All Sections

Kia Soul will charge your mobile phone wirelessly

The new Kia Soul lets you charge your mobile without having to plug it in. 

There’s nothing like the tangle of wired gadgets fighting for the one cigarette lighter to make you sigh with frustration. At CES 2014, Kia showcased a raft of future in-car technology, including wireless mobile charging.

Kia plan future tech for next-gen In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system
Kia plan future tech for next-gen In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system

The new In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system, due to feature in the Kia Soul, will allow you to charge your phone without a cable.

In a space in the centre console, there is a dedicated home for a portable plug-in tablet or your own smartphone, under which is a charging pad. The driver simply slips the device onto the pad. Job done.

It works by using a pair of coils – one in the pad, one in the phone – being placed close to one another and transferring the energy supply magnetically, a bit like electric toothbrushes.

The wireless charging system is part of Kia’s User-Centred Driver (UCD) concept. It is the main motivation behind the upgrades to its existing IVI and features a whole host of future tech, which promise to keep you both connected and safe.

Kia’s new IVI system also features a huge 20-inch display with gesture recognition, eye-tracking and an 18-inch head-up display.

The Kia Soul goes on sale in spring, with an EV version following later in the year.

 

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *