The Kona EV is expected to make its India debut in early 2019 and the Korean manufacturer has allocated 1000 units
Hyundai unveiled the Kona EV for the first time in India at the Auto Expo in February and the company showcased the EV again at the Global Mobility Summit 2018 in New Delhi. The Kona EV is expected to make its India debut in early 2019 and the Korean manufacturer has allocated 1000 units to India.
Depending on market performance, Hyundai might increase allocation for the Indian market. The company is hoping that the Indian government will lower the excise duty for imported electric cars from the current 12 per cent to 5 per cent in coming months. The FAME 2.0 scheme is also expected to benefit Kona EV and it will help them to price it lower than the current prediction of Rs. 25 lakh.
Globally, the Kona EV is available with two battery pack and in India, Hyundai will offer the long-range pack with 64 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which power an electric motor and it produces 204 PS of power and 395 Nm of torque. The Kona EV takes 7.6 sec to reach 100 kph from the standstill and top speed is 167 kph.
The claimed range of Kona EV is 402 km, but the official EPA numbers for US model reveals that the range is 415 km and the company might have made some changes to improve efficiency. Hyundai has given fast charging option with Kona EV and it takes just 54 minutes to completely charge the battery using 100 kW DC fast charger. But it will take more than 9 hr and 40 minutes to charge using a standard AC charger.
The short range version of Kona EV gets a 39.3 kWh battery with a single electric motor producing 135 PS of power and 395 Nm of torque. 0-100 kph takes 9.3 sec and top speed is 167 kph, like the long-range model. The driving range of this model is just 240 km and it takes 6 hours and 30 minutes to completely charge.
Hyundai will also provide a home-charging kit with Kona EV in India and the design will be exactly similar to the regular model, which is not expected to be launched in India. The early mover advantage with Kona EV might help Hyundai to take lead in EV market.