How The Kia EV3 Reimagines One-Pedal Driving

When Basic Motors’ hands-free Tremendous Cruise got here out, it debuted on the $70,000 Cadillac CT6 sedan. When Ford launched its future software program interface that may stay in a brand new era of gasoline and electrical automobiles, it did so on the Lincoln Nautilus. And Tesla selected the $90,000 Cybertruck to indicate off its 800-volt structure and drive-by-wire steering. 

You get the concept. Flashy new game-changer expertise in vehicles tends to indicate up first on the costly stuff earlier than it trickles right down to the fashions that everybody can afford. That is a part of what makes the 2025 Kia EV3 so notable: it is anticipated to start out round $30,000 to $35,000, if not much less, but it surely strikes the ball ahead for Hyundai Motor Group’s expertise recreation in methods which might be often reserved for high-end luxurious vehicles. 

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On the coronary heart of these developments is Kia’s new i-Pedal 3.0 system. It is an evolution of the adjustable regenerative braking discovered on the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs. And it not solely fixes their issues however provides autonomous driving help expertise that redefines how one-pedal driving works—all in an inexpensive EV that is aimed toward everybody. 

On the EV3’s launch drive in Seoul, I made certain to place the brand new i-Pedal setup via its paces. This is what I realized.

How It Works Proper Now

Within the occasion that you just aren’t intimately acquainted with how a Kia or Hyundai EV drives proper now, I will begin with how i-Pedal works on these present fashions.

With one-pedal driving, the place a lot of the automotive’s velocity and deceleration are managed by respectively urgent or lifting off the accelerator pedal. It is a distinctive side of EV (and a few hybrid) driving that minimizes the usage of the brake pedal and maximizes effectivity by recapturing some of the kinetic vitality often misplaced whereas coasting and braking. Typically, with true one-pedal driving, the automotive can come to an entire cease with out the usage of the brake pedal in any respect. 

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Automakers have many alternative methods of approaching this characteristic. Tesla used to allow you to alter the extent of “creep” however not does, although it at the moment lets you toggle between low and commonplace regenerative braking. Ford allows you to toggle it on and off. The Volkswagen ID.4 allows you to dial up the regenerative braking however stops in need of full one-pedal driving. Porsche would not provide it in any respect. Some folks love this characteristic; some do not take care of it. Discovering Determining if this characteristic suits your private desire is a vital a part of deciding which EV to purchase.

The Hyundai Motor Group EVs provide among the most flexibility on the market. On vehicles like my very own Kia EV6, you get steering wheel paddles (fairly an identical to the gear-change paddles on an computerized or DCT gas-powered automotive) that dial regenerative braking up or down between just about nothing and three ranges of regenerative power—however you continue to have to make use of the brake pedal at instances and to cease.

The view from my 2024 Kia EV6, which stays in Stage 2 or Stage 3 a lot of the time. 

That’s till you maintain down the left paddle to activate i-Pedal, which engages true one-pedal driving. On my EV6, I are inclined to drive round city with Stage 2 or Stage 3 regenerative braking and i-Pedal on the freeway for optimum effectivity. I am not saying that is proper or incorrect, simply what I are inclined to choose. 

However i-Pedal has its limits. One frequent level of criticism is that the automotive forgets it is in i-Pedal mode whenever you flip it off, and a few drivers would favor it keep on on a regular basis. It additionally deactivates whenever you shift into reverse. That may throw you off for those who weren’t anticipating it throughout a parallel parking transfer. Nonetheless, I like Kia’s totally adjustable method due to the pliability it provides, together with throughout several types of driving. My spouse likes to drive the EV6 with completely totally different settings as properly.

Kia was eager to maintain up that degree of customization right here, however i-Pedal 3.0 takes issues to a distinct degree. Possibly even three or 4 of them. 

How I-Pedal 3.0 Works On The Kia EV3

On the EV3, you may nonetheless swap from no regenerative braking to a few totally different ranges of power utilizing the paddle shifters. However now, all settings provide true one-pedal driving to the place the automotive can cease by itself with out the brake pedal.

Now, you discover the setting you need with the paddles, then pull the left one till it prompts. You can even toggle it on and off for reverse through the system settings menu. Oh, and it additionally remembers to remain on whenever you get again within the automotive later after turning it off. Lastly. 

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“Probably the most substantial Stage 3 braking [is] excellent for driving in heavy start-stop visitors, the place drivers could must sluggish the automotive shortly,” Kia defined in a information launch. “This has additionally been optimized with a extra linear calibration for smoother outcomes. On a protracted motorway journey, drivers may choose Stage 1 and even Stage 0, which permits the EV3 to glide when lifting off the accelerator. These regenerative braking ranges present extra comfort-focused deceleration.”

Now you can even activate i-Pedal with regenerative braking completely off. Kia mentioned this “permits the EV3 to coast totally whereas bringing the same deceleration price to Stage 1 at decrease speeds.” 

It was quite a bit to check out within the few hours we had the vehicles in Seoul’s heavy visitors, however as with my very own EV6, I used to be capable of finding a couple of settings I favored for various conditions higher than others. The pliability remains to be right here however now there’s extra of it.

That is an important improve. However it’s beginner hour in comparison with how the i-Pedal now integrates semi-automated driving help techniques (ADAS) into regenerative braking. 

The Actual Social gathering Trick: Sensible Regenerative System 3.0 

On present fashions like my EV6, you pull the fitting paddle to activate an “auto” mode that makes use of GPS and sensor information to provide you what it thinks is the optimum regenerative braking based mostly on circumstances just like the grade within the highway or visitors forward of you. 

The system is activated the identical means on the EV3, however now it is a lot smarter.

It incorporates navigation information in addition to the usual sensors and GPS to interact what Kia calls “a digital co-pilot that may scan the highway forward,” adjusting acceleration—and the extent of regenerative braking concerned—based mostly on numerous circumstances. This Sensible Regenerative System 3.0 can now additionally convey the automotive to an entire cease, whereas previous variations solely bought you right down to about 3 mph. And for those who method a bend within the highway or a automotive cuts in entrance of you, the EV3 ought to use regenerative braking to sluggish you down effectively. 

It is nice in visitors as a result of it may possibly pull you thru just about robotically (although you continue to need to steer, after all) by following the car forward of you and slowing down and even stopping with regen braking as wanted. On the 25-mile drive between Seoul and Kia’s R&D heart in Namyang, I barely used the accelerator pedal in any respect. I stored the Sensible Regenerative System in auto mode, set my cruising velocity and steered because the EV3 modulated acceleration based mostly on circumstances.

Mainly, suppose radar-guided cruise management with regen braking combined in and also you’re just about there. This may be mixed with the EV3’s different ADAS options like Freeway Driving Help and Lane Retaining Help. Be aware that this is not a wholly hands-off system like GM’s Tremendous Cruise is, however the steering wheel is capacitive, so that you want solely contact it to remind the automotive’s laptop that you just’re paying consideration—you needn’t gently tug on the wheel or something. 

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Does it have its limitations? Like several ADAS setup proper now, completely. There have been a couple of instances when the EV3 got here right into a flip or an interchange a bit hotter than I wished or after I felt it braked too late—regen or in any other case—when one other automotive reduce in entrance of me. Belief however confirm, as I say about this stuff. 

However the early verdict is that i-Pedal 3.0 could be very, superb. It not solely fixes the entire previous grievances with adjustable regenerative braking on these vehicles, it provides in ADAS tech in a means that makes around-town and freeway driving way more nice.

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This was particularly helpful in a metropolis like Seoul, the place freeway visitors can go from all techniques inexperienced to a prolonged jam-up within the blink of a watch. Having the most recent Sensible Regenerative System in computerized mode signifies that you will not find yourself as annoyed by these fixed modifications in acceleration; the EV3 has you lined. 

And as soon as once more, it is actually exceptional that this method debuts on all variations of a automotive that ought to price round $30,000 or $35,000 within the U.S. (if not doubtlessly much less) and never some new six-figure Genesis EV. A bunch of latest inexpensive EVs are coming to market within the subsequent few years now; that they had higher not skimp on their expertise, as a result of that is what they’re up towards. 

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