BORK!BORK!BORK! One criticism frequently leveled at electric vehicles is about their batteries: "Won't they wear out?"

Well, fear not, dear reader, for The Register can exclusively reveal that this writer's Kia Niro EV has now done more than 114 million miles.

Admittedly, this figure was shown in Kia's Connect app and is at odds with the 20,000 miles on the car's odometer, but still. It's on an iPhone, so it must be right. Right?

Over the 15 months of ownership, this equates to around 7,600,000 miles per month or approximately 1,900,000 miles per week. In a single day, Kia reckons I travel 271,429 miles, or 11,309 miles per hour (assuming I have a very long extension lead).

So, not only record-breaking mileage but also a record-breaking speed (unless my math has let me down again). Even in eco mode (I rarely trouble the sport or normal modes on the Niro), I exceed Concorde's maximum cruising speed by ten times or thereabouts.

We asked Kia what it made of the figure shown on its app, but the carmaker has yet to respond.

Sadly, Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is whizzing around the Sun far faster than my Kia, clocking in at over 55,000 miles per hour. However, the harshness of space means that Musk's roadster is likely in considerably worse condition than my multimillion-miler.

Although if Kia's figures are correct, that sort of speed should have done the paintwork no good at all. It just goes to show the build and paint quality at the factory. NASA could probably learn a thing or two.

In all seriousness, we're not sure what has befallen Kia's app or why it has decided to show a mileage more divorced from reality than a billionaire tech bro. The Niro itself is actually a fine car in reality, even if the bleeps and whoops of its speed limiter and lane-keeping warnings can get a bit tiring. A brief long-term review would read: "Nice car, lots of space, drives well, don't buy unless you can plug it into your house."

Oh, "and the app can be a bit dodgy." ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/07/24/kia_niro_app_blunder/