MIAS 2019: All-new Hyundai Kona EV officially launched in the Philippines

MANILA: The Philippines has been one of Hyundai’s strongest markets in Asia for a while. The Korean giant has had great many success stories in the country, and that’s not surprising. However, what the Philippines car market doesn’t offer yet is a solid presence of green and eco-friendly all-electric vehicles or EVs. Now that’s most likely down to the fact that the infrastructure that’s required to nourish and sustain the growth of EVs is somewhat lacking.

However, this hasn’t stopped one of the most successful automakers from giving the region a try. With the MIAS Wired going on in full swing, we finally get to see the all-new Hyundai Kona EV in the flesh. Not just that, Hyundai has finally launched the Kona EV in the Philippines and it starts at PhP 2,388,000. Of course, as you can imagine, the full electric version of this funky crossover costs more than the regular one, which retails for around PhP 1,200,000.

Aside from its price, the Hyundai Kona EV also has one other (and more important) distinguishing factor that differentiates it from its dinosaur juice-fuelled sibling. That factor, as you may have guessed by now is the Kona EV’s all-electric powertrain.

Under that extrovertially-styled body of the Hyundai Kona EV is its 64 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. The batteries send electricity to a high-efficiency permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor which generates a respectable 201 hp (150 kW) and 394 Nm of pulling power.

The Kona EV’s liquid-cooled battery pack weighs around 450 kg, and has been designed to be charged using a 7.2 kW rapid-charge system. The Kona’s maximum effective range on a full charge hovers around 400 km, which makes this Hyundai EV an efficient city runabout. If available,

you can charge your Kona EV from 0 to 80% in 54 minutes using a Level 3 charging station that puts out 100 kW. As for its performance, the Hyundai Kona EV can hit 100 kmph from a standstill in 7.6 seconds, while its top whack is a smidge under 170 kmph.

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