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Hyundai Kona Electric owner does 403 kms Road Trip in Kerala – With AC On

Even after completing the journey of over 400 kms, the car showed that there was still enough charge to do another 40 kms

Even though costly as compared to their fossil fuel powered counterparts, electric cars offer a range of benefits. There are not many electric car owners in India, but there are many who aspire to become one. The main reason holding most buyers back, is the range curiosity and charging infrastructure.

To help consumers understand the range of electric cars in India, some owners have shared detailed videos about real world drive range, service costs, etc. Now, a Hyundai Kona electric owner from Kerala, via YouTube Channel ‘Kona Kerala’ has shared their experience of driving the car from Trivandrum to Calicut, a distance of around 400 km.

Trivandrum to Calicut – Journey details

The journey begins at a Hyundai dealership in Trivandrum and ends at a Hyundai dealership in Calicut. The purpose of this journey was to find out the actual range of Kona EV. The ARAI-claimed range of Kona is 452 km, making it the longest range EV in the country. In comparison, Tata Nexon has a range of 312 km whereas MG ZS EV can travel 340 km on a single charge. Recently, a Nexon EV owner had posted their range experience with the car, which came out to be 170-180 km on a single charge.

Hyundai Kona Electric owner
Hyundai Kona EV owner shares stats / experience

Talking about Kona’s 400 km journey, the car starts with a full charge from the Trivandrum dealership and reaches the bypass road after travelling for 69 km. Most roads in Kerala are two-lane and the ones near cities and towns are usually crowded. To save battery, the vlogger utilizes Kona’s special feature where the driver’s side AC can function independently. This saves battery without compromising comfort when driving alone. After driving for 103 km, the battery was at 80 percent.

At 161 km, the battery consumption was at 34 percent and the available range showed 209 km on the instrument cluster. As the car enters Kochi, it is faced with traffic jams. However, it does not have any major impact on battery consumption, as energy use is low when the car is idling. When the battery level showed 50 percent, Kona had travelled a distance of 233 km. Available range was displayed at 160 km. Watch the detailed video below.

When it started getting dark, Kona was around 112 km away from its destination. The car performed well in night time conditions and reached the Hyundai dealership in Calicut with 7 percent battery still remaining.

Cost-effective in the long run

Overall, Kona travelled 409 km in this journey on a single charge. If we consider the 7 percent remaining battery, it shows that Kona’s real world range is quite close to its claimed range of 452 km.

However, Kona may not be for everyone, as it is quite expensive at Rs 26 lakh, on-road. Nonetheless, Kona can still be cost-effective in the long run, as charging and maintenance cost is significantly less in comparison to that of ICE powered cars.

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