Kia UK & Electrogenic Create One-off Electric Restomod to Mark Brand's 80th Anniversary

Kia UK has revealed the Kia Pride EV, a unique ‘restomod’ built especially to mark the company's 80^th anniversary. The Pride EV is a collaborative project between Kia and British EV powertrain and conversion specialists Electrogenic.

The EV is based on a 1996 Pride 1.3 LX five-door donor car from Kia UK’s heritage fleet.

The upcycled Pride EV introduces a fully electric powertrain – with high power, instantaneous torque and zero tailpipe emissions/

The original five-speed manual transmission and drive shafts retained to ensure maximum driver engagement.

The conversion from petrol to electric power was carried out by hand in the UK. 

The first step of the conversion was to remove the 1,324cc engine, 37-litre petrol tank, fuel lines and filler neck.

These have been replaced with a compact electric motor, twin 10kWh battery packs, and a charging socket beneath the filler flap..

The motor and transmission is powered by twin battery packs, totalling 20kWh in capacity.

The front 10kWh battery pack is fitted under the bonnet, with the second 10kWh pack housed beneath the slightly raised boot floor.

 New electronic technology introduced into the Pride includes Electrogenic’s proprietary vehicle control software, and their in-house designed ‘DCU’ electronics to control the original Pride dashboard.

In a press release, Kia UK states: 'The Pride EV is the result of an advanced and highly bespoke set of design and manufacturing methods. While the donor car was built on a production line at Gwangmyeong in South Korea almost 30 years ago, the conversion to turn it into a Pride EV was completed at Electrogenic’s facility in Kidlington in Oxfordshire, UK'.

Globally, Kia will offer a range of 15 EV models by 2027.