Hacker News Reader

Comment by pforret | Hacker News Reader

This is the first time I've heard anyone exceed their EPA range. 303 miles is impressive!

I have the same experience with my Kona EV. Official range 415 km, but in the summer it's actually ~450 km. (Not that I ever run 100%-0% of course, but I get 90 km going from 80% down to 60%.)

Same with a Kia Niro EV I had, which is on a shared platform with the Kona. I think it was 239 miles EPA rated, in the summer it was quite easy to exceed. I don't have a lead foot and drive pretty efficiently though.

Great car, good space, level 2 driver assists and very efficient which offset the slow DC charge speed. Relatively lightweight for an EV at 3800lbs as well.

For a data point outside the Kia/Hyundai family, I get a similar experience with my Nissan Leaf. Nominal range is 215 miles, but I usually get 220-240 as long as it's all at lower speeds. If I get on the highway for any length of time, it's more like 150-200 depending on exactly how fast I go and whether it's winter.

> the slow DC charge speed

AFAICT this is one of the major differences between the semi-affordable EVs like ours and the Tesla/Jaguar/Audi kind. The Leaf might well be the worst in this regard TBH, but I certainly wasn't going to pay 50% more (at least) just for faster DC charging which I rarely use anyway. It's just one part of the overall experience, not worth that much to most of us.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com