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2019 Kia Niro EV starts at $1,500 more than Hyundai Kona Electric

Pricing for the 2019 Kia Niro EV has been revealed, and it has the highest starting price of any Hyundai or Kia electric car that we know the price of right now – assuming the Soul EV won't be pricier. The base price for the Niro EV EX is $39,495 before the federal tax credit. With the credit, the price falls to $31,995. The top trim Niro EV EX Premium jumps up to $44,995 before the credit, and $37,495 after it. For the extra $5,500, the Niro EV EX Premium adds a sunroof, real leather trim, heated and ventilated front seats, eight-inch touchscreen, navigation and wireless phone charging. The standard Niro EV is still well-equipped with standard adaptive cruise control, seven-inch touchscreen, lane centering, automatic emergency braking and blind-spot warning. Each also comes with standard DC fast charging capability. In comparison, the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric starts at $37,995 ($30,495 with tax credit), which is $1,500 less than the Niro. The Kona is a bit smaller than the Niro, though it also offers more range than the Niro with 258 miles versus 239. The Chevy Bolt EV's base price is the cheapest at $37,495, but the tax credit has been reduced for the Chevy to $3,750 – and Chevy isn't dropping the price any to compensate. That means with the credit, the Bolt EV ends up the most expensive of these three at $33,745. The Bolt EV doesn't include DC fast charging as standard, either, and its EPA-rated range is a mile shy of the Niro's.

Kia and Amazon team up to sell at-home electric charging stations

Amazon really wants to be the one-and-only destination you go to for online shopping, and it's edging a little further into the car world with its latest partnership. Kia is teaming with the online retail giant to sell and install Level 2 chargers for your home. To buy the chargers on offer, you'll need to own/lease an electric or plug-in Kia, or at least have one on order. That includes the Niro EV, Soul EV, Niro PHEV and Optima PHEV. Amazon has previously partnered with Audi to offer installation services is preparation for the E-Tron rollout, but this version of the program is framed differently and meant for Kia owners. This is being done in an attempt to make buying and installing these kind of chargers easier. Most folks know and understand Amazon, so buying everything you might need to get an electric car charger up and running from them could be a comforting process. The benefit to this way of acquiring a 240-volt charger is that Amazon sets up the whole installation process. It'll call out an electrician to inspect your house to see if any changes need to be made to support it, then install the charger. A choice of three Level 2 car chargers are being sold through this partnership. The brands include Bosch, ChargePoint and JuiceBox, ranging from most to least expensive respectively. Access to a Level 2 electric car charger will make your life with an electric car all the better. The 2020 Soul EV (shown below) and 2019 Niro EV both get to a full charge in a little more than nine hours on a Level 2 plug versus a long 59-hour wait from a Level 1 charger. You can get by with Level 1 sometimes, but getting home on a depleted battery late at night then leaving early in the morning doesn't work. In these situations, juice at a faster rate is deeply needed. The chargers are available for purchase now. 2020 Kia Soul EV View 11 Photos

Kia Optima Sportwagon spied before Geneva

Kia showed off the Sportspace concept at the Geneva Motor Show this year, and we knew at the time that it previewed design elements that would migrate to the Optima sedan. On top of that, it's keeping its hump to transition into the Optima Sportwagon for what we presume will be audiences outside the US. When we asked Kia about the chance of it coming here, a company spokesman responded: "Right now we don't have plans to bring the Optima Sportwagon to the US but we are continuously studying the market and looking for new opportunities. The all-new 2016 Optima midsize sedan is one of our best selling vehicles and at this time we are focused on its launch in the U.S." Now in prototype form, spy photographers caught engineers testing the Sportwagon out on German roads. The roofline declines as it makes its way to the back, a nod to the concept and a sporty profile. Otherwise design matters appear quite toned down compared to the concept, which shouldn't be a surprise. And in spite of commenters who promised Kia their money if the South Korean automaker would produce the Sportspace with all-wheel drive and something like 400 horsepower, what buyers will really be faced with is front-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with around 250 horsepower. A plug-in hybrid is said to be on the cards, too. Spy shooters said they saw Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo wagons at the Kia test facility, so you know the benchmarks and have more proof that it's not for us. It's expected to make its production appearance at next year's Geneva Motor Show.