Hyundai and Kia have been forced to reduce their claimed range for their latest new electric models after what was described as “a testing error”. The vehicles affected are the Kia e-Niro and Hyundai Kona Electric.
According to Hyundai (which is also Kia’s parent company), the “independent organisation” responsible for the testing procedures applied an “incorrect testing methodology”.
Hyundai claims that the test centre accidentally kept the cars on the test’s ‘urban’ cycle for a disproportionate amount of time, which resulted in the vehicles travelling at lower overall speeds with reduced energy usage for a longer period. This produced better results than it would have if the correct protocol had been followed.
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The previously-claimed WLTP combined cycle range for the Kia e-Niro fitted with a 64kWh battery pack drops from 301 miles to 282 miles. The claimed range for the standard 39kWh battery pack drops too, from 193 miles to 179 miles.
The numbers are similar for the Hyundai Kona Electric. The official range has been reduced from 312 miles to 279 miles for cars with the 64kWh battery, and from 190 miles to 180 miles with the 39kWh battery.
Both brands have said that no other models in their respective ranges are affected by similar slip-ups, and that customers who have ordered an e-Niro or Kona Electric have been contacted to “flag up the issue”.
The admissions come at a crucial time for electric car uptake in the UK new car market, and range anxiety is already at the top of the list for buyers’ concerns about buying an electric car.
Last month it was reported by WhatCar? that most electric cars currently on sale overstate their mileage, although the Hyundai Kona Electric was found to have the best range of any electric currently on sale.
