Kia’s first hybrid in North America is the 2011 Optima mid-size sedan.
Starting at $30,595, the company says it is aimed at drivers looking for a well-equipped sedan that doesn’t sacrifice style comfort or performance for the sake of fuel efficiency. The company says its Optima Hybrid can attain impressive fuel economy numbers, both, during highway and city driving, achieving 4.9 and 5.6 litres per 100 kilometers respectively.
Kia says its newly-developed powertrain includes innovations that provide “exceptional” hybrid performance and efficiency. The 2011 Optima Hybrid uses a parallel hybrid system and can be driven in zero emission mode, and/or in blended gas/electric mode.
“The introduction of the Optima Hybrid to the Canadian market in 2011 marks a significant milestone for Kia in our current design-led transformation through the enhancement of world-class technology,” said Maria Soklis, Chief Operating Officer Kia Canada Inc. in a news release. “The hybrid offering also further entrenches our positioning as a responsible car company that will continue to provide Canadians with environmentally-friendly, world-class vehicles.”
Lithium polymer battery
The Optima Hybrid uses a lithium polymer battery developed in South Korea with partner LG Chem. The company says the power and energy density of this new battery type allowed Kia to create a lighter and more compact battery pack, with the 30 kilowatt battery pack weighing just 95.9 pounds.
The company says the Optima Hybrid’s battery will hold its charge up to 25 per cent longer than hybrids with nickel metal hydride batteries, so the battery is more likely to have usable energy available even if it has not been in use. With that improved efficiency, more of the recovered kinetic energy and charging energy from the engine is available to move the car as necessary, which allows the vehicle to provide electric driving assist more often and for a longer period. Lithium polymer also has less of the self-discharge characteristic found in most rechargeable batteries.
The Optima Hybrid uses a Transmission-Mounted-Electric-Drive (TMED) layout with the electric motor separated from the transmission gear-set.
The Optima Hybrid also is among the first full hybrid systems on the market to use a typical step-ratio automatic transmission. The extremely compact six-speed automatic that debuted on the 2011 Kia Sorento CUV is carried over to the hybrid largely unchanged. An external electrically-driven oil pump also has been added to provide the hydraulic fluid pressure needed to keep the clutches engaged when the vehicle is in idle stop mode.
The Optima Hybrid’s electric motor is hard-coupled to the input of the transmission and equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous electric traction motor that produces 40.2 horsepower (30 kilowatt) and 151.2 pound-feet of torque when electric only, and 206.2 horsepower and 195.4 pound-feet of torque when in hybrid mode. This replaces the torque converter, with a multi-disc clutch fitted between the engine and motor, enabling the gasoline engine to be de-coupled from the powertrain for idle stop and electric drive modes.
The company says its 2011 Optima is covered by Kia’s comprehensive warranty program which consists of a 5 year/100,000 kilometer power train warranty, a 5 year/100,000 kilometer limited basic warranty and a 5 year unlimited kilometer anti-perforation warranty.
