Hyundai revealed the all-new Kona as a contemporary crossover last year. Now within a year, the Korean carmaker has ditched a combustion engine and revealed the first all-electric crossover in its segment with the Kona Electric. The zero-emission Kona gets two powertrain options with different range and power outputs.
The first powertrain comes in ‘Short Range’ guise and offers a single electric motor putting out 133bhp from its 39.2kWh battery pack. It has a range of 300km and can do 0-100kmph in 9.3 seconds. The more powerful, Long Range option gets a 64kWh battery and 201bhp with an impressive range of 470kilometres. Both the variants get 395Nm of turning force. The latter is capable of doing 0-100kmph in 7.6 with top speed increasing to 167kmph. The charging time for the 39.2-kWh pack is around 6 hours and 10 minutes whereas the larger 64-kWh pack will take about 9 hours and 40 minutes. The EV also comes with a quick-charge feature with the 100-kW DC fast charger. It can charge the crossover up to 80 per cent in just 54 minutes.
The charging point in the Kona EV is next to the Hyundai badge on the grille. Hyundai claims that Kona Electric is not compromised in terms of space since the battery pack is integrated into the Kona’s all-new platform. Without the charge cable, the Kona Electric has 373 litres of boot space meanwhile there’s also additional storage space in the front of the car where the engine used to be.
Styling wise, the electric Kona gets subtle changes over the conventional car like the exclusive 17-inch alloy wheels and absent cascading front grille. The front bumper gets aero vents to make the car more aerodynamic. There are silver sills on the side, a roof-mounted spoiler and no exhaust pipe at the rear. The rear bumper is similarly tweaked as well. On the inside, there is digital instrument cluster, seven-inch infotainment screen, heated and ventilated with an eight-way electrical adjustable setting, two-way lumbar support for the driver and an optional heated steering. It comes loaded with all the other safety and drivers aid as the conventional Kona.
The Kona Electric is second electric vehicle in Hyundai’s line-up after the Ioniq EV. It is the first fully-electric subcompact SUV in the European market combining the two hottest automotive trends - eco-mobility and SUV style, according to Hyundai. The Seoul-based carmaker has not revealed the prices for the Kona Electric. The car will make its public debut at the Geneva stage and is expected to be in production in a couple of years’ time. It might also make its way to India as well.
