Hyundai has set a new range record with its Kona Electric, after tests in Germany saw one of its 64 kWh models cover 1,026 km (637.5 miles) on a single charge.
Three identical Kona Electric models were piloted about the Lausitzring by a team of drivers over the course of three days. By using hypermiling techniques and sticking to city driving speeds – the average speeds were between 29 and 31 km/h (18 to 19 mph), all three vehicles covered more than 1,000 km (621 miles).
The official WLTP driving range for the Kona Electric 64 kWh is 301 miles – one of the leading mass-market EV driving ranges available. However, all three models in the test more than doubled that official figure, setting a record for an EV with a similarly sized battery.
Despite 29 degree Celsius heat, all teams kept the air conditioning switched off to preserve precious range, whilst even elements such as the infotainment system were kept off. However, all models were standard production vehicles, with no improvement to aerodynamics, or special software or hardware changes.
The calculated energy consumption was 6.24 kWh/100km for the lead machine, but even the other two models scores were recorded as 6.28 and 6.25 kWh/100km for the 1,018.7 and 1,024.1 km distances respectively.
