save energy by turning off the air conditioning for empty seats, or for passengers who don’t want it.”
During testing, Kia engineers tuned the control algorithm of the climate control to maximise cabin comfort and to optimise power consumption under extremely hot and cold conditions.
The cabin climate control can automatically control the temperature, intensity and direction of air flow, or the passengers can manually adjust them instead.
Kia said the EV9 is the first Kia vehicle in Europe to feature a new climate control panel, improving the user interface as well.
The new panel makes it easier to see and control all climate settings in one click, without needing to open the infotainment sub-menus.
The EV9 also features four new and improved vents in the roof. The vent structure has been updated to optimise air resistance and diffusion angle to heat or cool all second- and third-row passengers evenly.
In addition to the heating and air circulation systems, the air conditioning of the EV9 features improvements as well.
The new after-blow system for the air conditioning reduces condensation build up on the evaporator, preventing the development of bacteria and odours.
It works by detecting if the air conditioning has been used over a long period of time while driving and, if so, using the blower to dry the water which may have built up inside of it. The after-blow system only operates above a certain temperature, meaning it won’t lead to additional battery discharge in winter.
Kia plans to launch 15 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2027, and to grow its BEV sales to 1.6 million units by 2030.
