The desert is a barren landscape, but more alive than what meets the naked eye. For decades Death Valley, California, has been the proving ground for testing vehicles in extreme weather conditions.
In the summer, temperatures at Death Valley can soar to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggs can be fried on the hoods of cars in those temperatures.
Before a vehicle makes it to market, it needs to be proven for both hot and cold extremes, and at low and high altitude.
Will the powertrain work?
Will too much battery power be lost?
Will the paint job hold up?
There are many questions to be answered.
Kia Corporation's new EV9 battery-electric, three-row SUV was no exception. Despite undergoing testing around the world ahead of its market debut, the Kia team wanted to customize the car for North American customers.
That means changing up the ride softness, ensuring handling dynamics are right for American buyers, and managing the way the vehicle performs while towing a heavy load.
Kia invited Newsweek to their final round of evaluations ahead of the SUV's arrival at dealership lots late last year.
Setting out from Las Vegas, a group including numerous Kia research and development team employees and a crew from Newsweek loaded up into new vehicles, including the updated Kia Carnival minivan in disguise.
The exterior of the EV9 tester looked much like those on the road today. Though wearing specialty testing equipment, the SUV was ready to perform strenuous tests.
The EV9 was towed from Las Vegas to Bullhead City, Arizona, home to the famous Davis Dam. The site is known in the automotive industry as one of the key testing locations for trailering testing thanks to its undulating up-and-down hills at steep grades.
Before it set out to test, the electric SUV had to heat soak. That is exactly what it sounds like. The EV9 sat parked in the desert sun, with temperatures soaring well over 100 degrees, for hours while the team busied itself with a relaxing lunch.
Then, the SUV's trailer was loaded up with hundreds of pounds of cargo before it was run up and down the Davis Dam route, repeatedly, as the heat from the sun pounded down, unrelenting.
The Kia team was on a mission. They needed to ensure that the SUV's climate control system was able to keep passengers at a comfortable cool while the EV9's battery pack was undergoing maximum stress. They also needed to confirm that the trailer was not so heavy it effected the dynamics as it weighed down the model.
Satisfied with the results, Kia's engineers called it a day several hours later, heading to charge up the SUV and make their way back to the company's testing facilities in California.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more
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