Hyundai Follows Kia’s Move, Downgrades Kona Electric’s Driving Range

Following Kia’s move to correct the e-Niro’s driving range, Hyundai now does the same with the Kona Electric, as the EV was subjected to the same testing error with its sister model.

The official driving range for the Hyundai Kona Electric with the big 64kWh battery pack is now 279 miles (449km), instead of the original 292 miles (469km), on the official WLTP cycle, which is mandatory for all new cars sold in the European Union.

Similarly the entry-level Kona Electric with the 39kWh battery pack now gets a recalculated driving range of 180 miles (289km), instead of the original 186 miles (300km).

Hyundai said that the correction was necessary as they discovered an incorrect testing methodology that was provided by an independent organisation. The error led to the Kona Electric being tested for a “disproportionate length of time” on the WLTP urban cycle, which features lower speeds and reduced energy consumption. The result was an overestimation of the Kona Electric’s driving range.

The testing error has been discovered through Hyundai’s ongoing homologation process, with the company saying that no other of their models were affected by this issue.

The Korean car maker will further investigate the issue in order to “arrive at a full explanation”.

The entry-level version of the Hyundai Kona Electric comes with a 39kWh battery pack and a 133hp (135PS) electric motor. The long-range version of Hyundai’s latest all-electric model gets a more powerful 201hp (201PS) electric motor and a bigger 64kWh battery pack.