The covers have come off the 2018 Hyundai Kona EV, a fully-electric version of the brand’s small SUV.
Hyundai will offer the Kona EV with two powertrain options: Short and Long-range. The short-range version will be equipped with a battery capacity of 39.2kWh that powers a 99kW/395Nm electric motor that can accelerate to 100km/h in 9.3 seconds on its way to a top speed of 167km/h. Hyundai is aiming for a driving range of up to 300km.
Interestingly, the 39.2kWh lithium-ion polymer battery can be charged in 6 hours 10 minutes through a standard wall socket. Alternatively, it takes around 54 minutes to reach 80 per cent capacity using a 100kW fast charger.
The long-range variant is equipped with a 64kWh battery which increases the power to 150kW/395Nm which lowers the 0 – 100km/h sprint time to 7.6 seconds while maintaining the same 167km/h top speed. The driving range comes in at 470km which means the Kona EV can rival entry versions of the Tesla Model S.
Externally, the Kona EV looks very similar to the regular car, the only noticeable difference is the closed grille and minor styling revisions to the front bumper.
There are a few changes to the interior, the most prominent one is the bespoke centre console which utilises buttons instead of a traditional gear selector. There’s also a 7.0-inch high-resolution cluster display that houses the majority of the driving information such as speed, battery charge level, energy flow and driving mode.
The Kona EV will be equipped with Hyundai’s latest SmartSense active safety and driving assistance technologies.
The electric Kona is expected to arrive in Australia late 2018 or early 2019. Stay tuned.
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