We Hear: All-Electric Hyundai Kona in the Works

The Hyundai Kona won’t make its world debut until next week but there’s already rumblings of a new variant for the Korean automaker’s upcoming small crossover. Citing Push EVs and Auto Bild, Inside EVs is reporting that Hyundai will be releasing an all-electric Kona crossover by fall 2018. The report also indicates that the Kona EV will have a range of around 217 miles and a battery packing around 50-kWh. As for pricing, the Kona EV could start at around $39,000, putting it right on the same ballpark as the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is EPA-rated at 238 miles on a single charge. Earlier this year, we reported that Hyundai was preparing to launch  an all-electric crossover on a dedicated EV platform.

This won’t be the first electrified crossover from a Korean automaker because Hyundai’s sister company already has the Niro in its lineup and will be adding a plug-in hybrid variant for the 2018 model year. Inside EVs also points out that Hyundai and Kia’s hybrid and EV offensive won’t stop there because a EV version of the Niro and the recently teased Stonic could also be in the works. Should these all-electric crossovers come into fruition, that could help grow the affordable electric vehicle segment beyond the Chevrolet Bolt EV with new alternatives offering similar range. However, in the U.S. market, it’s unknown as to whether Hyundai and Kia’s upcoming all-electric vehicles will serve as compliance cars or not.

Source: Inside EVs

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