Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The Hyundai Kona SUV is India's powerful new
electric car
With nearly four million new cars sold last
year, India’s automobile market became the fourth largest in the world after
China’s 28 million, US’s 17 million, and Japan’s five million. But the air
quality in the country is notoriously bad. In fact, 13 of the world’s 20 most
air-polluted cities are in India, affecting people’s health more seriously than
smoking, high blood pressure, child malnutrition, and risk factors for
diabetes. While air is polluted mostly by biomass burning for cooking and
keeping warm in rural areas, vehicle emission is to blame in urban areas.
Now, to become a global hub of manufacturing
electric vehicles, the government recently announced plans to reduce taxes on
electric car production along with incentives for lithium batteries and charging
infrastructures. At the same time, the Hyundai Kona Electric, a subsidiary of
Hyundai Motor Company that owns the second highest market share in India, introduced
a powerful electric SUV that can travel over 400 kilometers on a single charge.
It is probably enough for most daily use, but will that be enough for a weekend
trip with air-conditioning running all the way? The company also has a plan to
build a network to charge their vehicles too, by installing a network of fast
chargers at gas stations in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai.
Electric vehicle sales and electric charging
stations seem like a chicken and egg scenario.
The price tag of the e-SUV? Around 2.5
million rupees, or $37,000.
Enjoy reading the article and think if the
new e-SUV will be bought more as the only or second car for the owner.
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