January 17, 2023 – Kia is enhancing its EV charging services in Europe through a new partnership with &Charge, a pioneering EV charging platform that combines smart user engagement with value-added services. As one of the first manufacturers to offer access to the &Charge platform, Kia’s latest partnership will support its ambition to remove obstacles impeding the growth of e-mobility – for example by further cutting the cost of all-electric driving for its customers.
The innovative &Charge service allows users to collect EV charging credits (‘&Charge Kilometres’) that can be used on the Kia Charge App to pay for public charging sessions, reducing total cost of ownership. Credits are earned by providing feedback on the quality of the charging experience, and by shopping online with more than 1,500 &Charge partner stores.
“As we expand our EV offering, it is important that the charging network offers the same accessibility and quality of experience that our customers have come to expect from our state-of-the-art EVs,” said Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President Marketing & Product, at Kia Europe. “Collaboration with the &Charge service platform can only strengthen our ability to meet this objective.”
Improving European charging infrastructure
In addition to improving the affordability of EV ownership through its sustainable bonus programme, &Charge offers the chance to make the charging experience more effective and reliable in Europe through regular feedback. As &Charge App users, Kia customers can provide real-time input on individual charging station performance. This crowd-sourced data is then used to help charge point operators verify issues and quickly improve the reliability and user experience at their public charging stations.
“By providing feedback, Kia customers will not only earn &Charge Kilometres to use on public charging via the Kia Charge App but also help to ensure that the public charging infrastructure is operating at the level required to ensure progression of the e-mobility movement,” adds Knipping.
The Kia &Charge service will initially be available from December 2022 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Spain, and the UK, and during the first quarter of 2023 in Czech Republic and Poland.
Kia will launch a line-up of 14 fully electric models by 2027, in line with its ‘Plan S’ strategy. Next year will see the production-ready debut of the highly anticipated EV9 SUV. This new model is based on Kia's Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and will usher in a new era of sophisticated, high-tech, sustainable mobility for Kia.
