Hyundai will install fast chargers that can charge the Hyundai Kona batteries upto 80 percent in 1 hour in select dealerships
There has been a lot of talks to bring electric cars to India and the government is making a lot of efforts to provide proper EV infrastructure to the buyers. However, without the manufacturers willing to step an extra step to introduce an electric car in India, nothing will happen.
Thankfully, a couple of manufacturer’s have announced concrete steps to launch their EVs in India, including MG Motor with eZS and Hyundai with Kona. Of these two, Hyundai Kona will be the first proper high range electric car to be launched in India on 9th July 2019.
According to a report on Zigwheels, Hyundai will commence their electric innings in India by launching the Kona SUV in select 16 cities To be launched via a CKD route, the Hyundai Kona will be sold through dealerships with proper infrastructure to charge an EV like a fast charger that can charge the battery upto 80 percent in just 1 hour.
As for the product itself, the Hyundai Kona will sport a crossover, small SUV body type and has a design similar to standard IC engine Kona, but without a grille and minor design changes. The Kona in India is expected to get a 39 kWh battery pack with a claimed range of 289 km (WLTP).
There’s also bigger 64kWh battery pack model with a 449 km (WLTP) range on a single charge, but it can be too expensive for India. As for the performance, the 39 kWh model makes 136 PS and 395 Nm of peak torque. The car can do 0-100 kmph in 9.7 seconds and has a top speed of 155 kmph. The 64 kWh version, meanwhile, produces 204 PS and 395 Nm of torque.
In terms of features, the Kona can be equipped with Hyundai BlueLink connectivity package, 8-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 8-speaker KRELL premium audio with a subwoofer, heated and ventilated seats and more.
While the current electric cars in India only has a range as high as 140 km, the are priced close to Rs 10 Lakh. The Hyundai Kona, on the other hand, with a 300 km range can be priced close to Rs 25 lakh.
