However, its announcement also contained an apology to Tesla.

First, Kia said that its three EV offerings will have access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger Network. More than 40,000 DC fast chargers are available to Kia EV drivers, a major uptick as Tesla Supercharger access nearly doubles the number of accessible piles.

Sean Yoon, President of Kia North America and Kia America, said:

“Kia is committed to an exceptional ownership experience, and expanding the network of available DC fast chargers to our EV customers is an important component to maintaining the brand’s leadership in electrified mobility. Now, with access to the Tesla Supercharger network of DC fast chargers, our EV owners can feel even more confident in their decision to purchase or lease a fully electric Kia vehicle.”

Kia owners who have a CCS1 Charging Port will have access to an NACS adapter through dealerships. This will enable compatibility, as current inlets are not NACS, the port that Tesla utilizes.

However, Kia will eliminate the need for this adapter starting with the 2025 EV6 and 2026 EV9. These will come standard with NACS inlets.

We mentioned Kia included somewhat of an apology to Tesla, which is related to social media posts from “certain Nordic distributors,” as the company puts it:

Kia paid for a front page ad on Finland’s largest newspaper to mock Elon Musk and Tesla.

Translation: “Oh, These Days of Life. If you’re unsure about driving an american electric car, welcome to the Helsinki Exhibition Centre to admire the cars of the new age.”

It’s a play on… pic.twitter.com/XfwOJVIGll

— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) April 5, 2025

Kia said in its announcement:

“Kia America is aware of marketing posts by certain Nordic distributors. These initiatives were developed entirely independently by those distributors, without direction from Kia America, Kia Europe or Kia Global. We want it to be clear that these posts do not reflect the position of Kia America, and we remain committed to clear and professional communication that reflects our values.”

The company also said that it “condemns the recent attacks that disrupt the availability of convenient and affordable charging for our customers.”

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Kia Norway’s Post

The now-deleted Instagram post showed a Kia EV3 rear with a sticker reading, “I bought this after Elon went crazy.” Such stickers have become commonplace among Tesla owners who have become disappointed and disillusioned with CEO Elon Musk’s increasingly political nature, as well as his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

The post drew global attention but quickly unraveled as critics, including prominent Tesla advocates and Tesla employees, dubbed the post disappointing.

Tesla Fans and Employees Push Back

A number of Tesla advocates such as Sawyer Merritt, who has over 800,000 followers on X, described the Instagram post as a “Bad look.” Other Tesla fans joked that Tesla Norway could do the pettiest thing and cut off Kia’s Tesla Supercharger access since Musk was “crazy” anyway. Elon Musk himself reacted to the post on X, stating, “They really did that?”

Tesla Senior Staff Engineer Yun-Ta Tsai also weighed in on Kia’s “Crazy Elon” post, stating that Tesla never runs negative ads on other OEMs. “Many colleagues working hard to share our supercharging infrastructure to other OEM fleets — which indirectly help their customers. We never ran negative ads on other OEMs. It’s insane that how other OEMs spent more time on negative ads on us than helping their own customers,” the Tesla engineer wrote in a post on X.

Kia Norway Explains

Kia Norway Communications Manager Christian Lagaard, in a comment to ITavisen, explained that the Instagram ad was a joke. As per Lagaard, the post was simply an attempt at humor, which unfortunately missed the mark.

“We posted this post a few weeks ago and picked up on the ongoing trend on social media. This was only intended as humor between two competitors from our side. The goal was to show that there are other options for those of you looking for an electric car. The idea came from us here in Norway and was not initiated by Kia centrally. We understand that humor resonates differently in different countries. We did not intend to offend or offend anyone. To avoid confusion about this or to provoke anyone unnecessarily, we have chosen to take down the post,” the Kia Norway Communications Manager stated.

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Kia planned to enable access to Tesla Superchargers to its EV drivers today, January 15. However, the company is now pushing back this date to sometime in the “early Spring,” it told Car and Driver.

The reason for the delay appears to be a “technical issue,” but the finer points of what the issue is exactly were not revealed by Kia, who now hopes to get its EV drivers access within the next few months.

Access to the Tesla Supercharger Network is a key piece of the puzzle for many drivers, as Tesla offers the most expansive network in the world. In the United States, there are over 2,500 locations, each offering a varying number of plugs for drivers to utilize. There are nearly 17,000 plugs nationwide.

? KIA DELAYS TESLA SUPERCHARGER ADOPTION: Kia is pushing back its Tesla Supercharger adoption today as a ‘technical issue’ arose.

The company now plans to give access to its EV drivers sometime in the Spring. pic.twitter.com/siWvFfldLd

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 15, 2025

Tesla just started introducing other brands the opportunity to charge at its Superchargers in early 2024.

For less than a year, non-Tesla brands have been able to utilize the network in what was a massive and groundbreaking announcement that was started by the company’s agreement with Ford.

Kia announced in October 2023 that it would gain access to Tesla Superchargers and would also adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS), a move that many other manufacturers made in an effort to phase out the adapters that drivers will have to use temporarily.

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Hyundai and Kia’s IGIS tracks the carbon emissions throughout a vehicle’s entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to manufacturing, transportation, operation, and disposal. 

Before the IGIS, the companies used multiple systems, including the Global Energy Monitoring System (GEMS) and Supply Chain Emissions Management System (SCEMS). The multiple systems would track the company’s carbon emissions across its global operations and supplier network. Recently, IGIS integrated all the systems into one. 

“We developed IGIS with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. Through systematic management, we aim to reduce carbon emissions across all aspects of Hyundai and Kia’s economic activities,” said Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive VP and Head of ICT Innovation Division, Jin Eun-sook.

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EUKOR’s billion-dollar deal with Hyundai Motor Group extends the pair’s partnership from three to five years. It also increases the car carrier company’s Hyundai and Kia exports from 40% to 50%.

EUKOR’s CEO Xavier Leroi commented that the car carrier company’s contract with Hyundai was a “historic milestone.” According to Wilhelmsen CEO Lasse Cristoffersen, the deal confirms EUKOR’s strong position in South Korea. It also adds more export volumes from China. 

Hyundai holds 20% ownership of EUKOR. The South Korean car company expanded its vehicle export business in 2024. In September, its logistics company—Hyundai Glovis Co.— signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China’s top automaker BYD. In 2021, Tesla signed a $422 million contract with Hyundai Glovis.

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Hyundai and Kia Robotics Lab’s X-able Shoulder is the first in the X-ble line, hinting that the companies plan to release more robotic aids. 

“It heralds a new era in wearable technology. When used for ‘overhead work’ where an operative’s arm is raised, X-ble Shoulder can augment the user’s upper arm muscle strength and reduce the burden on the upper musculoskeletal system,” said the two companies. 

Below are the benefits of the X-ble Shoulder.

• Enhancing worker safety
• Reducing musculoskeletal injury
• Improving user comfort
• Boosting efficiency

The X-able Shoulder generates assistive force through its muscle compensation module through a non-powered torque generation structure. The wearable robot is estimated to reduce shoulder load by up to 60% and reduce muscle strain in the anterior/lateral deltoid by 30%. It does not have an electrical system, meaning there is no need to charge the X-ble Shoulder. As such, Hyundai and Kia believe the wearable robot is easy to maintain and manage. 

The X-ble Shoulder is made with materials used in high-end vehicles, including carbon composite and wear-resistant materials. It comes with a washable vest for comfort. The parts of the wearable robot that touch the user’s body are made to protect against injury through impact-resistant material and the installation of a crash pad. 

“Assistive force is generated by a patented multi-link structure in the muscle compensation module. Each link can be adjusted for optimal assistive force in various work environments. The module is expected to perform around 700,000 folding and unfolding actions yearly in industrial settings,” said the companies.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Robotics Lab aims to expand its wearable robots line to enhance people’s daily lives. The companies did not mention if all their wearable robots would be made to help just industrial workers or other occupations as well.

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Earlier this month, Chinese automaker BYD announced it would enter South Korea’s passenger car market in 2025. BYD entered South Korea’s commercial car market in 2016 but has yet to launch a passenger car there. 

The South Korean auto market will be different compared to other markets BYD has entered. The general consensus among South Korean auto industry insiders seems to be that BYD’s cheap electric vehicles will not be enough to convince local customers to purchase cars from the Chinese brand. 

“I understand that Hyundai and Kia’s internal response to BYD’s entry to the domestic market is lukewarm. Not only have they not discussed specific countermeasures, but the internal atmosphere is that BYD will not be able to exert much influence in the domestic market,” commented an industry insider to Insight Korea. 

Most insiders agree that BYD will be unable to low-ball its prices in South Korea because the country imposes 8% tariffs on all Chinese cars. As such, the price difference between South Korean and Chinese cars will be insignificant. Plus, BYD’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries aren’t eligible for many subsidies in South Korea. 

In addition, Kia and Hyundai electric vehicles have been successful in the global auto market, holding their own against EV powerhouse Tesla. Unlike BYD, Kia and Hyundai do not rely on low price tags to sell EVs.  Instead, the South Korean car brands depend on stellar EV designs and features to attract customers. 

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The SEMA 2024 Show is set in Las Vegas this year, and exhibitors are ready to showcase their best ideas and goods. Designers from Kia Design Center America (KDCA) exhibited the automaker’s ideas for a rugged adventure SUV and van, which also happens to be an all-electric vehicle. 

“Kia’s rugged and capable utility vehicles have long been known for being versatile, adaptable, and comfortable to suit the needs of a wide range of consumers. We wanted to ‘level up’ the functionality and capability by developing these concepts that take those legendary attributes to the next level.

“Our vehicles already help people live their active and adventurous lifestyles, and it was fun to see just how far we could go with these latest concepts. The SEMA Show acts as a blank canvas for creativity and offers a glimpse into what Kia’s automotive future may hold,” said Steven Center, COO & EVP of Kia America.

Kia’s Adventure SUV EV Concept

The EV9 ADVNTR EV concept is a 3-row SUV designed to go beyond paved roads. It features custom front and rear facias for a more rugged look and reinforced rocker panels. Kia also increased the ADVNTR variant’s lift by 3” compared to the standard EV9. The 3” life combined with the Kia EV9 ADVNTR’s rugged wheel and tires optimized the EVs off-road capability. 

Kia’s Adventure Van EV Concept

The PV5 WKNDR EV concept is Kia’s take on an all-electric van made for outdoor exploration. The automaker based the PV5 WKNDR concept on its EV PBVs, Purpose Beyond Vehicles. 

“It is a highly capable van allowing expression of your lifestyle wherever it may take you. Lifted and equipped with off-road tires, it is an ideal escape pod for extended weekends in nature. The PV5 WKNDR EV VAN features a highly flexible and adaptable modular interior that can be easily and efficiently customized to maximize space and function – akin to a Swiss Army Knife on wheels,” noted Kia America.

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Hyundai Motor and Kia Corporation are under the parent company, Hyundai Motor Company. The South Korean automakers are collaborating with the Misk Foundation to develop leadership initiatives that encourage a forward-thinking and innovative mindset in young leaders of the future. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with Misk Foundation, a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship for Saudi future leaders,” said Jae-Yong Lee. “We aim to create synergies to empower the next generation of leaders. This collaborative effort will contribute to the development of Saudi Arabia’s knowledge-based economy and pave the way for a more sustainable and connected future.”

Hyundai, Kia, and the foundation will create the Misk Traineeship Program, which is expected to open up international learning opportunities for young people in Saudi Arabia. Trainees will learn about Hyundai and Kia’s technologies and global expertise, preparing them for a brighter future in the tech industry. 

The program will also help Hyundai and Kia recruit bright minds to drive its future plans. Other companies in the EV industry are also actively recruiting top talent. For instance, LG Energy Solution recently held its annual Battery Tech Conference in South Korea. The battery supplier also held a conference in New York to recruit talent from North America. 

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The upgraded factory will launch production with the Kia EV3. It has an annual capacity of 150,000 units. Kia plans to produce the EV4 in the new factory by the second quarter of 2025. The Kia EV4 will be unveiled to the public soon as the company’s first all-electric sedan. 

The South Korean automaker renovated its factory in Autoland to build its new EV production facility. Kia’s Autoland complex was built in 1987. Kia spent $304.9 million to renovate the former ICE car production facility. The new EV-dedicated factory used to produce internal combustion engine vehicles, hinting at Kia’s future plans.

“Kia’s Gwangmyeong EV plant is our first step to cement us as an EV-leading brand,” said Kia co-CEO Choi Jun-young. “We will take full responsibility for a sustainable future under our slogan of offering sustainable mobility solutions.”

Kia’s parent company, Hyundai Motor, aims to offer a mixed selection of vehicles by 2030. During Hyundai Motor’s 2024 CEO Investor Day, the company revealed its new strategy to provide a mix of fully electric, hybrid, and hydrogen vehicles by the end of the decade. 

Compared to other automakers reporting a slowdown in EV sales, Hyundai and Kia have seen more positive results this year. For example, in August, Kia America reported seeing its EV volume double compared to July 2024. Kia’s EV6 vehicle has been a hit in the industry, along with Hyundai’s IONIQ lineup.

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