It was Tata Motors and Mahindra which had bagged big orders for their Tigor EV and e-Verito, but the officials did not want these electric vehicles due to the poor driving range. Now, government officials are preferring the Hyundai Kona which not only is a much more premium product in comparison, but also offers a realistic driving range by EV standards. Hyundai has received an order for 300 Kona electric SUVs from the ESSL, out of which 177 units have already been delivered.
Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. had initially ordered 500 Tata Tigor EV and 1,000 Mahindra e-Verito electric vehicles. But the low capacity battery and low driving range was a huge deterrent and not many wanted to accept being limited in their commute range. Yes, the Hyundai Kona is expensive, almost twice of more than these 2 previous EVs procured, but it also comes with a battery which is very superior and a driving range claim of 452 km / full charge. The running cost is as low as 40 paisa / km, and hence, the higher price tag is not causing too much of an issue thanks to the daily cost efficiency and clearing the range anxiety issue.
Hyundai claims that the Kona has 1/5th the cost of running compared to an internal combustion engine. The Kona can sprint from 0-100 kmph in 9.7 seconds, which is impressive and will not make driving an EV a boring affair. With 136 PS of power on tap and 40.27 kgm of torque, the Hyundai Kona is much ahead compared to the Tigor EV and e-Verito; and it is not difficult to understand why the government officials prefer this one.
Another reason is the higher aspirational value of the Kona overall. The Hyundai Kona in India comes with features such as dual front airbags with side & curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, stability control, hill assist, TPMS, automatic headlamps, all disc brakes, LED DRLs with LED projector headlamps, LED tail lamps, SUV styling, 17″ alloy wheels, leather upholstery, soft touch interior panels, electric driver seat, cooled & heated front seats, touchscreen infotainment system, electric sunroof, drive mode selector, electric park brake, cruise control, etc. All of this, surely makes the Hyundai Kona a more sensible choice to live with daily. For government officials and even for a regular customer.