Kia has developed a new mild hybrid system, using a lead-carbon battery, that it claims can improve a car's efficiency by as much as 15 per cent.
Lead carbon batteries were chosen over lithium ion ones because they don't suffer from the overheating problems of lithium and work better in very low temperatures.
The electric motor can power the car it's fitted to for short bursts or provide extra grunt to the internal combustion engine for better acceleration. So far, so conventional. What's different here is that the battery can also be hooked up to an electrically driven supercharger, which improves engine response at low rpm, but without the mechanical loss penalty of a conventional belt-or-gear-driven supercharger. A bigger turbo takes over at higher engine speeds.
Kia says that with such a combination it can boost power by 15-20 per cent.
No vehicle has been earmarked for the engine yet but you can expect to start seeing it in roadgoing Kias from next year.
Also on Kia's stand was its new seven-speed DCT dual clutch paddle shift gearbox. It's designed to replace Kia's current six-speed automatic transmission, and Kia is targeting a seven per cent improvement in fuel economy and a five per cent faster 0-100km/h time. It'll be offered as an option from next year.
Anything else?
The new Optima Hybrid also put in an appearance on Kia's stand. It gets a hybrid drivetrain that's a little lighter than before, new styling that makes the car more aerodynamic, a new interior with a new touchscreen, improved brakes and CO2 emissions of 117g/km. It won't be coming here though - not only is it too expensive, it's also left-hand drive only.