Hyundai Motors’ all-electric vehicle, the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric, has exceeded the company’s own expectations in terms of range, posting 258 miles (415 kilometres), according to the EPA.
The official range rating is even longer than the 250 miles (402km) that Hyundai estimated when it unveiled the car at the Geneva Motor Show last spring. Kona Electric eclipses the 243-km range offered by its competitor Nissan Leaf and the 450-km range of Chevrolet Bolt. It nearly ties the Tesla Model S 75D’s 259-mile range.
The vehicle shines in terms of MPGe as well, posting 132 MPGe in the city, 108 on the highway, and 120 combined, putting it among the most efficient electric cars available. A 7.2-kw on-board charger is capable of refilling its 64-kwh lithium-ion battery in about 9.5 hours.
On the safety-front, it comes with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot detection, active lane control, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, driver attention monitoring, and automatic high beams, and a head-up display will be available.
Hyundai has not released pricing, so it’s not clear which – if any – of those features may be standard, but it is expected to be the most affordable of a new wave of electric SUVs that will arrive later in 2019.