Hyundai has announced the start of production for the all-new Kona Electric at its Czech Republic-based plant.
During the first year, Hyundai intends to manufacture more than 20,000 units of the Kona Electric.
The second-generation Kona is led by the all-electric version. Hyundai developed the all-new Kona as an EV first, in line with the company’s March 2022 accelerated electrification strategy announcement that will bring eleven new Hyundai EVs to market by 2030.
Back in 2020, the first-generation Kona Electric became Hyundai’s first electric vehicle to be produced in Europe. The strategic decision to supplement its supply from the company’s Ulsan plant in South Korea with production at it’s Czech plant drastically reduced delivery times for customers in Europe. The second-generation KONA Electric continues with this strategy to better serve the European market.
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Additionally, experts from the Czech plant had a significant say in the new model’s development for Europe, starting with the preparation of initial sketches. This new development process allowed them to not only shape the all-new Kona Electric’s character and parameters but also consider the specifics of the plant at an earlier stage.
Hyundai expects the Kona Electric to represent 15% of the plant’s total production by late 2023, thanks in part to the fact that the electric vehicle from will be delivered to an additional 20 countries to the current 22 European countries. By the end of this year, 21,000 cars of the new generation Kona Electric model are to be produced, with a further 50,000 manufactured next year.
The Czech-based plant will continue to produce two versions of the Kona Electric with different battery capacities. The 65.4kWh battery pack Kona Electric is equipped with a 160kW electric motor and offers a range of 319 miles (WLTP). The base version will have a 48.4kWh battery pack and a 114.6kW electric motor, providing a 234 mile range (WLTP). The Kona Electric’s battery cells will be manufactured at LG Energy Solution’s plant in Wroclaw, Poland.
