December 24, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor on April 12 unveiled its electric subcompact sport utility vehicle Kona Electric.

“Kona Electric will be a game changer in the current automobile industry,” Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk said at the EV Trend Korea 2018 exhibition held in Seoul. “We aim to sell more than 12,000 Kona Electric vehicles by the end of this year.”


 

Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk

He added Hyundai has already received over 18,000 orders from January 15. The company is currently not receiving any more orders.

During the event, Lee emphasized that drivers can travel 406 kilometers on a single full charge, which makes a one-way trip from Seoul to Busan possible without additional charge. Hyundai also said it takes 54 minutes to charge 80 percent of the 64-kWh battery at a supercharging station.

Hyundai Motor also introduced several services for customers who worry about using EVs due to the lack of charging infrastructure here. One of its services includes emergency charging. Kona Electric drivers can charge their cars wherever they want by making a single call to the company’s service center. Drivers can use this service four times each year for five years without extra charges.

Moreover, the new model comes in two versions, are “modern” and “premium,” which are priced at 46.5 million won (US$43,466.07) and 48.5 million won, respectively. The actual cost to consumers will be lower at around 29.5 million won and 31.5 million won, after receiving government subsidies, the company said.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)