Hyundai Kona EV: What to Expect from this New Electric Vehicle?

by Mohammed Burman | 02/10/2018
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Hyundai, the Korean automaker which has a great share in the Indian auto market, is gong to launch the Hyundai Kona EV between July 2019 and December 2019.

1. How much will it cost?

Hyundai is one of the biggest car manufacturers in India and India also ranks as one of the fastest developing markets for Hyundai with a 15% share of the company’s entire production. After a period of stable development in India, the South Korean automaker has an ambition of more deeply penetrating into the Indian EV segment. The managing director of Hyundai Motor India has recently officially announced the plan to produce EVs in India.

Now, what Indian auto customers can do is to expect to the launch date of the first electric product from Hyundai, Hyundai Kona EV, which is likely to be priced in the range of Rs. 20-25 lakh. While this is not the first electric vehicle manufactured by Hyundai, it is the first one that will be launched in the Indian EV market. Let’s see what to expect from this new electric SUV2. 

Hyundai Kona EV red colour in the show room

Hyundai Kona EV is expected to be priced from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh

2. Hyundai Kona EV’s Refreshing Exterior

In terms of the exterior details, the Hyundai Kona EV will be somewhat different from its fuel-powered siblings to optimize the electric engine. The conventional mesh grille will give way to a panel to house a charging socket. More aero-friendly wheels will also be added to the SUV to increase its attraction.

Huyndai Kona EV dark blue colour side profile

The exterior of the Hyundai Kona EV will be slightly refreshed to optimize the electric engine

3. Hyundai Kona EV’s Friendly Interior

Scratchy and rough plastics will be utilized to cover some of the cabin parts but they seem to be quite well established. Taking the compact dimensions into account, the interior cabin is expected to be quite comfortable. A seven-inch monitoring cluster showing the battery level, driving mode and energy flow will also be provided.

Moreover, the new SUV could also leave the customers with no worry about safety since it offers a nearly full kit of safety features including

Autocruise

Driver attention alert

Autonomous emergency braking

Lane keep assist

Pedestrian detection system, etc.

Hyundai Kona EV dashboard and seats

The Hyundai Kona EV will be packed with a list of comfort and safety features 

4. Hyundai Kona EV’s Electric Engine

EVs can be divided into two types, electric vehicles by natures (like that produced by Tesla) and electric vehicles with standard fuel-powered engine substituted with batteries and an electric engine. The benefits of an EV by nature are small and simple powertrain as well as more powerful batteries. On the other hand, an engine-substituted EV is believed to suffer from the drawbacks of a traditional car and less powerful batteries. The Kona EV will be somewhat between these two types. While the diesel and petrol variants of the Kona are also available and share the same platform, the EV version has always been given a certain priority in Hyundai’s manufacturing plan.

The batteries are likely to be scattered around the floor under the passenger’s cabin so that the gravity centre can be kept adjacent to the road and much more cells can be stored than that on an adapted EV.

Hyundai Kona EV under the hood

The Hyundai EV will be between a purpose-built EV and an adapted EV

5. Hyundai Kona EV’s Impressive Performance

The Hyundai Kona is expected to be powered by a-less-than-100kWh battery to keep the price under Rs. 30 lakh. To be more specific, two types of lithium-polymer batteries could be used, 39.2 kWh battery and 64 kWh battery. While the former can churn out 139PS and 395Nm of peak torque with a driving range of 300 km, the latter can produce 201 bhp and 395 Nm. It normally takes the former more than 6 hours to charge the EV from nil to 100% and 54 minutes for 80% with a fast charger. The latter needs up to 9 hours and 40 minutes for charging to its full point and the fast charger performs the same as the former. The Kona EV is expected to accelerate from a standstill to 1000 kmph in 9.3 seconds and have a maximum speed of 167kmph.

The Hyundai Kona EV is expected to have an impressive performance with lithium-polymer batteries

6. Hyundai Kona EV’s competitors

Once launched in India, the Hyundai Kona EV will not be directly competed by any other cars. Nevertheless, taking into account the price of under Rs 30 lakh, customers can also choose the traditionally powered SUVs such as Ford Endeavour, Skoda Kodiaq, Toyota Fortuner, Isuzu MU-X and the forthcoming Mahindra Rexton.

With an environmentally friendly engine and impressive performance, the Hyundai Kona EV is expected to mark the first step of Hyundai into the potential Indian EV market.

Check out the latest car news in India, especially on Hyundai Motor India, by visiting our website - IndianAuto.com

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