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The brand new Hyundai Kona meaty crossover gets an electric motor variant for 2022. It may well exist the affordable EV to buy, specially with the comparable Tesla Model 3 not readily bachelor. The important numbers are to know about the Kona EV are 258 miles and $thirty,000 afterwards incentives, both figures more or less. It carries four reasonably well and its 164.6-inch length lets the Kona park on crowded urban streets. In a smallish field of serious battery electric vehicles, the Kona EV competes seriously with both the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the base Tesla Model 3. The big Teslas are in a different cost and size category.

You lot should consider the Kona EV as a second car forth with a combustion engine car, or as the just automobile where yous plan weekend trips carefully or rent a traditional car for the weekend. Unlike Tesla, Hyundai still remains safely under the sales cap of 200,000 units that makes EV buyers eligible for $7,500 federal credits. The Kona EV volition sell initially in California, so expand to the northeastern states that follow California clean-air rules.

Kona EV on the Road

Kona EV'south console shifter.

The 2022 Kona EV is the aforementioned car as the internal combustion engine (Ice) 2018 Hyundai Kona we tested and loved over the summer. But instead of a 147- or 175-hp gasoline engine with all-wheel-drive available, in that location's a 201-hp / 150-kW motor and a 64-kWh battery piece below the passenger compartment, front-drive just. Adaptive cruise control comes standard; it was not offered on the ICE Kona.

The Kona EV is peppy to drive, especially from a standstill, and seems quicker than the 7 to 8 seconds Hyundai says it takes to attain 60 mph. There'southward enough torque at 290 pound-feet that yous can chirp the tries briefly or make traction control kick in. The Kona Electric has Normal, Eco, and Eco+ plus driving modes, the latter for hypermilers and people running very depression on electrons. For deceleration, use the left steering wheel paddle to bicycle through iv levels of regenerative braking plus (when holding the paddle) a fifth mode, at 0.25g, a charge per unit well-nigh people would consider to be gentle deceleration. Hyundai'southward one-pedal deceleration combines generator resistance (primarily) plus friction braking to boring the vehicle. Other cars have even more dramatic deceleration where coming off-throttle leads to an firsthand and serious slowdown.

The ride is good on smooth roads. It gets choppy on rougher surfaces, a combination of the extra weight of the lithium-ion polymer battery slice and the brusk 102.iv-inch wheelbase. We approximate the Kona Electrical weighs iii,700 to three,800 pounds versus iii,000-iii,111 pounds for a comparable front end-bulldoze Ice Kona. The large battery slice besides lowers the centre of gravity about 4 inches.

The battery has a liquid cooling/heating circuit to heave efficiency, enough so that Hyundai offers a lifetime warranty on the bombardment to the original owner. Every Kona EV gets a seven.ii-kW onboard charger plus support for offsite DC fast charging and the SAE Combo Charging Organisation, the most common non-Tesla system.

The Kona EV has expert room for the front-seat passengers and passable room for two or iii in back. The Chevrolet Bolt has 3 inches more than rear legroom. The cockpit is nicely designed but without some of the high-end touches you lot'd find on an Audi or Genesis. It's essentially the same every bit the Kona Water ice version.

2019 Hyundai Kona EV gets the all-time range of any meaty or subcompact vehicle priced under $40,000, at 258 miles (EPA rating). The long-range Tesla Model 3 does meliorate, only it lists at $49,000-$55,000. A version of the 2022 Nissan Leafage is expected to have battery capacity similar to the Kona EV (64 kWh) and a range that's close.

Best-in-Grade Range

The Kona EV is the only compact or subcompact vehicle with a range of more 250 miles and a base cost under $40,000. The closest competitor in terms of size and price is the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is the aforementioned length, a slighter smaller battery (60 versus 64 kWh), and iii more inches of rear legroom, although the upper half of the machine curves in more than the Kona does.

The Bolt EV lists for $37,000 before rebates and credits. The Kona EV is likely to list in the same range, say $35,000-$37,000, for the base of operations trim SE, rise to $forty,000 or a bit over for the Ultimate, with the Express priced in-betwixt. The base Tesla Model three would be a worthy competitor except that it'south hard to larn. Tesla is busy pushing out the Model iii Long Range at around $50,000 for rear-bulldoze. Reservation-holders for the base of operations model Tesla are by and large waiting.

Hyundai rates recharge times at well-nigh ix hours 35 minutes using a Level Two 240-volt adapter at home and the 7.ii kW standard onboard charger. On 120 volts, a full charge would be on the order of a total day. In a Quick Accuse public charging facility, a fill-up would exist most 75 minutes at a Level Three l kW charge rate, 54 minutes at a Level III 100 kW rate. Basically, if yous bring your Kona EV home in the evening near empty, it'll be fully charged next morning.

Kona EV uses a collimator, a reflective plastic pop upwardly, that projects important info into the driver's line of sight. It'southward a good way to produce an affordable head-up display.

Excellent Safety Features

Infinity upgrade audio.

Hyundai has a comprehensive safety suite, Hyundai Condom Sense, the comes standard. HSS is a variable package, with more or fewer features depending on which machine information technology's on. The package includes:

  • Adaptive cruise control ("Smart Prowl Control" in Hyundai terminology), stop-and-go ACC on Ultimate.
  • Blind spot detection and rear cantankerous traffic alert with braking
  • Lane keep assist
  • Forward standoff avoidance
  • Driver drowsiness warning
  • LED headlamps on Limited and Ultimate, LED tail lamps on all trims
  • Parking sonar on the Ultimate

All trims get Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Car, and ii USB jacks (front panel). The Limited and Ultimate get Qi wireless charging. The base of operations audio system has six speakers, plus satellite and HD radio. The Limited and Ultimate get a 315-watt, eight-speaker premium audio system with Harman Clari-Fi to meliorate low-bit-charge per unit audio files. The Ultimate besides gets onboard navigation in the 8-inch dashtop LCD. All cars get telematics in the form of a Blue Link connected automobile system to remotely access the car, query it on the state of charge or where in the mall parking lot it'south parked, and set up delayed charging.

Kona EV rear legroom measures 33.4 inches, which is quite reasonable for a subcompact crossover. It'southward 3 inches less than Chevrolet Bolt. Give the back seat a test sit down to encounter how it feels.

Is Kona EV the One to Buy?

It'southward still a pocket-size earth among makers of electric vehicles that are continuing to upgrade their products and push button for models that stretch the range past 200 miles and movement toward 300. In this small world, the leading contenders are the Hyundai Kona EV, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and the Tesla 3 base of operations model if you can shake ane loose. The Kona and Commodities are quite similar in range and capacities. Chevrolet has ii decades of feel making telematics (OnStar) piece of work well and more rear legroom. The Kona EV is newer, with longer range, and the battery has a forever warranty for the starting time buyer. By the fourth dimension the Kona ships in January 2022, Chevrolet (GM) may have reached the 200,000-sales cap after which the federal taxation credit, upward to $7,500, is halved after ii quarters, and goes abroad two quarters after that. By January, Tesla'south max credit will be $three,750.

If y'all'll be shopping now and making the buying decision at the kickoff of the new year, the Kona EV needs to be at or nigh the acme of your buying list. It has a lot to offer. With 250-plus miles of range, many commuters will only need to charge batteries one time a week. Tesla Model 3 has sizzle and a bigger LCD. But the Kona EV is very real, very good, and you can buy it in Jan.

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