Multiple charging options
Infrastructure is a big roadblock when it comes to large scale EV adoption, more so in a country such as ours. Naturally, before putting money down on a Kona Electric, most will want to ensure availability of charging options is not a hindrance. Well, there is goon news on that front. Hyundai will provide customers with two chargers along with the car – A portable charger (option 3) and an AC Wall Box Charger (option 2). The Portable charger can be plugged into any normal 3 Pin 15Amp socket and charge the vehicle. This charger can top up daily running of 50Kms in less than 3 Hours. A full charge will take about 19 hours. With an AC Wall Box charger (7.2kW), 1 hour plugged-in will be sufficient for a running 50Kms. And a full charge can be achieved 6h 10min through the AC Wall Box charger. Long story short, with the AC Wall Box charger that Hyundai will install at your home or office as per your preference, plugging the car in overnight will be more than enough for a week’s worth of running. Hyundai’s partner, Allianz Worldwide, will provide installation support to customers for installing the charger. For providing Fast Charging facility, Hyundai is working along with IOCL to develop infrastructure at select Fuel Stations. These chargers can charge 80% of the battery capacity in less than an hour. In addition to all that, dealerships retailing the Kona will be equipped with a 7.2kW charger as well. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, there will be a special Kona Electric fleet that will provide emergency charging support to customers via car to car charging topping up enough charge in case you find yourself stranded with no charge in the battery. Hyundai has also tied-up with MapMyIndia to display compatible charging points on its official website as well as the smartphone app.
paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel, but they do not perform the task of upshifting/downshifting as is the case with conventional vehicles. These control the extent of energy recuperation while braking. So pulling the left one increases the intensity which means the braking effect on lifting off is much more pronounced compared to what it would be at a lower level of energy recuperation. Sounds complex, but it doesn’t take too long to get a hang of. Underneath all that fancy bodywork resides a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor powered by a 39.2kWh lithium-ion battery with total output pegged at 134bhp with a peak torque of 395Nm. Acceleration, as is the case with most EVs, is rather brisk with 100kmph coming up in just 9.7s from a standstill.
If you’re thinking that the asking price is a bit steep, well you’re not entirely wrong but it would be naïve not to factor in the benefits in terms of running costs, For starters, running cost is one fifth that of a petrol vehicle. Plus, with fewer moving parts, maintenance costs are reduced drastically as well. Also, the Kona Electric would be available with a warranty for 3 years and unlimited kilometres, along with a warranty for 8 years and upto 160,000km for its battery. And considering an average daily running of around 40-50km, the its range should be good for a week or 10 days worth of running and even be enough for short outstation trips.