Top five facts about the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric SUV

Hyundai has launched its first fully electric car for India, the Hyundai Kona Electric. The EV fits in the Hyundai line-up between the Venue and Creta in terms of size, but given the new-age powertrain, there are quite a bit of facts that you need to know about this new SUV. Here are five of the most important ones.

Range and charging

The Kona Electric has an ARAI certified range of 452km on a full charge. It comes with a level II type charger that allows for a 7.2 kWh rate of charge. With this charger, the Kona will charge its battery in 6h 10m. The Kona is also DC-charger compatible. A CCS Type II (a standard of charging plugs for DC fast charging) charger can be used to charge 80 per cent of the Kona's battery in 57 minutes. Further, the Kona comes with four drive modes which can be used to prioritise between range or performance. The level-II charger will be provided to buyers with the car.

Further, Hyundai India will offer a car-to-car charging facility, where another Kona will be sent to charge your car, an EV Care manager will also be available to assist in such situations. The company is also collaborating with Indian Oil to set up public chargers.

Straight-line acceleration in the 64kWh version of the Hyundai Kona electric is very impressive, thanks to the instant surge of torque from the electric motor

Performance

Internationally, the Kona comes with two battery options. One is a 64kWh battery pack which puts out 204PS and 395Nm. India gets the smaller 39.2kWh battery option. This is a lithium-ion polymer battery pack and powers a 136PS permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. This allows for a 0-100kmph time of 9.7s. The torque output is identical to the larger battery's 395Nm.

Hyundai India is pitching the Kona Electric as a driver's car. It says that the car's wide track, short wheelbase and short overhangs make it quite agile and planted. The rear also gets a multi-link set-up to make the car a bit more dynamic. The Kona can also be driven using a single pedal. It comes with paddle-shifters to adjust the level of regenerative braking, which allow the car to a complete halt without using the brakes.

Features

The Kona Electric comes pretty well-loaded too. There is only a single variant which gets LED headlamps, 17-inch alloys, leather seats and steering wheel and metal finished pedals. The EV also gets a fully digital instrument cluster alongside a 7-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, these can be controlled via a touchpad. The system also helps you keep a tab on the energy being consumed, and manage charging. Convenience features include a sunroof, a button-type shifter, heated and cooled front seats, 10-way adjustable powered driver's seat, and an electric parking brake. There is also an option for driver-only air-conditioning and a utility mode, to save energy.

Safety

The crossover also gets a sizeable number of safety features. There are six airbags, ABS, ESC, hill-assist, rear parking camera, a TPMS, discs all around, and a virtual engine sound system which warns pedestrians of the approaching vehicles.

Pricing and maintenance

The Hyundai Kona is priced at Rs 25.30 lakh ex-showroom. This is the price before the 2019 Union Budget's recommendations of lowered GST and the income tax deduction on loans is taken into account. Notable rivals include the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V.

The Korean carmaker is also providing a strong warranty package. The car comes with a 3-year and unlimited kilometres warranty while the battery has an 8-year warranty, up to 1,60,000 kilometres.

Also see: Hyundai Kona Electric First Drive Video

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