Kia signs MOU with AP to drive eco mobility

Kia Motors India, the world’s eighth largest automaker, on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state of Andhra Pradesh to collaborate on the ‘Partnership for Future Eco Mobility’. The partnership is to support the Andhra Pradesh government in growing the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) and the development of a local EV infrastructure.

The memorandum was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu and Mr Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and CEO of KIA Motors India in Amaravati. As part of the agreement, Kia Motors has provided the government with three of its global bestselling eco car – a Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid and a Niro EV. Kia is also installing a vehicle charging station at Vijayawada, for representatives from the regional government to charge their new environmentally-friendly fleet.

The partnership signifies Kia’s long-term commitment to build eco-friendly vehicles at its new Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh, an important step for the future of clean mobility in the rapidly expanding Indian market.

“Future mobility will be defined by connected and sustainable technologies that play an important role in bringing customer lifestyles and what’s good for the environment together,” said Mr Kookhyun Shim. “Kia is taking a lead in the global eco-friendly vehicle market, and we are confident of achieving the same in India. This new partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government highlights how we can support the growth of EV infrastructure and uptake of eco-friendly vehicles, bringing exciting new possibilities for future mobility in India.”

The three Niro vehicles provided to the Andhra Pradesh Government include the new Niro EV – a fully electric crossover capable of travelling 455 kilometres on a single charge by Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) combined test cycle. The Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid are already among the best-selling hybrid vehicles globally, employing parallel hybrid powertrains which switch between petrol and electric power – or offer a combination of both, recharging their batteries whenever possible to maximize electric vehicle range.