Hyundai teases its upcoming all-electric Kona SUV with ‘up to 290 miles of range’

Over the last year, Hyundai has been talking about launching all-electric SUVs in 2018 and now the company started teasing an all-electric Kona SUV to be unveiled in Geneva this month.

Hyundai claims that it will be “the first all-electric compact SUV available to everyone, coming to the market in summer 2018.”

The Korean automaker elaborated about the vehicle’s powertrain and features in a press release today:

“The All-New Kona Electric will feature two different powertrain versions offering customers one of the most powerful electric engines on the market with a class leading range of almost 470 kilometres (internal target under WLTP regulations) and a great fun-to-drive character. Furthermore, drivers will benefit from a wide range of convenience and connectivity features as well as active safety and driving assistance technologies.”

WLTP is the new test cycle that is gradually replacing NEDC, which has been ridiculously inaccurate in the past.

It’s supposedly more representative of real-world range, which bodes well for the Kona Electric’s 470 kilometers (292 miles) of range.

But they now say that there will be two powertrain options and that would be the longest range option.

Here’s the teaser that they released with the press release today:

https://youtu.be/nsdjK8Xkgdc

Hyundai says that they will unveil the vehicle on 27 February, ahead of the car’s world premiere at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. It should hit the market just a few months later.

Electrek’s Take

The same electric platform is expected to power both the Hyundai Kona Electric and the Kia Niro Electric.

Last month, Kia unveiled the Niro EV Concept, which could give us some insight into the powertrain. It is powered by “a high-capacity 64 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack, paired with a powerful 150 kW electric motor.”

But Kia said that it expects a range of 238 miles (383 kilometers) on a single charge – but that was unveiled at CES, so maybe they were talking about an estimated EPA rating.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the two upcoming EVs has been their price, which is expected to be about 35,000 euros (~$39,000) – making them rare options for a long-range electric vehicle at a lower price point and the only choices for compact SUVs at this point.

Now that Hyundai says that there will be two powertrain options and ~$39,000 is expected to be the base price, it will be interesting to see what standard powertrain you will be able to get for that price.