Hyundai Kona Electric Launched, Becomes India’s First Long-Range EV!

The Hyundai EV offers well over 400km of claimed range and a fast-charge time of less than an hour

• Will be available only with the smaller 39.2kWh battery here in India.

• Will be sold in a single variant in just 11 cities through 15 dealerships as of now.

• 39.2kWh battery pack has an ARAI-claimed range of 452km; comes with an 8-year or 1,60,000km warranty.

• Charging: 50kW DC fast charging (0-80 per cent in ~ 54 mins), AC wall box (0-100 percent in ~ 6 hours) & portable charger (50km in three hours).

• Gets 6 airbags, ESC, VSM, rear camera, ISOFIX anchors among safety features.

• Kona Electric comes with a 3-year/unlimited kilometres warranty.

• Will rival the MG eZS compact electric SUV, which will be launched by December 2019.

Hyundai has just launched the Kona Electric, the first long-range electric vehicle in India. While it is offered in two battery variants internationally, we get only the smaller 39.2kWh battery pack which has a claimed ARAI range of just over 450km on a full charge. The Kona has an introductory price of Rs 25.30 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

The Hyundai Kona Electric comes with a 7.2kW wall box AC charging station (part of the package), which takes approximately a little over 6 hours for a full charge, for its owner’s personal use. Using a 50kW DC fast charger (available at select Hyundai dealerships and Indian Oil Corporation stations), the Kona Electric’s battery can charge from 0 to 80 per cent in just under an hour. There is also a portable 2.8kW charger that can be plugged into a normal wall socket and can add 50km of range in three hours.

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It uses a 100kW electric motor that produces 136PS of power and 395Nm of torque. There are four drive modes to cycle between -- Eco, Eco+, Comfort and Sport -- with paddle shifters to adjust the level of regenerative braking (four levels).

The Kona Electric is well equipped too. In terms of safety features, it gets six airbags, auto headlamps, disc brakes on all wheels, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, ISOFIX child seat anchor, tyre pressure monitoring system, rear camera and ABS with EBD.

Outside, it has LED bi-function headlamps, LED DRLs, LED taillamps, roof rails, rear roof spoiler and 17-inch alloys. This Hyundai EV has an all black interior with leather upholstery, soft touch dashboard, ventilated and heated front seats, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support and 60:40 split folding rear seats. It also gets auto AC, sunroof, powered and heated ORVMs, rear AC vents, cruise control, 7-inch digital MID and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility along with other comforts and conveniences as well.

It is available in four monotone colour options - white, blue, silver and black. There is one dual tone colour choice - white with black roof, for a premium of Rs 20,000.

The Hyundai Kona Electric is the first long-range EV to be launched in India and has no direct rivals at this point. But that will change by the end of the year with the MG eZS electric SUV expected to launch in December 2019.

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