What is Kia K-Charge initiative and why does it make sense for EV6 owners

Kia India on Wednesday announced the launch of its K-Charge initiative for customers of its EV6 electric vehicle (EV) in the country. Promising to simplify the process of charging, the Korean car company highlighted that its K-Charge initiative will cover around 1,000 charging stations across the country.

EV6 is the only EV in the current product portfolio of Kia India. Launched in June of 2022 at a price of ₹60 lakh (ex-showroom), it is also the flagship model and the most expensive offering here. The model comes to India via the import route and around 500 units of the vehicle have been sold so far.

As part of its K-Charge initiative now, Kia says it has collaborated with as many as five charging point operators or CPOs - Statiq, ChargeZone, Relux Electric and Lion Charge, as well as E-Fill charging operators in order to provide the locations of chargers in their network on the MyKia mobile application. The collaboration will allow KiaEV6 owners to view and locate charging points close to them, check available slots and make payments for charging as well. The company says this is especially significant because owners won't have to browse through multiple applications of individual CPOs and instead, find options on the MyKia app itself. “K-Charge is not just a convenience initiative for our customers but a step towards making sustainable mobility convenient and accessible for everyone," said Hardeep Singh Brar, National Head of Sales and Marketing – Kia India. “We strongly believe that the technology transition towards a complete EV future ought to be smooth, and the K-Charge, integrated into the 'MyKia' app, is a well-thought-out step in that direction."

Also watch: Kia EV6: Track Test Review

The Kia EV6 itself has been introduced in two variants - rear-wheel drive as well as all-wheel drive. It has a 77.4 kWh battery pack at its core and an impressive claimed range of around 500 kms. Its styling has also been much appreciated although many have questioned its rather high pricing, especially because Hyundai Ioniq 5 has also been introduced in India and is priced at ₹46 lakh (ex-showroom) while the BMW i4 sedan is at ₹72 lakh (ex-showroom).