HYUNDAI Launches Kona Electric Vehicles

HYUNDAI Motors on Tuesday, July 9, launched the Kona Electric vehicles in India with an all-electric range of 452 Km in a single charge (ARAI certified). It has tied up with Indian Oil Corporation Limited for recharging from some selected fuel pumps. Hyundai Kona joins the SUV line-up of Hyundai that includes Venue, Creta, and the Tucson. Hyundai has partnered with IOCL to install chargers at select fuel pumps across India. Hyundai will retail Kona at Rs 25.30 lakh from its showrooms initially through select 15 dealerships in 11 cities with necessary EV infrastructure and support. The Hyundai Kona gets a 39.2 kWh battery pack that has an all-electric ARAI certified mileage of 452 Km in a full charge. The Hyundai Kona Electric is ‘India’s first real electric SUV’ the SUV line-up of the South Korean car major’s. Its other vehicles include Venue, Creta, and the Tucson. The company, which is present in the country through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), is also planning to develop a mass market EV for India to add to its newly launched full-electric SUV Kona. We have seen some positive development in the form of tax incentives on purchase of EVs as provided in the Budget, but we think more can be done by the government to accelerate adoption of EVs in India,” HMIL MD and CEO S S Kim told PTI in an interview. He said currently EVs are extremely expensive which require economies of scale to make them affordable for mass adoption. Kim said “Our desire is that incentives should also be extended to personal usage too for the market to develop.” The Kona EV will be the game changer in the Indian EV market. We are addressing range anxiety which is one of the biggest issues that consumers have in mind when buying an EV,” Kim said. Globally, the Korean firm aims to have 44 environment-friendly models in its line-up, including 23 full-electric models, by 2025, he added. Hyundai is offering two chargers with Kona SUV for the buyers – a portable charger that can be used with 3-pin socket and a 7kWh AC Wall Box Charger. The Hyundai Kona can be charged using 7kWh charger in 6 hours and can be topped up for 50 km range in under 1 hour. The portable charger can add 50 km range in under 3 hours. There’s also a DC fast charger, which can charge the SUV up to 80% in just 57 minutes. The Hyundai Kona comes loaded with features like 17.7 cm floating touch screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and ventilated seats, sunroof and more., said a spokesperson.