Hyundai Kona Electric

With the launch of the all-new Hyundai Kona Electric SUV, Hyundai Motor India has finally introduced its first-ever electric car in the country. Launched in India at Rs. 23.79 lakh (ex-showroom, India) the new Kona Electric is also India’s first-ever fully electric long-range SUV and is offered only in one variant, equipped with a host of smart and conform features. Although globally, the Hyundai Kona Electric comes with two battery options - a 39.2 kWh and a 64 kWh, the India-spec Kona Electric only gets the former, which offers an ARAI certified range of 452 kilometres.

In terms of design and styling, the new Hyundai Kona Electric is largely inspired by the regular petrol/diesel version of the Kona compact SUV, except for the face which gets the signature electric vehicle face. In fact, Hyundai has added a nice pattern up front in order to mimic the cascading grille on the regular Kona SUV. This is where even the charging port in hidden. On either side, the electric SUV features Bi-Function LED headlamps, while the LED daytime running lamps with indicators are positioned above, flanking the sleek silver slat with the Hyundai logo at the centre.

The Kona Electric also comes with a new front bumper with air intakes at both ends, and a larger one at the centre to cool down the wheels. The SUV also gets a set of smart-looking 17-inch alloy wheels with fat claddings for the wheel arches, sleek wraparound LED taillamps, and separate light units featuring rear indicators and reflectors.

On the inside, instead of going for a futuristic design Hyundai has kept things simple as the cabin is largely identical to the regular version of the Kona SUV. The SUV comes with leather seats as standard along with leather-wrapped steering wheel, soft-touch material for the dashboard, sporty metal pedals and a fully digital instrument cluster. The well laid-out dashboard gets displays that tell you driving range, and power status of the battery, in addition to a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and voice recognition.

Other cabin features include – smart electric sunroof, button type shift by wire technology, heated and ventilated seats, 10-way adjustable power seat for the driver, and electric parking brake among others. The Kona Electric will also come with a host of safety features like - 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, hill assist, rear camera with guidelines, tyre pressure monitor, and more, all offered as a standard fitment.

The battery can be fully charged in seven to eight hours and using a fast-charger can charge the battery up to 80 per cent in under an hour. Hyundai customers will be provided with a portable charger and an AC wall box charger. The portable charger will be able to plug into any three-pin 15 Amp socket and charge for a top up to 50 km in less than three hours. The 7.2 kW wall box charger can top up the vehicle within one hour of running up to 50 km. The Kona Electric in India will get a 100 kW motor which sends power to the front wheels and the output is equivalent of 131 bhp and 395 Nm of peak torque available from the word go! Globally, the Kona also gets a 150 kW motor, which makes about 200 bhp and 395 Nm of peak torque. The India-spec car can sprint from 0-100 kmph in 9.7 seconds, which makes it quite quick for an SUV.

Currently the Hyundai Kona Electric has no rivals in the Indian market, however, MG Motor India is currently planning to bring it its first electric SUV for the Indian market, which will possibly be in the same segment. As for the Hyundai Kona Electric, the SUV is priced in India at Rs. 25.30 lakh (ex-showroom, India) and comes with a vehicle warranty of 3 years/Unlimited Km, and the car’s high power Li-ion battery comes with an 8 years/160,000 Km warranty. The Hyundai will also have a dedicated EV care manager at the showrooms and also offer 24x7 vehicle to vehicle charging support for the ease of customers.

Upcoming Hyundai Models are the New Tucson, New Venue, New Kona Electric and Ioniq