2023 Hyundai Kona Electric Revealed With Over 490km Of Claimed Range

• 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric specifications revealed.

• Gets two battery options: 48.4kWh and 65.4kWh.

• Bigger battery offers a WLTP-claimed range of over 490km.

• Cabin gets integrated Ioniq 5-like 12.3-inch infotainment and digital driver’s screen

• Safety kit features an array of ADAS including lane keep assist and high beam assist.

• No news on India launch as of now.

It was back in December 2022 when Hyundai first took covers off the new-generation Kona and revealed its three guises: petrol, hybrid and all-electric. More than a couple months later, we’ve now got the specifications of the Kona electric’s powertrain. The new generation model will go on sale first as an EV before its ICE iterations are revealed. So let’s go straight to it:

Powertrain

The Kona EV will be available with two powertrain options: Standard Range and Long Range. The former has a battery capacity of 48.4kWh, which feeds juice to the 155PS and 250Nm electric motor. The more powerful 218PS and 255Nm electric motor is paired to the 65.4kWh battery for the long-range variant. For reference, the model sold in India sports a 39.2kWh battery pack.

Hyundai hasn’t stated a claimed figure for the standard variant, but boasts that the long-range variant will be good for a WLTP-claimed range of over 490km. The battery can be recharged from 10%-80% in just 41 minutes using a fast charger.

The Kona EV offers a one-pedal drive system with its regenerative braking system to feed back power to the battery. It also gets the vehicle-to-load feature, which makes the vehicle a portable power bank that can power or recharge appliances. 

Design

It draws inspiration from its siblings, the Ioniq 5 and 6, in subtle ways that it is designed, yet it retains the character of the car it replaces. Pixelated seamless LED DRLs run along the nose (as seen in the Ioniq 5’s headlights) and the main headlight unit is placed below. The profile is laden with sharp creases, owed partially to the chunky, squared-off wheel arches. 

The rear gets the same pixel graphics detailing on its LED strip, while the taillights are again placed on the lower outside bumper. We’ve detailed its styling in detail in our reveal article.

Fun fact: All three powertrains get design touches and elements exclusive to them.

Features

The Kona features an Ioniq 5-like12.3-inch infotainment system that extends towards the driver via another 12.3-inch screen, which makes up the instrument cluster. Features are plentiful and include keyless entry, eight-speaker Bose Premium Sound System plus subwoofer, powered tailgate, a heads-up display and a whole suite of ADAS functions which includes Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance Assist (BCA), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), High Beam Assist (HBA), Forward Collision-avoidance Assist and more.

Also Read: Holi-Proof Your Car With These Pro Tips

While there are other powertrain options for the Kona, India only ever got the electric version of it. However, there is no news about when or if the new-generation SUV will make its way to India. The current model is sold from Rs 23.84 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards and rivals the MG ZS EV while being a premium alternative to the Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV400.