Is the Hyundai Kona EV a Favourite of Government Officials?

Posted on: May 24, 2022 | | Written by:

Is the Hyundai Kona EV a Favourite of Government Officials?

Governments across the globe are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. And one of the more efficient ways of doing that is by replacing internal combustion engines or ICE with other alternatives. And this is where Electric Vehicles come as one of the better alternatives. And there are good enough reasons why Hyundai Kona along with Hyundai car insurance can be such a strong force.

The Government of India has made its plans clear about shifting the focus to electric vehicles from the current crop of ICE cars. And it has come up with several initiatives to help manufacturers and consumers adapt to EVs. The FAME 2 scheme is one of them. The FAME or Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV scheme was introduced to make the transition to EVs an easier affair. The government has allocated a handsome budget for the scheme, which includes subsidies for consumers when they buy EVs. The scheme also plans to set up charging infrastructure in the country, thereby making the decision to switch to EVs, that much easier.

The government has also decided to slash the taxes on EVs, to help them reduce the overall cost of owning an EV. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made it clear that EVs would be exempt from paying road taxes. This is applicable for both new registrations and renewals as well. In a bid to walk the talk, the government had initially placed an order of 10,000 EVs from Indian manufacturers Tata Motors and Mahindra&Mahindra, back in September 2017. This order was placed by Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), which is a state-owned entity. And the ratio was 60:40 in favour of Tata Motors.

Tata Motors had pledged to provide Tata TigorEv and M&M had signed e-Verito for the orders. After the initial batch of cars was delivered and used by various government entities and officials, there were quite a few niggles and issues. One of the major complaints that most officials had was the lack of performance and low mileage on both cars. The Tata Tigor EV had further issues with battery charging, a very serious AC cooling problem, and acceleration issues.

Tata Motors has provided the government with 500 Tigor EVs and M&M has managed 1000 e-Veritos. Given the poor performance and issues with both the cars, the EESL has decided to limit the orders to 3000 units by March 2020. The EESL also mentioned that Tata Motors wasn’t necessarily taking any steps to work on the issues and improve the user experience.

Where Does Kona Fit?

The dissatisfaction with both the cars from Indian manufacturers led the EESL to look elsewhere. And Hyundai had just the product that the EESL was looking for, Hyundai Kona. Hyundai Kona has a 39.2 kWh advanced battery pack that boasts a single-charge range of up to 452 km. While the Tigor EV and e-Verito have a 20 kWh battery packs. This gives Kona a big advantage over the Indian EVs. The Hyundai Kona thus has an effective cost of running at 40 paise per kilometer. Hyundai Kona has a price tag that is almost double that of the Tigor EV and e-Verito. Despite the hefty price tag of INR 23.71 lakhs, and post-government subsidies, the car is preferred by the EESL. Hyundai Kona has been favoured by NTPC chairman and managing director, Shri Gurdeep Singh along with Power and Renewable minister Shri Raj Kumar Singh. And there are various other officials at think tank NitiAyog who are keen on using the Kona.

Highlights of Hyundai Kona

Hyundai Kona has a better battery capacity that translates to a longer driving range than the other two. Apart from that, the following are some of the other highlights of the car, and some of the reasons why Government officials love the Kona.

• Hyundai Kona can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in just 9.7 seconds, giving you plenty of performance to boast about. The electric motors churn out 394.9 Nm of torque to the front wheels.

• Hyundai Kona uses a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor that makes 134hp. It is powered by a liquid-cooledlithium-ion battery pack that has an output of 39.2 kWh.

• Along with the car, you get access to the great service that Hyundai provides to its customers. All the Hyundai electric centres are equipped with a 7.2 kW fast AC charger. Thereby ensuring a quick top-up on charge every time you visit the centres.

• To make Kona a bit more appealing to its customers, Hyundai offers a dedicated Kona Electric fleet. The fleet comes with a power converter that is capable of providing charging to existing Kona customers in case of an emergency. However, this service is only available in select cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.

• Hyundai is also taking the necessary steps to build a stronger charging infrastructure with the help of IOCL or Indian Oil Corporation Limited. They plan to develop electric charging infrastructure at current IOCL petrol stations across four main cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai.

• Hyundai plans to invest in the procurement and installation of Single Port fast chargers, otherwise known as the combined charging system. These fast chargers can help you charge your car up to 80% of its battery capacity in less than an hour. Thereby, giving you a quick top-up to travel a considerable distance.

Conclusions

There are absolutely no doubts about the fact that the Hyundai Kona packs in a very competitive package. And it has something or the other for almost everyone. However, it is not a perfect car by any margin. Here are some of the things that you will like and dislike about the car.

• Likes

• It is a world-class EV without any major compromises

• You can select different levels of regenerative braking, making the driving experience more fun and fulfilling

• Comes with an 8-year battery warranty and a strong service network of Hyundai

• Loaded with features like LED headlights, cruise control, sunroof, ventilated seats, etc.

• Safety features like 6 airbags, HSA, ESP, TPMS, etc.

- Dislikes

• A nominal boot size of 332 litres

• A hefty price tag, even after considering the subsidies

• The ride quality is a bit on the firm side

• Cabin space is comparable to the i20 while costing almost double of that

• Limited availability of the car

Should you make up your mind to test drive or even buy the Hyundai Kona, opting for Hyundai car insurance would be a wise decision. Hyundai car insurance offers a host of other features along with the standard features. One will appreciate features such as roadside assistance and cashless claims across the country. Buying Hyundai car insurance along with Kona ensures complete peace of mind and a hassle-free ownership experience.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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