Since the Chevrolet Bolt EV entered production, the electric car has offered the longest EPA-estimated range of a full-line automaker. Alas, Hyundai has stripped Chevrolet of the title.
The EPA has rated the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric at 258 miles of electric range, 20 miles more than the Bolt EV’s 238-mile estimated range. The EPA also released official MPGe ratings for the Korean electric crossover at 123 MPGe city, 108 highway and 120 combined.
Miles Per Gallon Equivalent, or MPGe, is the distance a car can travel electrically on the amount of energy contained in 1 gallon of gasoline.
When the Kona Electric launches, it will be the first Asian vehicle to sport a CCS Combo fast charge port rather than the CHAdeMO standard. Utilizing a 100 kilowatt DC fast charger will juice the Kona Electric’s depleted battery in less than an hour. Otherwise, a 7.2-kw charger will charger the 62-kilowatt-hour battery in roughly 9.5 hours.
The electric powertrain is good for 201 horsepower and 292 pound-feet of torque.
The Bolt EV remains on sale, which gives Chevrolet time to potentially respond. The Kona Electric is expected to launch in later in 2019.
Comments
I wonder what price will be relative to the Bolt. I hate to say it but the Kona EV looks better
AFAIK, the Kona battery is 64 kWh, not 62.
Also, the smaller 39 kWh battery will not be available in the North American market.
I really hoped GM raised the Bolt EV battery to 64 kWh for 2019…
The Bolt’s 238 miles EPA range divided by the 57 KWh battery is an average 4.17 mile per kWh. The Kona’s 258 mile EPA range divided by its 62 kWh battery is an average 4.16 mile per kWh, so the bolt EV is slightly more efficient. Present Bolt EV owners have passed 300 miles of range, getting better than 5 miles per kWh. I doubt the Kona will be as efficient even at a lower price. But the Kona is best for Korean drivers, and the Bolt is the best for U.S. drivers.
Well yeah, typically a larger battery means a heavier car, so it will get fewer miles per kWh. The highest miles/kWh ratings are found in tiny short range EVs.
On the user side, range is far more important than a small efficiency difference. Hyundai beat GM on range. Not by a lot, but enough to be significant, especially in winter climates where range drops by over 40% on very cold days in snowy conditions. That’s how the free market goes, even the leaders get leapfrogged occasionally.
GM will surprise us again in a year or two. Trust me on this, they have some, dare I say, “insanely great” EVs on the way. Expect some jealousy from Camaro owners in a few years…
The Kona looks better, too. I suspect the Bolt will still be the better driver’s car, but if they’re close, buyers will choose the better looking car.
There’s no reason for GM to let the Bolt get beat on range, either. They updated the gen1 Volt battery after two years of production, and then again at 4 years and then 5 years on the gen2 Volt. The Bolt battery even has extra space in it for more cells.
Gm has two more electric car’s coming, on these bolt chassis, I keep saying this ( one Chevrolet, one buick). Second 258 +miles is not that hard to get too, all they have to do is move KWh up.
Even easier to drop in a few extra battery cells. Higher kWh will require either a more efficient motor or dual motors. The upcoming two you mentioned will be larger than the Bolt so they’re unlikely to be as efficient (also unlikely to be sold in the US thanks to our hobbit-handed douchenfuhrer).
Move kWH up, these price will rise. Will they move up yes, but they have to be careful of these cost
It’s the price most importantly. I would buy or lease a Bolt now if the Premier was less than $35k and can’t bring myself to even consider a Hyundai for more. Luv the Regen system and one petal driving, so far I hear of nothing similar on the Kona.
I believe the base price for the 64kWh Kona will be around the $40k mark in the US market. The Kona EV in the New Zealand market (where I am based) has a four level regen system (1,2,3 and auto) and also has the one pedal driving system. As well as a lot of other cool tech.
It’s all about cheaper labor and no air pollution standards over there.
And that bulbous front end makes it look ugly!
One has to remember that given that a majority of the electricity generated in the United States is still from fossil fuels, there is no such thing as a Zero Emissions Vehicle because the electricity needed to recharged the battery still came from fossil fuels.
It depends on the region, but control of a single point source emission is far easier than control of emissions on every individual car. So even running EVs on coal generated electricity is cleaner than the average gasser vehicle.
But in regions with clean power, EVs are zero emission vehicles. Then there’s the example of my neighbor, who charges his Tesla with an array of solar panels.
Still need a crossover electric from GM. This really should have been first and obvious.
The Bolt is all Samsung, (battery, drive…) so it’s not surprising it will be in the same league as anything from Kia/Hyundai.
No, that’s wrong. The Bolt’s battery is made by LG, as are the Bolt’s electronics. GM designed the chassis and powertrain, including the electric motors, but LG manufacture the motors.
Samsung aren’t involved.
You are right, I did mean to say LG.
AMERICAN ingenuity will prevail!
I’m sure GM is already on it…
I am somewhat patiently waiting for an AWD AFFORDABLE EV CUV to park next to our Volt which is lifted 3″ and is staying till hell freezes over. So c’mon GM let;s getta move on.
A volt with a lift? Let’s see some pics.