Hyundai Kona Electric SUV will be launched in India next week — on 9 July, to be precise. Among the first fully electric SUVs to arrive in India, Kona Electric will kick off Hyundai‘s electric vehicles drive in India. So, it goes without saying that the 100 per cent electric SUV has generated quite the buzz here, with a lot of people wondering what the car is all about and exactly what it will offer. If you too are keen to know more about the Hyundai Kona Electric, here are five things you should know about the SUV.
1. The car, which made its global debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show, gets its name from the KONA district in Hawaii’s Big Island. Also, it isn’t an all-new car; it is, in fact, based on the Hyundai Kona SUV, which comes powered by internal combustion engine (ICE) options. Though the standard Kona isn’t retailed in India, it is sold in various international markets.
2. The model retailed in global markets is offered in two trims, namely, Electric and Electric Lite. While the Hyundai Kona Electric gets a 64 kWh lithium-ion battery and delivers a peak power of 201 bhp and 395 Nm, the Kona Electric Lite comes powered by a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery that puts out 134 bhp and 395 Nm. The South Korean carmaker says the model with the 64kWh battery is capable of a driving range of 482 km on a single charge, while the Electric Lite version has a driving range of 312 km on a full charge.
3. The carmaker has equipped the fully electric SUV with plenty of aerodynamic design elements such as the closed grille, aerodynamically optimized wheels, and underbody along with an active air flap in the front bumper. Hyundai says the Kona Electric’s overall drag coefficient is reduced, which, in turn, delivers enhanced efficiency.
4. The car misses the conventional gear lever; instead, it gets four drive-by-wire buttons for forward, neutral, reverse and park. These buttons are located in the centre console.
5. Hyundai claims the Kona Electric’s running cost is 80 per cent lower than that associated with a petrol car. And not just that, the company says the electric SUV also offers a lower maintenance cost.
Now, the one thing everyone will be wondering about, i.e. Hyundai Kona Electric’s price. We will know the exact figure in a couple of days, but till then we can tell you that it will definitely be under ₹25 lakh (ex-showroom).
