India-bound Hyundai Kona Electric SUV officially revealed

Hyundai has just revealed the Kona electric SUV, which will also be shown at the Geneva Motor Show. The Kona will be Hyundai India’s first electric car, and is expected to be launched next year to test the market for electric cars. The Kona Electric that’s been unveiled will be sold in two variants – a cheaper version that has a range of 300 kilometers per charge and a pricier version with a whopping 470 kilometers of range per charge.

Hyundai is yet to reveal prices for the Kona Electric. When launched in India, it’s likely to be quite pricey as it’ll be imported as a CKD and assembled at Hyundai’s Chennai factory. A Creta-sized SUV, the Kona currently sells in European markets. The electric version’s base variant uses a 133 horsepower motor that produces an instant torque of 395 Nm. The battery pack is a 39.2-kWh unit, and maximum range is 300 kilometers.

The more powerful version comes with a 201 hp motor while peak torque remains similar at 395 Nm. However, it also gets a larger battery pack of 64-kWh battery, giving it a much higher range of up to 470 km. The batteries will need a charge time of around 6 hours for a 100 % charge from empty. Hyundai will also offer a quick charger, which will charge 80 % of the battery from empty levels in under an hour.

As far as performance is concerned, the Kona Electric promises to be very peppy. The 133 Hp version sprints to 100 Kph from standstill in just 9.3 seconds. The more powerful version takes a much lower 7.6 seconds for the 0-100 Kph run while top speed of both versions are similar at 167 Kph. These figures should be more than sufficient for daily use anywhere in the world.

The Kona Electric uses an all new platform that has allowed engineers to integrate the battery packs within the floor of the vehicle, not intruding on cabin and boot space. The vehicle is also designed to be more aerodynamic than the petrol and diesel powered versions.