Govt Officials Will Now Drive Around In Kona Electric SUVs

• Part of the largest electric vehicle (EV) procurement program by the government yet.
• Preference for the EV despite high asking price of Rs 23.71 lakh.
• Two government officials already using Konas as official vehicles.

Indian Government officials will soon be seen driving around in Hyundai Kona electric vehicles (EVs) instead of Mahindra eVeritos. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), an arm of the government whose focus is to encourage the adoption of cleaner and more efficient energy resources, will receive the SUVs as part of an initial order placed by the government. An order for 10 vehicles has been placed, out of which four have already been supplied. The Hyundai Kona is classified as a crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a range of 452km (ARAI certified). Prices for the Kona start from Rs 23.71 lakh after recently awarded tax relaxations, making it Rs 14 lakh more expensive than the Mahindra eVerito and the recently updated Tata Tigor EV. The latter was revised and launched for private use on October 9. 

EESL is a joint venture of four PSUs which operates under the Ministry of Power. It is comprised of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), and Power Grid Corporation of India. It had plans to procure 10,000 cars from Tata and Mahindra, but as of now, only 500 Tigor EVs and 1,000 eVeritos are being operated. The state-owned body will limit the order to a total of 3,000 vehicles. The Managing Director of EESL, Saurabh Kumar, noted that the Kona is “a brilliant car in terms of comfort” and had a running cost of Rs 0.40 per km. 

The Hyundai Kona crossover-SUV has a 39.2kWh battery which takes 6 hours and 10 minutes to charge using the Hyundai-supplied 7.2kW wall charger. A fast charger will take just under an hour to charge the Kona to 80 per cent. The range of 452 km allows the Kona to be more versatile than other EVs which were previously procured by EESL. The Kona’s electric motor churns out 136PS of power and 395Nm of torque. 

Apart from the Tigor EV, the Kona is the only other electric vehicle which can be purchased for private use. However, the market for EVs is expected to expand in 2020 with many new electric car launches.