Hyundai’s second all-electric vehicle, the Kona Electric, will get a full debut at next week’s Geneva Motor Show, but today the South Korean automaker revealed most of the specs and pulled the wraps off of the new SUV. There’s no pricing yet, but the Kona Electric will come in short-range and long-range models, with 186 and 292 miles of range, respectively.
Built to look almost like the standard combustion engine Kona compact SUV, the new EV is Hyundai’s second, following the Ioniq. Both versions of the forthcoming Kona Electric outperform the Ioniq, though, and should give Hyundai a suitable competitor to fully featured EVs like the Chevy Bolt.
The short-range Kona Electric uses a 39.2kWh battery and a 99kW electric motor, and Hyundai says it will go from 0–60 mph in about nine seconds. A full charge from a standard AC outlet will take a little over six hours, while 54 minutes on a DC fast charger will get the car up to 80 percent battery life.
The longer-range Kona Electric has a 64kWh battery pack, hence the extra range. It also uses a more powerful 150kW motor. It can go from 0–60 mph in a little over seven seconds. But while it’s quicker and has a more respectable range, the top-tier Kona Electric will take around three hours longer to charge on a standard outlet, thanks to the bigger battery.
Both models will come with Hyundai’s suite of semi-autonomous driving and safety features, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision assist, lane keep assist, and blind spot warning. Each version of the Kona Electric will also come standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Qi wireless charging, a heads-up display, and a 7-inch infotainment screen.
The Kona Electric is slightly taller (20mm) and longer (15mm) than the standard Kona. A two-tone roof helps further distinguish it from its combustion engine sibling, and customers will be able to mix and match seven exterior colors and three for the roof.
Hyundai plans to launch the Kona Electric later this year in Europe and South Korea before hopefully bringing it to North America, too.
