Hyundai right now launched further particulars in regards to the 2024 Kona Electrical, together with preliminary vary estimates, specs, and US availability. The present technology is among the many few reasonably priced electrical automobiles within the US beginning at beneath $35,000. The subsequent technology is imminent and looks as if a major improve, a minimum of on paper.
The Korean carmaker had shared powertrain and manufacturing particulars early this yr, however now we now have some extra details about the US-spec mannequin.
The Kona Electrical’s nostril is extra aerodynamic with cleaner surfacing, and it continues to function a cut up headlamp design, though the LED DRL is now full-width.
Designers have additionally tried to embed the parametric design theme from the Ioniq 5 with the creases on the facet profile, and sculpted wheel arches, though memory to its greater sibling is little to none.
It’s additionally extra slippery, with a drag coefficient of 0.27, a slight enchancment over the earlier determine of 0.29. It additionally options lively grill shutters to enhance airflow across the automobile when closed and funky the battery when open.
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The EV is longer, wider, and has an enlarged wheelbase in comparison with its predecessor. It measures 171.5 inches lengthy (+5.9 inches), 71.9 inches extensive (+1 inch), and 62.2 inches tall. Boot area is rated at 25.5 cubic toes, however the frunk solely presents nine-tenths of a cubic foot (27 liters) of area.
The Chevrolet Bolt EV competitor includes a marginally bigger battery pack, however the vary estimates are almost similar. The present Kona Electrical attracts energy from a 64-kilowatt-hour pack, whereas the 2024 mannequin will function a 64.8 kWh battery capability. Hyundai’s preliminary inner testing has indicated a 260-mile vary, simply two miles greater than the present technology’s 258-mile EPA vary. The usual battery variant is estimated to have 197 miles of vary.
Charging instances have improved barely. Ten to 80 p.c state of cost (SoC) will be achieved in 43 minutes with 400V Stage 3 DC quick charging. Prospects residing within the colder US areas also can go for battery pre-conditioning.
Energy output stays similar, with the long-range model’s entrance axle-mounted electrical motor delivering 201 horsepower and 188 pound-foot of torque, whereas the usual vary variant is rated for 133 hp and 188 lb-ft.
Do not forget that the Kona Electrical rides on Hyundai’s modified K3 platform, primarily designed to underpin gas-powered automobiles. Newer fashions just like the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 trip on the Electrical-International Modular Structure (E-GMP), a devoted EV platform.
New options embrace vehicle-to-load performance, with 1.7 kilowatts of most energy output. There’s additionally a brand new Good Regenerative system which might alter the brake power regeneration energy primarily based on real-time visitors, an improved inside with ambient lighting, body-colored inside accents, and twin 12.3-inch panoramic screens for the gauge cluster and infotainment amongst different objects.
The Kona Electrical will likely be out there to order in late fall 2023, and Hyundai is prone to reveal costs nearer to that timeframe. The outgoing technology begins at $33,500, excluding taxes and charges, so anticipate Hyundai to cost the brand new one in an analogous ballpark, or at a slight premium.
The North America-bound 2024 Kona Electrical will likely be made at Hyundai’s plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Additionally it is being manufactured at Hyundai’s plant in Nošovice, Czechia for the European market. By way of the primary half of 2023, wholesale worldwide shipments of the Kona Electrical amounted to simply beneath 40,000 models, and the model’s highest-selling EV is the Ioniq 5.