The Kia Ray

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

is a prototype of a car that is designed to be a

fuel-efficient Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may v ...

, environmentally conscious vehicle. At the 2010

Chicago Auto Show The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America. Event History Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" ...

Kia Motors Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, ...

entered the green car competition with the Kia Ray, unveiling this

plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or simply plug-in hybrid is a type of hybrid electric vehicle equipped with a rechargeable battery pack that can be directly replenished via a charging cable plugged into an external electric power so ...

prototype that can be electrically recharged through a standard

electrical outlet AC power plugs and sockets connect devices to mains electricity to supply them with electrical power. A plug is the connector attached to an electrically operated device, often via a cable. A socket (also known as a receptacle or outlet) is fi ...

Overview

It has a 106.3 inch

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

and an aerodynamic design. The company claims the Kia Ray can cover as many as without a battery charge. In its bid to be more eco-friendly, the tires are skinny and even the audio system has been designed to use less electricity. According to

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published in 1955. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased it from its prior owner Hachette Fi ...

, the Kia Ray's debut at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, "represents an ambitious confluence of style and technology, and was arguably one of the strongest traffic-stoppers at the show." The vehicle is part of the EcoDynamics sub-brand of

and is designed to get the gasoline energy equivalent of 202 miles per gallon running on battery power and a range of 746 miles operating as a gasoline hybrid at 74 miles per gallon. The company says the prototype was designed "with lightweight and recycled materials, as well as with hexagonal roof-top

solar cell A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

s embedded in the glass roof panel that power extra lighting or climate control systems". If produced, the Kia Ray is in the same class as the

Kia Optima Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic ...

and the

Hyundai Sonata The Hyundai Sonata () is a mid-size car that has been manufactured by Hyundai since 1985. The first generation Sonata, which was introduced in 1985, was a facelifted version of the Hyundai Stellar with an engine upgrade, and was withdrawn fr ...

as a

mid-size car Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in ...

and it would have conventional rear doors.

References

{{Kia

Ray Ray or RAY may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), the bony or horny spine on ray-finned fish Science and mathematics * Half-line (geometry) or ray, half of a line split at an ...

2010s cars All-wheel-drive vehicles Electric concept cars Mid-size cars Sedans

Overview

See also

References