Hyundai Kona: 1000km on a charge!

Talk about hypermiling!

Just days after announcing its new Ioniq dedicated EV sub-brand, Hyundai has proven its current Kona Electric EV is worth bragging about too.

In controlled conditions on a German racetrack three Kona Electrics have each travelled over 1000km on a single battery charge.

In fact they went precisely and respectively 1018.7km, 1024.1km and 1026km each and consumed precisely 6.28, 6.25 and 6.24kWh per 100km.

That compares to the official WLTP claim for the Kona EV of a 450km range between recharges of its 64kWh battery and consumption of 14.7kWh power 100km.

This is the second big EV range story to break this week, with Silicon Valley start-up Lucid Motors claiming a record 832km range for the Air sedan based on the EPA test cycle.

The Kona’s 1000km range achievement was announced just weeks after the model recorded its 100,000th sale globally in the two years since it first went on-sale.

Priced from $60,740 the Kona Electric has been on-sale in Australia since 2019.

“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. 

Sure, but it was a pretty controlled exercise.

The test was conducted over 35 hours and 36 driver changes per car at the Lausitzring racetrack in north-east Germany under the supervision of the European vehicle inspection company Dekra.

The three drive teams  – one from the German magazine Auto Bild and two from Hyundai Motor Deutschland – recorded an average speed between 29 and 31km/h to reflect typical inner-city traffic speeds in Europe.

On the third day, the vehicles managed to cover over 20km with only three per cent residual capacity. At zero per cent charge, the vehicles continued to drive for several hundred metres before running out of power and coming to a stop.

All vehicles used in the test were factory-spec and unmodified, equipped with standard Nexen N Fera SU1 low rolling resistance tyres in the 215/55 17-inch size.

Each vehicle’s air-conditioning and entertainment systems remained off, with available power used solely for propulsion. Only the daytime running lights remained on to comply with the legal requirements for road traffic.

“With this test, the Kona Electric confirmed what many of our customers already know: it is a reliably efficient and eco-friendly lifestyle SUV that is practical for everyday use,” said Jürgen Keller, managing director of Hyundai Motor Deutschland GmbH.

“Customers driving the Kona Electric or other Hyundai EVs can expect to drive long distances without recharging or feeling range anxiety.”