WORDS CHRISTIAN SEABAUGH
PHOTOS ROBIN TRAJANOGAS
T
o the average American, electric cars
aren’t an option. They don’t work as
the main household transportation,
and too many folks can’t plug in
at home. Forget about long trips; the
charging network sucks, and it takes
forever to recharge. And aren’t they
prohibitively expensive for a car that has
so many limitations?Those arguments, however, are falling
apart fast. Even ignoring Tesla’s (expen-
sive) cars and (expansive) Supercharger
network, EVs increasingly offer longer
ranges and fast charger compatibility.
Have we reached the point that an
electric car can work as a family’s only
vehicle? And more important, which
offers a better driving experience?Until now, there was no way to perform
a direct comparison. Thanks to the
Hyundai Kona, though, we can finally
make this evaluation happen. For now, it’s
the only vehicle in the U.S. to include both
traditional gas engines and a long-range
electric option, which allows us to control
for sheetmetal variations, size and weight
differences, and equipment variables.54 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2020