A couple of weeks ago, bold adventurers took part in a mammoth challenge. A 350 mile drive in two days - all in the name of efficiency. The MPG marathon has taken place every year over the last couple of years and is open to all production vehicles. This year saw entries from a ’51 plate Honda Insight, an RAC van and all the way to an Volkswagen e-Golf.
Also making its debut this year is the highly anticipated Hyundai Kona Electric. Its petrol sister was first shown to the world in 2017 with the electric model following this year. I actually went in to test drive the petrol 1.0 litre Kona and I thought it was pretty cool. The funky styling and its presence on the road, along with the plucky little engine meant that I came very close to buying one - it was only beaten by the brand new Fiesta.
But now, with the release of the electric version and its 300 mile range, do I feel like I should have waited? Well maybe but really how realistic is that range? Well that’s where we come back to the MPG marathon. 350 miles - which is 50 more miles than potentially the Kona can handle – so cue the range anxiety. The results? The car did a fantastic 337 mile journey over the two days using only 89% of it’s battery capacity. This, coupled with the Kona coming on top in What Car? Tests of real world range, means that the Kona electric could be a very viable option for both personal and fleet drivers.
But coming back to the question, should I have waited? Well, at home I can charge a car and my journey to work averages about 30 miles each way. In theory it’s possible, but I spend a lot of weeknights parked in a multi-storey without any chargers and my commute isn’t the only driving I do. This means between charges I may end up doing 300 miles or more. So it could be a viable option (and I really love the car) but without a widespread network of chargers, I’ll keep on waiting, waiting on the world to charge.
Kona Electric – piloted by Fleet World content editor, Jonathan Musk – averaged 5.7 miles per kilowatt-hour of electricity or enough to cover its entire 337-mile route on an 89% charge.
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