Granny charger
Niro EV
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It seems to be a bit hit and miss. In January several of us did get the granny charger (and HK Audio) but it seems after that fewer and fewer reported getting one. If you ordered the car last year you could try complaining if, on delivery you don't get one. It has been known to work!
Thanks Grend - Kia obviously saving money! My wife's Fiat 500e came with one so I guess I could use that if needed - it lives in the garage not in her car!
Thanks for letting me know Rob. Kia saving money obviously. The other thing I've noticed in my EV 4 (apart from the lack of Hamon Kardon sound system) is the down grading of the cabin ambient lights. Not a big deal I'll admit but a bit penny pinching. The hand book says these should appear in the from crash pad (i.e. passenger dash), front doors and top/bottom of centre console. On mine they only illuminate the from crash pad. Just an annoying little detail - otherwise the car is great!
Yeah, I'd noticed a distinct lack of ambient lighting. I was sure it was supposed to come with more, and now know it should have based on what you've shared.
As you say, another small tweak but one that reduces the quality of the cabin area. I sort of expect them to remove or tweak some stuff, but not in the key areas that drivers will see, touch, or interact with.
The important words in the manual are 'if equipped' and the UK version never was equipped with those extra ambient lights.
This isn't a new downgrade, just something the UK importer didn't feel we needed it seems so never was in the original spec.
It seems Kia UK made all manner of 'interesting' decisions with regard to the Niro and the price point they were targeting.
Just a shame they didn't offer the ability to have those options at a cost to the customer who wanted them. Things like the acoustic glass for the driver and passenger front windows, the 'premium' stereo (although I do have that), ambient lighting removal (which makes the cabin very dark when driving at night), boot 12V socket, and probably some others I'm forgetting.
What is also interesting is that Hyundai doesn't seem to be making the same compromises on the new Kona, if the UK website is to be believed. It would seem there's going to be a swap with the Kona being preferred over the Niro, which was the opposite on the first generation of each. Kona has a better interior, better tech, better boot, etc.
For those who missed out on a granny charger, I bought one from screwfix for £195. 10m cable which seems to be about as long as you can get (official kia one is only 5m). Nice readout which includes a temperature sensor in case you are worried about starting fires. Output was 2.3-2.4kw throughout a 5 hour test charge yesterday.
You can get cheaper ones on ebay but I wasn't comfortable with unknown manufacturers and unknown quality assurance on something that plugs in to my expensive house and expensive car.
You can get cheaper ones on ebay but I wasn't comfortable with unknown manufacturers and unknown quality assurance on something that plugs in to my expensive house and expensive car.
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