It's bigger than the Hyundai Kona Electric, so the range is lower.

The 2019 Kia Niro EV is not new to us, as we've covered it extensively over the past year or so. However, with its U.S. debut at the LA Motor Show, we learn a couple of fresh details.

Most notably, the 64-kWh battery in the Niro EV provides the electric crossover with a range of 239 miles EPA. That's actually quite a bit lower than expected and we're not entirely sure why. For comparative purposes, the Hyundai Kona Electric, with the same battery pack, has an EPA rating of 258 miles.

Yes, the Niro EV is larger, but not so much so that it should lose ~20 miles of range compared to the Kona. We'll dig deeper into this discrepancy soon.

***UPDATE: It seems as though Kia has removed this 239-mile reference from its press materials. We expect the actual rating to be higher.

But for now, let's focus on the other juicy bit of just-released Niro EV news. Kia says it will go on sales in the U.S. in "early next year." That's right around the corner, but unfortunately, no pricing information is available at this time.

Lastly, all upcoming Hyundai / Kia plug-ins are switching over from CHAdeMO to CCS, so CCS is the fast-charge standard on both the Niro EV and the just-unveiled Kia Soul EV.

Onto the bad news. Like all Hyundai / Kia plug-in offerings, expect limited availability in select states only in the U.S.

2019 Niro EV

Full press blast below: