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Kia’s Pride EV is a one-off ‘restomod’ anniversary celebration

Integrated electric powertrain comes from specialists Electrogenic.

The Pride EV has been completed restored and changed to battery power by specialists Electrogenic
Kia Pride EV The Pride EV has been completed restored and changed to battery power by specialists Electrogenic (ALEX MITCHELL)
By Jack Evans, PA Motoring Reporter

Kia has celebrated its 80th anniversary with a unique battery-powered take on its iconic Pride hatchback.

Called the ‘Pride EV’, the ‘restomod’ vehicle has been converted to run entirely on battery power by EV specialists Electrogenic. Revealed at the most recent Bicester Heritage Scramble event, the Pride EV gets all of the same plus points as a modern electric vehicle but retains the original car’s boxy dimensions and classic interior.

Fully road-legal, the Pride EV has been completely stripped down and restored from the ground up, with its original ‘Kingfisher Blue’ exterior paint being replaced by the ‘White Peal’ finish that you’ll find on many of Kia’s latest electric vehicles. The front and rear lights have also been upgraded to make them more powerful, too.

The 1.3-litre petrol engine, 37-litre fuel tank and fuel lines have all been shopped out in favour of a small electric motor, two 10kWh battery packs – one at the front and the other at the rear – and a charging port located underneath the traditional fuel filler cap. Kia says that the Pride EV can manage around 120 miles on a single charge while a full top-up should take around six hours.

Kia Pride EV
(ALEX MITCHELL)

Whereas the original 1993 model produced 60bhp, the upgraded Pride now kicks out 107bhp, while torque has risen from 118Nm to an impressive 235Nm. It’s all driven to the front wheels by the original five-speed manual transmission, too, which can be operated in the usual way. Kia says that the Pride EV’s power-to-weight ratio is now similar to many of the popular hot hatches of the 1970s and 1980s, too, with a 0-60mph time of an ‘estimated’ 7.8 seconds when the car is put into a ‘Sport’ driving mode.

An ‘Auto’ mode also allows the car to be driven like a normal electric vehicle. This mode means that the driver can put the car into third gear, press the drive mode button and select ‘Auto’, at which point the vehicle will return stronger regenerative braking than usual which allows the user to drive the car largely with just the throttle pedal alone.