Hyundai has launched the company’s first all-electric offering – Kona Electric in India at a starting price tag of ₹ 25.30 lakh (ex-showroom, pan India). This is the first ever long-range electric SUV in India and it is only available in one variant. The Kona Electric is available in five color options – Polar White, Marina Blue, Typhoon Silver, Phantom Black and Polar White with a black color roof for an additional cost of ₹ 20,000. The Hyundai Kona Electric available in 11 cities initially through specialized outlets starting today. The company working on manufacturing Kona Electric locally in India at its Chennai plant in a bid to price it as affordable as they can. Apart from this, the company has invested nearly ₹ 7,000 crores in its Chennai facility. Initially, the company will launch the Kona Electric in selected metro cities of India. The Hyundai Kona Electric placed above the Hyundai Tucson in Hyundai’s portfolio and it is similar to Hyundai Creta in terms of size and space. The Hyundai Kona Electric rivals are Toyota Prius and MG Motor eZS (will be launched soon).
For those who don’t know, the Government of India has proposed a drop in GST for Electric Vehicles from 12 percent to 5 percent and also proposed an additional income reduction of ₹ 1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loans taken to purchase an EV. Keeping these factor in mind, the Kona Electric priced as per current taxation. The company is also working on setting up a charging infrastructure throughout the country and has partnered with Indian Oil Corporation to install a fast charging facility. The company also invest in the equipment and installation of the fast chargers that can charge up to 80 percent in an hour. In addition to this, a special Kona to Kona Electric fleet also set-up with a power converter to provide emergency charging support to customers.
Hyundai Kona Electric Technical Specifications And Features
Styling:
The Hyundai Kona Electric follows the latest design language and on the front, there is a signature cascading front grille with a funky pattern, flanked by a split headlamp setup with the LED DRLs at the top and low-mounted headlamps along with single-piece body-colored bumper rising up till the bonnet. 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 boot lid. A split tail lamp setup rounds up the look at the rear.
Interiors:
On the inside, the cabin of the Hyundai Kona Electric is simple and has a clean design. The Kona Electric gets a simplistic dashboard which focuses more on ease of use, ventilated seats, and heads-up display. The Kona Electric also comes with all-digital driver’s instrument panel and it displays a plethora of information like speedometer, turn by turn navigation, infotainment and more. The central console is dominated by the 7-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and displays various vehicle parameters like wireless charging, energy information, and energy consumption. There are three driving modes on offer, Eco, Comfort, and Sport.
Features:
Talking about other features on the Kona Electric, there are leather seats, digital instrument console, voice command recognition, bi-function LED headlamps, electric sunroof, ventilated front seats, 10-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, electric parking brake, dual-zone climate control and more.
Powertrain And Performance:
Globally, the Hyundai Kona Electric gets two battery options – 39.2 kWh unit and 64 kWh unit and the India-spec variant comes with 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The India-spec Kona Electric is powered by a 100kW all-electric motor that churns out a peak power of 136 PS and produces a peak torque of 395Nm. It can go from 0-100kmph in 9.7 seconds and has an ARAI certified range of 452 kilometers on a single charge. The Kona Electric also gets four drive modes – Eco+, Eco, Comfort, and Sport. It also gets regenerative braking.
Charging:
The company is setting up chargers at select Hyundai showrooms and also partnered with Indian Oil Corporation to set up charging infrastructure at petrol pumps in select cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The company is offering two chargers – a portable unit and an AC wall box charger. The portable charger can be plugged into a conventional plug point and it needs 19 hours for a full charge while the AC wall box charger manages to charge the battery in an around six hours. The battery pack in Kona Electric also supports fast charging and it can be charged up to 80 percent in just 57 minutes with a 50kW fast charger. The Kona Electric
Safety Equipment:
The Hyundai Kona Electric comes with six airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors with rear camera, electronic parking brake, electronic stability program, hill-start assist, virtual engine sound system, tyre pressure monitoring system and disc brakes for all wheels are on offer.
Warranty:
The Kona Electric comes with a warranty of 3-year standard warranty, with an optional two-year extension. In addition to this, the battery pack gets a stand-alone 8-year warranty and 1.6 lakh km warranty.
Press Release Quote:
Commenting at the launch of Hyundai KONA Electric, Mr. S.S. Kim, MD, and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited said:
“India is ushering into a new era with Clean and Connected Mobility. We are committed to the Government’s vision of ‘Shared’, ‘Connected’ and ‘Clean’ Mobility. Hyundai is leading the future mobility solutions globally and will bring in the most relevant technology in the clean mobility space in the Indian market. As we embark on the journey of India’s future mobility, the launch of India’s First Fully Electric SUV KONA in India will be a revolutionary and a definitive forward move to change the perspective towards electric cars altogether.”
Adding further,
“The KONA Electric is the ‘The New Normal’ as it is the First Long Range Green SUV with 452 Kms/Charge (ARAI Certified) enhancing the customer confidence towards Electric mobility. KONA Electric has received worldwide recognition and will be the most conducive e-vehicle for the Indian market. The Electric SUV showcases strengths of its SUV model combined with the advanced innovative technology of an electric powertrain.”
