Electric variant of Hyundai Kona SUV available in three trim levels
Hyundai-Sime Darby has launched the Hyundai Kona Electric SUV. Three variants are available, designated Lite for the base model, the mid-range Plus, and the top-of-the-range, Max.
Based on the petrol Kona, the electric variant has 10mm less ground clearance to accommodate the battery. The body dimensions are almost the same: 4205mm long, 1570mm tall and 1800mm. The height of the petrol variant is 1565mm. Other differences between the petrol and the EV are the suspension, the trunk volume, and overall weight. The petrol has a MacPherson strut-torsion beam set-up while the Electric is MacPherson strut-Multi-link to accommodate the additional weight from the battery and compensate for the impact on handling. The trunk capacity is 321-litres in the EV versus 361 in the petrol. The kerb weight of the Lite, and Plus are 1593kg and Max ,1743kg. The petrol is 1370kg.
The three EVs look identical externally but there are differences in power output and speed as follows:
| Kona Lite | Kona Plus | Kona Max | |
| Battery capacity | 39.2kWh | 39.2kWh | 64kWh |
| Range | 305km | 305km | 484km |
| Power (kW) | 100kW | 100kW | 150kW |
| Power (bhp) | 134bhp | 134bhp | 201bhp |
| Torque | 395Nm | 395Nm | 395Nm |
| 0-100km/h | 9.9s | 9.9s | 7.9s |
| Top speed | 155km/h | 155km/h | 167km/h |
| 50kW DC charging time | 60 minutes | 60 minutes | 90 minutes |
The EV battery can be charged via three modes: AC via an in-cable control box (ICCB) into the house wall socket, AC charging via the on-board charger to a AC charging station or at a DC charging station. Times vary from 31 hours using the ICCB on single phase electricity, to between 4.5hours to 7.5hours with the AC charger and 90 minutes on a 50kW DC charger.
Hyundai SmartSense is fitted on all variants of the Kona Electric along with six airbags. The Hyundai SmartSense features included are:
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Forward and reverse park distance warning
- Lane keeping assist (LKA)
- Lane following assist (LFA)
- Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
- Forward Collision Avoidance Warning
- Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist (RCCA)
- Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist (BCA)
- Rear view AV monitor (parking guide)
- Rear View camera.
The Hyundai Kona Electric has shift-by-wire transmission. There is no gear lever. There are buttons on the centre console to select forward or reverse. The paddle shifts have regenerative braking control. Features in the Hyundai Kona Electric are LED front and rear lamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 8-inch LCD infotainment display, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, rear-view camera, wireless charging and USB charging ports.
Two leather interior colours are offered, Oceanids Black and Light Shale Grey. The exterior colours are Dive in Jeju, Dark Knight, Atlas White, Ignite Red, Cyber Grey Metallic, pulse Red Pearl, Galastic Gray, Surfy Blue Metallic and Jungle Green.
Prices are as follows:
Hyundai Kona Lite – RM149,888
Hyundai Kona Plus – RM169,888
Hyundai Kona Max – RM199,888
All prices are on-the-road, without insurance. The Hyundai Kona Electric battery comes with an eight-year/160,000km (whichever comes first) warranty. For more information, visit the Hyundai website https://www.hyundai.com.my/
