The list of things that bothers us and many consumers about electric cars is long, but Hyundai are looking to eliminate one very important item from that list. Their latest “mission” was to prove that their KONA Electric could go well over 1000km on a single charge when done right. The results proved that the Kona was able to repeatedly achieve this target, and in fact hit as high as 1026km on one charge.
To achieve this, Hyundai drove 3 KONA electric vehicles over 35 hours (spread across 3 days) at Lausitzring in Germany while a vehicle inspection company monitored the test processes and results. The cars were completely stock from the factory and used the same Nexen N Fera SU1 low rolling resistance tyres found on the standard KONA Electric.
Air conditioning and media playback was turned off, so it would have been a boring (and possibly uncomfortable) 1000+km drive. The teams actually drove at lower speeds (around 30km/h) to mimic in-city speeds. That being said, it’s not clear if there was much stop go. Between the cars around 36 driver changes occurred, so we can assume there were at least 12 instances where cars had to be accelerated back to speed from a dead stop.
It’s unlikely the KONA Electric will make its way to Malaysia (the petrol versions will), but Hyundai want to be seen as a world leader in electric mobility with a 10% market share of EVs by 2025.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
Hyundai Motor successfully demonstrated its leadership in electrified mobility as three KONA Electric vehicles set a new range record.
Over the course of a three-day range mission, the pure electric subcompact SUVs each travelled 1,018.7, 1,024.1 and 1,026.0 kilometers (km), exceeding the goal of 1,000 km on a single battery charge. Each distance also represents a record in terms of 64 kWh battery capacity, as the power consumption figures of 6.28, 6.25 and 6.24 kWh per 100 km were well below the standard value of 14.7 kWh per 100 km determined by the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
The nearly 35-hour test took place at Lausitzring, a racetrack in northeast Germany. Dekra, a European vehicle inspection company that has operated at Lausitzring since 2017, monitored the test process and vehicles, recording 36 driver changes.
All vehicles used in the test were factory-spec and unmodified, equipped with standard Nexen N Fera SU1 low rolling resistance tires in the 215/55R17 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.
The drive teams – one from the renowned German trade magazine Auto Bild and two from Hyundai Motor Deutschland – recorded an average speed between 29 and 31 km/h to reflect typical inner-city traffic speeds in Europe. On the third day, the vehicles managed to cover over 20 km with only 3 percent residual capacity. At zero percent charge, the vehicles continued to drive for several hundred meters before running out of power and coming to a stop.
Hyundai Motor recently revealed its plans to lead the global EV market with the launch of its new IONIQ brand dedicated to battery electric vehicles. The company will introduce three new EV models over the next four years and offer customer-centric EV experiences in line with its vision ‘Progress for Humanity’. Hyundai Motor Group, the company’s parent entity, aims to sell 1 million units of battery electric vehicles and take 10 percent market share to become a global EV leader by 2025.
