Freezing Temps Crush Range. But Kia’s Newest EV Dominated This Test
- The Kia EV2 handles cold-weather driving better, losing the least range in a group range test performed in Norway.
- Kia says the EV2 that participated in the test had a long-range battery but was a prototype, so its claimed range figures were not final.
- Temperatures in the test ranged between 17.6°F and 23.8°F and one participant came 274 miles short of its range claim.
Kia entered a prototype of its smallest electric model, the EV2, in the Norwegian Automotive Federation’s (NAF) El Prix Winter Test Drive. It’s an annual group winter range test designed to compare an EV’s claimed range with its real-world performance when temperatures dip well below freezing.
The EV2 isn’t mentioned on the official results page (presumably because it’s not a finished production car), but Kia points out that it performed better than all other cars that took part in the test.
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Source: Kia
The participating EV2 was the long-range 61-kilowatt-hour battery version, which goes into production in Slovakia in July. It still had camouflage on its sides and rear (not uncommon for testing, even though the production EV2 has been fully revealed). Kia notes that while its European WLTP range figure is not yet final, it’s expected to achieve 278 miles (448 km) or 256 miles (413 km) when equipped with the larger 19-inch wheels.
The prototype covered 193 miles (310.6 km) in the test, resulting in a 63.6-mile (102.4 km) loss, approximately 24.8% below the WLTP range. That’s a great result given the test conditions, which never saw temperatures exceed 17.6°F (-8°C), with a low of 23.8°F (-31°C).
Charging in extreme cold is also an important test, and the EV2 did very well there. It was charged from 8% to 80%, adding 45.4 kWh back into the battery in just under 37 minutes, with a peak of 97 kW and an average power of 74 kW throughout the session.
The manufacturer says it should charge from 10% to 80% in exactly 30 minutes (without confirming its peak charging power rating), so its cold-weather performance in Norway is impressive.
The next best car in the group range test was the Hyundai Inster, which was one of the cars I drove across Europe a few months ago and performed admirably as a long-distance EV. It is rated for 224 miles (360 km) and lost 64.6 miles (104 km) in cold conditions. That’s a larger share of its total claimed range of around 28.9%, but it’s still a strong showing.
Another Slovakia-built Kia, the EV4 hatchback, also participated in the test. With its long-range 81.4 kWh battery, it’s rated at up to 369 miles (594 km) and it lost 126 miles (204 km), which is almost double the loss compared to the EV2. However, most EVs struggled in this year’s test, with the Lucid Air coming 274 miles (440 km) short of its claimed range.
