Hyundai in the present day launched further particulars concerning the 2024 Kona Electrical, together with preliminary vary estimates, specs, and US availability. The present technology is among the many few inexpensive electrical automobiles within the US beginning at beneath $35,000. The following technology is imminent and looks as if a major improve, not less than on paper.

The Korean carmaker had shared powertrain and manufacturing particulars early this 12 months, however now we some extra data on 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 aspect 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 large (+1 inch), and 62.2 inches tall. Boot house is rated at 25.5 cubic toes, however the frunk solely affords nine-tenths of a cubic foot (27 liters) of house.

The Chevrolet Bolt EV competitor contains a marginally bigger battery pack, however the vary estimates are practically 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 inside 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 occasions have improved barely. Ten to 80 p.c state of cost (SoC) may be achieved in 43 minutes with 400V Stage 3 DC quick charging. Clients dwelling within the colder US areas can even 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.

Keep in mind 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 embody vehicle-to-load performance, with 1.7 kilowatts of most energy output. There’s additionally a brand new Good Regenerative system which may alter the brake vitality regeneration power based mostly 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 obtainable to order in late fall 2023, and Hyundai is more likely to reveal costs nearer to that timeframe. The outgoing technology begins at $33,500, excluding taxes and costs, so anticipate Hyundai to cost the brand new one in an identical 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. It’s also 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.