- Kia is celebrating its 80th anniversary
- The automaker has approved an electric conversion of its Pride hatchback
- A pair of 10-kwh batteries provides a range of up to 120 miles on a charge.
Kia turns 80 this year, and to celebrate the automaker's UK arm has approved the electrical re-installation of the humble Pride hatchback.
The EV conversion was done by Electrogenic, a UK company that specializes in fitting classic cars like the Citroën DS with electric powertrains. The Kia Pride doesn't have a DS model, but it was Kia's most important car.
When the company was founded in 1944 as a bicycle parts manufacturer called Kyungsung Precision Industry (the name was changed to Kia Industries in 1952), and produced its first car (Kia Brisa) in 1974, Pride was the Kia has a global presence. . Based on a Mazda design, it was sold in the US as the Ford Festiva from the 1988 to 1993 model years, and arrived in the UK under the Kia badge in 1991.
1996 Kia Pride EV conversion
The donor car was a 1996 Kia Pride 1.3 LX five-door from Kia Heritage UK. The exterior is original—down to the minimum 12 inch wheels-and no permanent changes have been made to the structure, according to Electrogenic, which allows the changes to be changed if necessary.
However, replacing the 1.3-liter inline-4 with an electric motor nets a significant increase in power. The gasoline engine makes 60 hp and 87 lb-ft of torque, but the Pride EV now boasts 80 hp and 130 lb-ft in its Auto drive mode and 107 hp and 173 lb-ft in Sport mode, cuts 0-62. mph time from an initial 19.8 seconds to a reasonable time of about 8.0 seconds. Eco mode, which matches the output of the petrol engine, is available.
Power is still sent to the front wheels by default 5-speed manual transmissionwhich is rebuilt with a working clutch to handle the extra torque from the electric motor. Eco and Sport modes reduce regenerative braking so drivers can make better use of the manual, according to Kia, while Auto mode has more regeneration and drives like a standard EV.
1996 Kia Pride EV conversion
A 10-kwh battery packs-one under the hood and the other under the slightly raised cargo area-provides access 120 miles wide. That's when you drive “reasonably” in Eco mode, Kia notes. The 3.3-kw charger, with its port hidden under the fuel filler flap, can complete a recharge in about six hours.
Even with battery packs, the Pride EV weighs just 1,918 pounds, compared to 1,873 pounds for the stock version. It's another indication that, while maintaining weight with an EV conversion is difficult, it's not impossible. UK-based Bedeo also says its Land Rover EV conversion doesn't pack on the pounds.
Kia isn't the only automaker to resurrect a vehicle from its formative years as an EV restomod. Parent Hyundai did the same with the Pony hatchback—its first in-house design—and its flagship sedan from the 1980s. In 2023 a group of interns at Audi's Neckarsulm, Germany, converted a classic NSU Prinz 4 from one of the automaker's predecessor brands into an EV to mark 150 years of production at the site.