The revolutionary KIA ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Powered by Hydrogen made its first appearance outside of Korea at MSPO 2023 in Poland, writes Bob Morrison.
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It is probably unsurprising that Korean manufacturer KIA chose the annual Kielce defence expo for the foreign launch of its futuristic defence vehicle prototype, as not only was Korea the Lead Nation Exhibitor at the Polish event but just the month before around 400 Korea Light Tactical Vehicles (KLTV) were ordered for Poland’s Border Guards. The KIA ‘ATV Powered by Hydrogen’ (a temporary name) would also make an appearance last February at World Defense Show 2024 in Saudi Arabia, where we had a second chance to snap it on a company stand, though as of yet we have not managed to photograph it on the move.
Some basic specification and dimensional details were released at Kielce and from these we know that the ATV, which is based on the second generation KIA Mohave / Borrego SUV, has a 2895mm wheelbase and measures approximately 5000x1900x1900mm. Approach and Departure Angles are 30° and 25° respectively and Ground Clearance is 220mm. Using Hyundai parent company technology the KIA ATV is powered by a 90kW / 120hp electric motor from a hydrogen fuel cell stack, with 6.3kg hydrogen tank and 1.56 kWh battery giving a stated range of 480km.
It will be interesting to see where the KIA ‘ATV Powered by Hydrogen’ turns up next and if we get the chance to photograph it on the move. Hydrogen-powered vehicle technology is advancing fast as the world turns away from fossil fuels and it is probably only a matter of time before we see the first military vehicles using this power source entering service.
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