Kia Niro electric vehicle defies physics with record-breaking 114 million miles on the clock
- Reference: 1721819708
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/07/24/kia_niro_app_blunder/
- Source link:
Well, fear not, dear reader, for The Register can exclusively reveal that this writer's Kia Niro EV has now done more than 114 million miles.
Admittedly, this figure was shown in Kia's Connect app and is at odds with the 20,000 miles on the car's odometer, but still. It's on an iPhone, so it must be right. Right?
[1]
Over the 15 months of ownership, this equates to around 7,600,000 miles per month or approximately 1,900,000 miles per week. In a single day, Kia reckons I travel 271,429 miles, or 11,309 miles per hour (assuming I have a very long extension lead).
[2]
Kia Connect App showing over 114 million miles – click to enlarge
So, not only record-breaking mileage but also a record-breaking speed (unless my math has let me down again). Even in eco mode (I rarely trouble the sport or normal modes on the Niro), I exceed Concorde's maximum cruising speed by ten times or thereabouts.
[3]Tesla sales, market share dip in EU while other EV makers grow
[4]Speed limiters arrive for all new cars in the European Union
[5]How low can you go: Tesla's US market share dips below 50% for the first time
[6]Tesla parental controls keep teenage lead feet in check
We asked Kia what it made of the figure shown on its app, but the carmaker has yet to respond.
Sadly, Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is [7]whizzing around the Sun far faster than my Kia, clocking in at over 55,000 miles per hour. However, the harshness of space means that Musk's roadster is likely in considerably worse condition than my multimillion-miler.
[8]
Although if Kia's figures are correct, that sort of speed should have done the paintwork no good at all. It just goes to show the build and paint quality at the factory. NASA could probably learn a thing or two.
In all seriousness, we're not sure what has befallen Kia's app or why it has decided to show a mileage more divorced from reality than a billionaire tech bro. The Niro itself is actually a fine car in reality, even if the bleeps and whoops of its speed limiter and lane-keeping warnings can get a bit tiring. A brief long-term review would read: "Nice car, lots of space, drives well, don't buy unless you can plug it into your house."
[9]
Oh, "and the app can be a bit dodgy." ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZqElHZU7C0V72M0l2qA1zgAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2024/07/23/millions_of_miles.jpg
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/18/tesla_sales_market_share_dip/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/11/speed_limiters_arrive_for_all/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/10/tesla_electric_car_sales/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/09/tesla_parental_controls/
[7] https://www.whereisroadster.com/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZqElHZU7C0V72M0l2qA1zgAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZqElHZU7C0V72M0l2qA1zgAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "11,309 miles per hour"
Well you can receive a one year ban for doing 100 mph on a motorway. If we extrapolate that then I would guess the author is about to receive a 113 year ban. Enjoy!
Re: "11,309 miles per hour"
I'd wager they first have to catch him. Now, how fast is an unmarked Volvo Estate?
Re: "11,309 miles per hour"
He didn't commit a speeding offence, he flew too low. Report to the aviation authority.
Hooray, the return of Bork!Bork!Bork! is upon us! It's been way too long since this column last ran.
Is this now returning as a regular column??
Until it breaks.
Drove one of these
As a rental for a few weeks while the PHEV was in for repairs this winter.
Nice enough, the bongs & whistles are indeed annoying but the deal-killer is the Swedish winter highway range and slow recharge rate - having to take a 30+ minute break after 200 to 250km of driving is not acceptable.
The Niro itself is actually a fine car in reality, even if the bleeps and whoops of its speed limiter and lane-keeping warnings can get a bit tiring
I've got a Kona and the speed camera alarms can be switched off permanently. The lane keeping has to be turned off every time you turn on the car. I'm guessing there's some safety regulation insisting on that.
The lane keeping would be fine if it worked well on anything other than a well-maintained motorway.
Favourite
I had a test drive on one before buying (still wating). I noticed a button on the steering wheel, to which the sales rep said that is the "favourites" button.
I also passed comment on it binging and whooping at me doing more than 20mph and that is damn annoying and he said he has his favourite button set to disable that.
I don't mind camera alerts, just not the bongs and beeps for you are doing +1mph over the speed limit (where, in London anything that TFL run, is now set at 20mph - no matter what)
Get mine and it will be one of the first things I look at setting up
Didn't realize how wobbly the lane markings were on motorways till I tried out lane keeping
On the other hand ...
" The lane keeping has to be turned off every time you turn on the car. I'm guessing there's some safety regulation insisting on that. "
It's probably just stupidity -- they think they know better than you what you should want. For example, I just replaced my car radio (admittedly not with a top of the range unit). Every time you turn it on, it defaults to minimum bass, minimum treble eq, and (weirdly) left speaker only. So I have to adjust it every time, particularly as I have a RH drive car. Someone's bright idea?
I wonder if for a minute the app has showed the total amount of miles raked by all connected Niros, or all of them that had reported in a specific timespan ?
114 million divided by an average of 20000 miles is less than 6000 cars...
Alternatively, as speed and thus time and distance is relative, the distance travelled my be relative to some heavenly body…
Kirk: Maximum warp Mr. Sulu.
Sulu: It’s no use, it’s still gaining captain. She’s a fast ship.
Kirk: Report Mr. Spock.
Spock: Unknown vessel captain, possibly new Klingon technology. The hull insignia has the acronym of the Klingon Intergalactic Alliance.
Plausible! KIA Motors newer angular logo could pass for a Klingon trying to design one that's Federation-readable.
Maybe is is forgetting to convert it's internal distance counter into miles. There is going to be some device in the drive train that measures how many times the wheel spins, it might be showing the raw counter.
Nothing spectacular.
You say you've had the car for roughly fifteen months... The Earth travels 93 million miles per year on its orbit, so the app is likely just telling you how far your car has really travelled (in absolute rather than relative terms).
Re: Nothing spectacular.
Sadly, the Kia app is still wrong even in this scenario, but in the other direction...
The Earth doesn't travel 93 million miles a year. It is 93 million miles from the Sun. Its orbit is around 580 million miles (2.pi.r plus a bit 'cos it's slightly elliptical), so in 15 months it'll clock up something over 720 million miles.
Re: Nothing spectacular.
Just remember that you're standing
On a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second
So it's reckoned
The sun that is the source of all our power
I hate NAGWARE!
I've been told that you can disable all the bongs and beeps with the strategic application of a 16lb SLEDGEHAMMER APPLIED WITH GREAT FORCE TO THE DASHBOARD AND ANY ASSOCIATED ELECTRONICS
There is a trend these days towards this NAGWARE as I have termed it. My phone (Poco X4) nags me when I have the volume up too high for over 1 hour when using "headphones", but this seems to be because the stupid POS can't seem to distinguish between my Bluetooth enabled HiFi and a set of headphones. Perhaps the blame lies with the makers of the HiFi or whoever supplies their Bluetooth module, but the NAGWARE is in the phone. I guess it is because everybody has their phones set to bong, beep, whistle, honk, hoot, and fart whenever anything happens at all, so they are not bothered by yet another pointless notification. Personally I have EVERYTHING turned off except for the Ringtone and the SMS notifications. Effing things are already intrusive enough with just those enabled.
Re: I hate NAGWARE!
Okay, boomer.
SCNR
And I share a dislike for nagware. After all, we miraculously survived a childhood sleeping in cots painted in lead-based paint, cars with optional seat belts and without permanent parental supervision.
Re: I hate NAGWARE!
Feel better now?
"11,309 miles per hour"
Your local police force thanks you for admitting this offence and the fine is in the post.