Kia’s existing EVs in the UK are getting a free over-the-air software upgrade that includes an EV route planner model which automatically detects charging stations along a route and adds them as waypoints.
This new feature developed by Kia can determine if the battery levels aren’t sufficient to reach the destination and will alert drivers to a selection of charging stations around them. Additionally, the car can automatically start the battery conditioning process before it arrives at a station, helping to ensure that it charges as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Kia says the EV route planning mode is based on an algorithm that takes into consideration the state of charge, Live Charging points of interest information, current energy consumption, and even considers factors like topography, weather conditions, and traffic. Part of the update also means that frequently used charging stations will be prioritized in the search.
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This system will be introduced to the current fleet of EV6 and Niro EV models. The car manufacturer has also added a new music discovery service dubbed Soundhound that identifies songs played on the radio and downloads song title and artist information from the server, displaying them on the car’s screen. Kia’s software update also includes new icons and symbols that it says make it easier to navigate.
The software update is available for a plethora of models, including the Carens, Ceed, EV6, Niro, Optima, Picanto, Rio, Sorento, Soul, Sportage, Stinger, Stonic, Venga, and Xceed. The update will be available over-the-air for 2022 model year and later vehicles while those produced before will be able to get the update manually through Kia’s Navigation Updater Portal. All new models will come with the updates.
