Hyundai recently updated their roaster in the Kenyan market with the introduction of the2021 all electric Hyunadi Kona crossover SUV. Without much fan fair, they quietly entered the EV space in the Kenya. One of the first legacy auto makers to do so in the country.
The name pretty much tells you everything you need to know. The 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric is simply an electric version of Hyundai’s Kona crossover SUV. It can go up to 400 Kilometers before recharging. Which is at par with the Tesla Model 3. Very impressive range given the limited public charging stations in major cities and highways around Kenya.
Kenya Power has promised to roll out public charging stations across the country within the next few years. And KRA reduced import taxes on full electric cars from 25% to 10% in a move that was meant to act as in incentive to push on e-mobilty. This is certainly a step in the direction most people feel we should be headed, seeing the rise in fuel prices.
Electric driving technology.
Electric driving technology. The carefully matched components of the electric powertrain have been engineered to provide excellent driving characteristics and a practical everyday driving range. The specially designed platform enables a space-saving integration of the battery packs without compromising roominess.
Smart regenerative braking
The Smart regenerative braking system utilizes the on-board radar sensor to automatically control the level of regenerative braking to react to the traffic ahead. Additionally, it also detects if the KONA Electric is driving up or downhill and adjusts accordingly.
Standard charging
When connected to a home wallbox or public AC charging station, it takes 6 hours 50 minutes to charge the long-range 64 kWh battery pack from 10-100% SOC using the 10.5 kW three phase on board charger (OBC) or 9 hours 15 minutes using the 7.2 kW single phase OBC.
Rapid charging
When using a 50 kW direct current (DC) charging station, KONA Electric’s lithium-ion polymer battery takes about 48 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% state of charge (SOC) for the 64 kWh battery.
