Union Minister Prakash Javadekar’s latest ride is a Hyundai Kona Electric SUV!

The Kona which was launched earlier this year is Hyundai’s first all electric offering for India. It is currently India’s most affordable electric SUV.When launched, Hyundai had put a price tag of Rs 25.3 lakh for the base variant and Rs 25.5 lakh for the dual tone version. Government has also announced that there will be no registration tax on electric vehicles to promote the sales of EVs.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar who handles the environment portfolio was recently spotted in a Hyundai Kona. He arrived at the Parliament in the electric car and said that government is gradually switching to electric cars. Pictures of Mr. Javadekar with the Hyundai Kona has already gone viral on the internet. He also appealed public to make use of public transport and electric vehicles as the pollution is severe in the Capital region.

Why did Minister Prakash Javadekar choose Kona? well, the answer to that is Hyundai has found some buyers in the government. Hyundai has already delivered a few vehicles to Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) and will deliver a few more to be used by government offices. Exact number of Kona’s delivered is not known so far. Given the fact that government is promoting the EVs more, we hope to see more Kona’s and other electric vehicle on the road.

Coming back to the Hyundai Kona, it is loaded with features and gets the latest Hyundai design. Kona Electric gets a floating-type 8-inch infotainment system on the inside and also offers Smartphone connectivity, wireless charging, ventilated seats, heads-up display, ABS and EBD as well. Kona is powered by a 39.2 kWh battery that can push the vehicle to a maximum range of 452 km on a full charge. The battery can be completely charged to full in seven to eight hours using standard charging. While fast charging can take the battery level to 80% in just 54 minutes.

All Hyundai Kona buyers will get a portable charger and an AC wall box charger. The motor generates a maximum of 100 kW or 131 Bhp of peak power. The motor also generates a maximum of 395 Nm. Hyundai plans to launch more electric vehicles in India. The next electric vehicle from the South Korean automaker for the Indian market will be a cab-only electric SUV, which will be offered to cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola. Private car buyers will have to opt for the Kona Electric until a lower priced electric vehicle is made available by Hyundai.