Three unmodified Kona Electrics drive more than 1,000km on single charge

The Driven

Hyundai has sought to put the fear of range anxiety to bed with a new test that shows Hyundai Kona Electric cars with 64kWh battery can drive more than 1,000km on a single charge, underlining the advantage that EVs have over petrol cars when it comes to noise and tailpipe emissions.

The three Kona Electric electric SUVs were each able to drive more than 1,000km (the best at 1,026km) without needing to recharge – more than double the driving range determined for the Hyundai Kona electric using the most common metric known as the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).

The results of the test – conducted over 3 days with three vehicles in Germany in conditions mimicking heavy urban traffic – are impressive for the Hyundai Kona Electric which is already one of the longest range vehicles on the Australian market.

“This mission has proven that our Kona Electric offers outstanding electric performance, efficiency and battery range,” said Michael Cole, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe.

“This lifestyle-oriented vehicle will continue to offer customers a range of sophisticated technology and an attractive design of a small SUV in addition to all the advantages of an environmentally friendly electric vehicle.”

Hyundai said in a statement that all three vehicles were unmodified, factory spec vehicles with standard Nexen N Fera SU1 low rolling resistance tyres in the 215/55R17 size.

In the tests, three driving teams including one from Germany’s Auto Bild auto mag, record an average speed between 29 and 31 km per hour, reflecting typical inner city traffic speeds in European cities.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…