2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Has A Bolt Beating Range Of 258 Miles

When Hyundai staged the North American debut of the Kona Electric at the New York Auto Show, the company said the model would be able to travel approximately 250 miles (402 km) between charges.

That was an impressive figure and it turns out the final numbers are even more substantial. As noticed by Electrek, the official EPA numbers are out and the model will have a range of 258 miles (415 km).

That puts the Kona Electric at the top of the pack as the model can travel 20 miles (32 km) further than the Chevrolet Bolt and 107 miles (172 km) more than the Nissan Leaf. More impressively, the Kona Electric can travel more than three times further than the Fiat 500e which has a range of just 84 miles (135 km).

While Hyundai’s EV has the competition beat on range, it’s a closer match in terms of efficiency. The EPA says the Kona Electric has an MPGe rating of 132 city, 108 highway and 120 combined. The Bolt, on the other hand, is rated at 128 city, 110 highway and 120 combined. Those figures are pretty close and the EPA notes both models have an annual ‘fuel’ cost of approximately $550 (£427 / €476).

Pricing remains the big unknown, but we’ll likely find out how much the Kona Electric will cost closer to its launch this fall. Regardless, the model will have a 64 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which powers an electric motor that develops 201 hp (150 kW / 204 PS) and 290 lb-ft (392 Nm) of torque.

Of course, the electric powertrain does have some downsides as Hyundai says it will take approximately 9 hours and 35 minutes to recharge the battery pack with a Level 2 charger. However, that time can be reduced to just 54 minutes with a Level 3 100kW rapid charger.