Kia invests in wind power for sustainable EV charging

Kia is partnering with Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) to run its Kia Charge service, and means an electric vehicle charge is compensated by 100 per cent renewable energy.

Through Kia Charge, Kia will determine the amount of energy used by European customers to charge their electric vehicles (in compliance with the relevant data protection regulations). Kia will then purchase the equivalent number of megawatt-hours (MWhs) through ‘Guarantee of Origin’ (GO) certificates. In Kia’s case, the renewable energy comes from wind power, and DCS will use the GOs to flood the grid with more green energy, then used to power charge points and other electrical items.

Green energy suppliers generate zero-emissions energy using natural resources such as wind or solar power, which is then converted into electric energy. An independent registry authenticates the green origin of each unit of power produced, measured in MWh, by issuing a GO certificate.

All energy produced, whether green or grey, is fed back into the grid and cannot be identified or selected for use by type. Kia customers have the freedom to charge at any public charge point on the Kia Charge network, and it is impossible for the company to control the source of energy used to power each one. Kia’s work with DCS is an effort to boost the amount of green energy available on the grid, committing to match every megawatt-hour of energy used in customer public charging with 100 per cent renewable energy.

In partnership with DCS, Kia Charge gives drivers access to over 300,000 charge points across 29 European countries. Users of the pan-European integrated public charging service have access to charge points from all the main operators via a single platform for simple and easy use.

Kia Charge users can access charge points from all main operators via the Kia Charge charging card or Kia Charge app. No additional contracts with other providers are necessary, as payments are made via a single monthly invoice.

An additional benefit for Kia Charge users is access to IONITY, a pan-European integrated public charging service with more than 1,600 high-power charge points across 24 European countries within the IONITY network. The high-speed 350kW chargers support ultra-fast charging of the Kia EV6 from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes.

Kia Charge is currently available in 16 European markets: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Kia Charge was launched in the UK in February 2021. Since then the number of UK charging points accessible to Kia Charge customers has grown by around 44 per cent to more than 20,500 – accounting for 69 per cent of the UK charging network. This includes around 2,500 DC ‘fast chargers’, which account for two-thirds of Kia Charge users’ charging activity in the UK.

23 UK charging networks are part of Kia Charge. Major networks available via Kia Charge include bp pulse, IONITY, Pod Point, Source London, Instavolt, Shell NewMotion, Osprey, Char.gy, and ESB.