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Discuss: 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric gets more aero-forward look and new tech
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That charge-port door on the nose is a lot more noticeable than before. Beauty mark or mole?
Hyundai
Hyundai revealed the new look of its 2022 Kona Electric on Tuesday, and the subcompact crossover SUV is getting an aerodynamic new face and updated cabin tech to go along with its 258 miles of range.The Korean automaker removed the vestigial grille pattern from the Kona Electric’s nose, giving it a smoother and somehow slightly more sinister look. That attitude is bolstered by even slimmer slash-like daytime running lamps at the leading edge of the hood and restyled, low-mounted main-beam headlamps that bleed into the fenders. Unfortunately, the Kona’s shark-like new nose also means that the charge-receptacle door doesn’t disappear into the front end as cleanly as before, resulting in an oddly asymmetric look that not everyone will love. Revised aero-pattern wheels grace the model’s profile, while out back you’ll find a redesigned bumper cap and new taillamps. Based on the specs Hyundai is quoting, it doesn’t sound like the new Kona has much in the way of under-the-skin changes. The aforementioned 258 miles of range is unchanged, as is the 201-horsepower electric motor that also delivers 291 pound-feet of torque.
2022 Hyundai Kona Electric gets more aero-forward look and new tech
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Using a Level 3 charger, Hyundai is quoting a 10%-to-80% charge time of 47 minutes. Level 2 chargers (as are more typically found both in home garages and using today’s public charger network) take 9 hours and 15 minutes to go from 10% to a full pack. Then as now, that synchronous electric motor is powered by a 64-kWh lithium-ion pack. Hyundai says the 2022 Kona EV’s MPGe numbers are 132 city, 108 highway and 120 combined.The Kona Electric’s bigger functional changes seem mostly confined to the interior, including a redesigned center stack and new center display. Both the digital gauge cluster and infotainment screens are 10.25 inches, the latter of which sits quite high on the dashboard. A retooled center console storage area now includes wireless charging. Similarly, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also available sans cord.Other tech enhancements for 2022 center on an updated Blue Link telematics system, which includes remote profile management and the ability to send navigation instructions to the car with up to three waypoints. Most importantly for the EV, charge times can now be scheduled via app to take advantage of lower off-peak electricity costs. A redesigned center stack and larger 10.25-inch screens for both the cluster and infotainment headline this EV’s tech update.
Hyundai
Hyundai says that second-row legroom and cargo space have also been enhanced for the Kona’s midcycle refresh (presumably through resculpted seatbacks), but it isn’t immediately clear if those benefits also port over to this updated EV model. There’s no pricing news yet, but the new model isn’t expected to stray too far from today’s starting MSRP of $38,565 (including $1,175 delivery) before any applicable federal and state incentives. The Ulsan, Korea-built 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric is slated to arrive in the US this spring.
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Tesla India has been registered as Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Ltd – as per Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Earlier this year, Karnataka CM, B S Yediyurappa had tweeted that Tesla will commence operations with an R&D unit in Bengaluru. He had announced this on twitter. But soon after, he had deleted the tweet. A State Govt document, accessed by Reuters points to the fact that Karnataka will also be the home to Tesla’s car manufacturing plant.
This update comes on the back of statements from Gujarat and Maharashtra – both stating that they have invited Tesla to setup their Indian manufacturing unit in their respective state. Tesla is yet to confirm the report.
Tesla in India
Entry of the US based electric vehicle maker Tesla, into the Indian automobile sector, is particularly noteworthy as both the Central and State Governments are vying for higher adoption of green vehicle technology to conserve energy and preserve the environment.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. has set up a subsidiary in Bengaluru with plans to introduce their range of electric cars in India later this year. The R&D Center is at Lavelle Road in Bengaluru and marks the company’s entry into the country with a paid up capital of Rs.1 lakh and authorized capital of Rs.15 lakhs.
Karnataka CM tweet which was deleted soon after it was posted
With plans to launch a range of electric vehicles in India in 2021, Tesla has named Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatrangam Sreeram and David Jon Feinstein as its three directors. Plans are afoot to launch the new Tesla Model 3 in India for a start, with local assembly and manufacturing to commence later.
First Tesla Car In India
It is rumoured that Tesla Model 3 will be the first to launch in India as it is the most affordable Tesla product. The all electric sedan will be brought in as a CBU initially. It will attract a 100 percent import duty unless the Government of India offers any concessions to Tesla so as to give electric vehicle entry a push. Standard range of 423 kms on a single charge.
South Of India Becoming EV Hub
South of India and more specifically Bengaluru is a hub of automotive engineering with centres of Daimler, Bosch, Continental, Fiat Chrysler. Electric vehicle segment is also seeing increased participation with mobility startups like Ola, Uber, Bounce and Vogo planning to introduce more electric vehicles into their fleets.
Ola is also keen on manufacturing electric vehicles with a new EV plant in Tamil Nadu. Ola will setup the world’s largest electric scooter manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu – for the same they have signed an MoU of Rs 2,400 crores.
Ather Energy has also gone ahead with their plans. Production is now shifted to Hosur, Tamil Nadu from where the company aims to produce around 1 lakh units of electric two wheelers per annum.
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Truck No. 2,277 is the first EV to cross the finish line at a King of the Hammers event.
Nicole Dreon
Last week marked the first time an electric vehicle ran in the King of the Hammers off-road event in Johnson Valley, California. Racer Kyle Seggelin and his team finished the Every Man Challenge in truck No. 2,277, a Toyota 4Runner with the powertrain from a Nissan Leaf EV.The 4Runner/Leaf rig was built by Seggelin and his team. It started the race with two 20-kilowatt-hour batteries, enough to get it to the first pit stop some 17.5 miles away. There, the team swapped out those batteries for the 62-kWh pack found in the Leaf Plus — a process that took a mere seven minutes.The key to quickly swapping batteries? Custom-built sliders. The team divided the battery packs into sections, each weighing roughly 200 pounds. They fit securely into the sliders and connected to the electric motor with a large, high-voltage connection, and one or two smaller Molex connectors, depending on the pack size. All the team had to do was disconnect, slide the packs out and then reverse the process. Easy peasy.While Seggelin and his co-driver, his sister Dahlia Seggelin, were out on the next 55 miles with the larger 62-kWh battery, the team charged the original, smaller batteries with a 12,000-watt generator. It was on this 55-mile section of the race course that the camaraderie of off-road racing really shined. Another team’s crew asked Seggelin to carry some parts out to their rig, which was stopped about five miles outside of pits. The KOH rules state that there is no pitting outside of designated areas, but competitors can help each other. But before Seggelin got to his fallen foe, his power steering went south. Seggelin noticed that the other team’s tool bag had the part he needed: a simple bolt. Not knowing what was wrong with the competitor’s rig, he took a risk and used the other team’s part anyway.Celebratory champagne at the finish line.
Nicole Dreon
Displaying true sportsmanship, the other driver was ready to give up his race in favor of his competitor finishing, until Seggelin noticed that the other rig just needed a heim joint to get going. Once again, the tool bag provided the solution, and both trucks were able to make repairs on the trail.The 4Runner, however, was also running on three-wheel drive thanks to a broken front axle, and Seggelin said his truck lost power a few times. The team made the second battery swap in under 10 minutes, but in all, it took him 7 hours, 42 minutes, 9 seconds to finish the 91-mile lap. Preliminary data analysis shows that the truck got more range than the anticipated 1 mile for each kWh of juice, but the team won’t know the exact figures until they really dig into the computers.Seggelin was in a class of one in the Every Man Challenge, only needing to finish the first desert-focused lap of the race to take the podium. Next year he and his team would like to go back in a tube chassis EV with dual motors, solid axles and gear reductions to really get the most out of the power plant. He’d like to see other competitors bring electric competitors, as well, including major car manufacturers.”If a couple of guys in a garage with a junkyard Leaf and a 30-year-old hand-me-down truck can do it,” Seggelin said, “what’s stopping the auto industry from giving us some competition?”
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One of the new EVs will probably be a compact crossover.
Toyota
Toyota is making a push for electrification, aiming for 40% of its new vehicle sales to be electrified by 2025 (and 70% by 2030). To help achieve that goal Toyota is finally jumping into the mainstream electric car game in the US, announcing today that it will debut two new fully electric vehicles this year.This news comes a few months after Toyota teased a new electric compact SUV being built as part of a joint venture with Subaru. That model was slated to launch in Europe first, but it seems likely that it will be one of the two models that we’ll get in the US this year. The crossover is said to be totally new, and it will use Toyota’s dedicated e-TNGA platform for EVs. Beyond that we don’t know much, but e-TNGA allows for a variety of battery packs and motor configurations, so expect all-wheel drive at least as an option.
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We don’t know anything about what the second EV could be, but it’s probably a safe bet that it will have a sedan or hatchback body style to better compete against existing electric cars like the Hyundai Ioniq and Chevrolet Bolt. It should ride on the e-TNGA platform as well.The existing RAV4 Prime will be joined by another plug-in-hybrid model.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
Toyota also says it will reveal a new plug-in-hybrid model this year as well, but gives no details as to what that will be. Our best guess is a PHEV version of the Sienna minivan, Venza crossover or Highlander SUV, any of which would gain a Prime moniker to align with the Prius and RAV4 plug-in models.No reveal timeline was given for any of the three new vehicles, but given that Toyota says they will all “debut in the US market this year,” we could see the first unveil happen as soon as later this month. Expect each of the new Toyotas to go on sale by the end of the year as a 2022 model.
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Tata Motors has been issued with a show cause notice by the Delhi Transport Department following a complaint filed by a Delhi resident
The complaint states that the Tata Nexon Electric failed to perform as per standard. The vehicle owner, a resident of Najafgarh, purchased the Tata Nexon EV XZ+ variant and noted that while the company claimed a range of 312 km per charge, his vehicle was not offering more than 200 kms. This was despite the fact that he complied with every advice issued by the dealer.
The Nexon EV was purchased from an authorized company dealership in Safarjung Enclave. It was registered on 3rd Dec 2020 and it was immediately noted to fail in meeting the required range as indicated. Though the owner stringently followed all directions, there was no improvement in the range and nowhere close to 312 kms per charge.
Complaint Filed, Show Cause Notice Issued
A complaint was filed by the owner of the Tata Nexon EV with Delhi Transport Department and a notice has been sent to the automaker. Tata Motors has been instructed to depute a representative to attend the office of the said department on 5th Feb 2021 at 12 noon.
The notice also adds that the Delhi Government could consider removing the subsidy offered under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2020, on the Tata Nexon EV, if it is proved that this contention is proved to be true.
File Photo. Credit – AutoTown
Under this Policy, a purchase incentive of Rs.10,000 per kWh battery capacity is offered on the purchase of an electric 4 wheeler with a cap of Rs.1.50 lakhs. Also, the owners of the first 1000 electric cars registered in Delhi, following the issuance of the policy, would be eligible for the incentive. The Nexon EV is an approved vehicle under these conditions of the EV policy.
Tata Motors, on their part, have taken cognizance of the show cause notice and are taking measures to address the concerns of the owner. The range of 312 kms per charge is based on certification received from Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).
ARAI is an apex body to test and certify vehicles under various standard test conditions prior to the vehicles going on sale. Tests conducted by ARAI are under special and ideal conditions and hence range are always on the higher side as compared to real world conditions.
As is also seen in the case of conventional vehicles, electric vehicle range is also derived depending on certain factors. These include use of air conditioning, individual style of driving and real world conditions present at the time the vehicle is being driven. The range is also achieved according to familiarity with the new technology and customers report a marked improvement by around 10 percent in a time frame of 4-6 weeks once they are familiar with the vehicle.
Tata Nexon EV Sales
Tata Nexon EV is the best-selling electric SUV in India and most affordable car in its segment currently commanding a market share of 63.2 percent. Launched on 28th Jan 2020, sales have touched the 3,000 unit mark in the past one year while its affordable price tag allows it compete efficiently with its rivals such as the MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric.
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