Long-Range Hyundai Kona Electric Launched! To Be Available In 11 Cities Initially

• Its electric motor churns out 136PS, 395Nm and draws power from a 39.2kWh battery pack.

• The Kona EV will initially be available in 11 cities at 15 specialised dealerships.

• Gets a warranty of 3-years/unlimited kms and 8-years and 1.6 lakh kms on the battery pack.
• Fast charging juices up the battery from 0-80 percent in 54 minutes.
• Gets a 7-inch digital instrument panel which is a first for a Hyundai in India.
• The Kona EV comes loaded with features like Blue Link connected-car tech, sunroof, cruise control and more.
• It also gets safety features like blind spot detection and autonomous emergency braking.
  

Hyundai has launched its first all-electric offering in the Indian market, the Kona Electric SUV. Priced at Rs 25.30 lakh (introductory ex-showroom), the all-electric Hyundai debuts as India’s first long-range EV that has an ARAI-approved range of 452km on a single charge. Available with the 39.2kWh battery pack in India, the Kona Electric's range is impressive as in the international markets it manages a similar range with the much bigger 64kWh unit. Under the globally approved WLTP standards, the 39.2kWh version does 289km on a single charge, which is much lower than the ARAI certified range. 

Styling:

The Kona EV follows the latest design language from the Korean car maker. At the front, there is a cascading front grille with a funky pattern, flanked by a split headlamp setup with the LED DRLs at the top. The side profile is dominated by tough looking black cladding, stylish 17-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels and a sharp crease that starts from the front door and flows cleanly to the bootlid. A split tail lamp setup rounds up the look at the rear.

The Kona EV can be had in five colour options -- Polar White, Marina Blue, Typhoon Silver, Phantom Black and Polar White with a black colour roof for an additional cost of Rs 20,000.

Dimensions:

While the all-electric SUV slots in between the Creta and Tucson in the manufacturer’s portfolio, its dimensions suggest that the Kona EV, though wider than the Creta, is one of the smallest in all other parameters.

Powertrain And Performance:

The India-spec Kona Electric is powered by an all-electric motor that puts out 136PS and 395Nm. It can do 0-100kmph in 9.7 seconds before maxing out at 154kmph. The battery pack supports fast charging and can be juiced up from 0-80 percent in 57 minutes with a 50kW fast charger, while a 7.2kW charger juices up the same in 6 hours 10 mins. It also gets regenerative braking. While Hyundai claims an ARAI certified 452km of range, it remains to be seen how much does it manage to cover in the real world. The Kona Electric also gets four drive modes -- Eco+, Eco, Comfort and Sport.

Charging:

Charging infrastructure has been among the biggest pain points for the adoption of EVs in the country, but Hyundai is looking to address this issue by setting up fast chargers at select Hyundai showrooms. Kona owners will be allowed to charge here for free. Hyundai will also offer the Kona Electric with two chargers -- a portable unit and an AC wall box charger. The portable charger can be plugged into your standard 3-pin 15A socket and a 3-hour charge can give it a 50km range, whereas charging the Kona with the AC wall box charger can do so in just an hour. Hyundai will also provide support to customers for setting up charging facilities at their homes, and has partnered with Allianz Worldwide for the same.

Apart from this, Hyundai has also partnered with Indian Oil Corp to set up charging infrastructure at petrol pumps in select cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.

Interiors:

Inside, the Kona Electric gets a simplistic dashboard which focuses more on ease of use. It gets an all-digital driver’s instrument panel that is a first for a Hyundai in India. The 7-inch digital driver’s display shows a plethora of information like speedometer (of course), turn by turn navigation, infotainment and more. The central console is dominated by the 7-inch floating infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also displays various vehicle parameters like charge management, energy information and energy consumption.

Features:

Talking about features, the Kona EV comes loaded with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, voice command recognition, wireless charger, dual-zone climate control, front ventilated and heated seats, 10-way power driver seat with lumbar support. You also get a head-up display, auto-dimming IRVM, smart electric sunroof, cruise control and more. 

Safety Equipment:

Hyundai hasn't skimped out on safety as equipment like six airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors with rear camera, electronic parking brake, electronic stability program, hill-start assist, tyre pressure monitoring system and disc brakes for all wheels are on offer.

The Kona Electric will be available in 11 cities initially through specialised outlets. The Korean car maker will gauge the response from the public and will ramp up production based on that. The Kona Electric would also become more affordable, thanks to the Indian government taking some serious measures to boost EV sales in India. The car maker also claims that the Kona EV offers 80 per cent lower running costs than a petrol car. To make the package even more enticing, the Kona Electric comes with a warranty of 3-years/unlimited kms. Not just that, the battery pack also gets an 8-year and 1.6 lakh km warranty. The Kona Electric will take on the MG eZS when it is launched here by December this year. 

While we have already driven the Kona EV in South Korea, do stay tuned to ZigWheels for a road test to see how the all-electric Hyundai performs in the real world.