Chennai: Hyundai Motor on Wednesday showcased its Kona electric sports utility vehicle here, with the Korean car major saying work is on to set up fast charging facilities in select fuel stations in association with Indian Oil.
Hyundai Motor India Limited MD and CEO S. S. Kim said it was a moment of pride that “Kona Electric, India's first fully electric SUV will be made in Tamil Nadu from our state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Chennai.”
Chief Minister K. Palaniswami flagged off the lithium-ion battery powered vehicle at the secretariat and went on a drive in the car along with his cabinet colleagues, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, industries minister M. C. Sampath and publicity minister Kadambur Raju.
For providing fast charging facility, Hyundai was working with Indian Oil Corporation to develop infrastructure at select fuel stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, Kim said. “HMIL will invest on the equipment and installation of these Fast Chargers (CCS Type Single Port). These chargers can charge 80 per cent of the battery capacity in less than an hour.” Kim said the car has has received an overwhelming customer response with 120 confirmed bookings within 15 days of its launch. “This showcases customers' acceptance of global electric vehicle technologies and faith in brand Hyundai,” he said. The Kona SUV, priced at `25.30 lakh (ex-showroom), was launched on July 9, with Hyundai claiming that it has a driving range of 452 km per charge.
A Tamil Nadu government release said an MoU was signed at the Global Investors Meet in January this year between the state and Hyundai Motors.
As per the understanding, Hyundai committed to invest Rs 7,000 crore for its facility expansion at nearby Sriperumbudur, make an additional one lakh cars and manfacture electric vehicles, providing employment to 500 people.
“The launch of Kona Electric is a part of Hyundai Motor India's commitment to invest Rs 7,000 crore in Tamil Nadu,” the company said in a statement.
