Hyundai’s Kona electric SUV set a new distance record by running at a full charge for over 1,000 km. At the Lausitzring circuit in Germany the carmaker successfully tested three Kona SUVs for three days, each traveling 1,018.7 km, 1,024.1 km and 1,026 km on a single battery charge.
Hyundai Motor Co. of South Korea said on Friday that its compact Kona Electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) has set a record driving range of more than 1,000 kilometers which is 621 miles in a single charge in a test drive in Germany, making headway in its EV run.
The test drive was conducted on Euro Speedway Lausitzring, a racing circuit in Germany, for 35 hours by multiple drivers. The test drive was performed jointly with leading German automotive publication Auto Bild and was supervised by Lausitzring operator Dekra.
Each vehicle used in the test was unmodified. To achieve a full mileage, the air conditioning and lighting systems of each car remained off, with only daytime running lights turned on to satisfy the permissible road traffic requirements.
The Hyundai Motor research team did not turn the air conditioner on even at a high outside temperature of 29 degrees Celsius for a maximum mileage and switched off the infotainment system.
Average Speed of Hyundai Motor Kona SUVs
The average speed of test drivers was 30 kilometers per hour, the automaker said, taking into account heavy traffic, signal lights, and speed limits, which is close to the average speed on real roads.
Hyundai Motor said the three Kona Electric vehicles have achieved a new driving range of more than 1,000 km.
Kona Electric is Europe’s most famous electric car, sold by Hyundai Motor. The Korean carmaker sold 204,737 cars in Europe in the first seven months of the year and Kona Electric sold 8.1 per cent or 16,511 units.
