Hyundai hints to bring an affordable electric vehicle to India in three years

South Korean automaker Hyundai is devising a plan to introduce a mass-market electric vehicle in the country within three years. The brand already has the Kona EV here but given the significant market share of sub-four metre SUVs, it is likely to come up with a Nexon EV rival. And this new electric vehicle could be based on the Venue or potentially be a Venue converted into an EV like the Nexon. Either way, Hyundai is expected to manufacture this electric car in India to achieve a cost reduction to take on the rivals.

Furthermore, Hyundai opened a new corporate office in Gurugram a day ago and on the occasion of this grand inauguration, the carmaker showed off two cars - the Ioniq 5 and Nexo FCEV. The brand unveiled the Ioniq 5 pure electric crossover globally a few months ago. It is a futuristic electric vehicle based on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Moreover, the Ioniq 5 is a long vehicle with a 3,000mm wheelbase.

Its clean-cut design philosophy is front and centre in terms of both the exterior and interior. However, Hyundai has clearly stated that it does not have any intentions to launch this pure electric vehicle in India. Besides, the Ioniq 5 is presently sold in some international markets where it is available with two battery packs - 58kWh and 72.7kWh powering either rear-wheels or all four. These batteries can be recharged with a 350kW super-fast charger which translates zero percent to 80 in just 18 minutes.

On the other hand, there was another vehicle alongside the Ioniq 5 - the Nexo, a fuel cell electric vehicle. Currently, there are just a handful of cars running on fuel cell technology and Hyundai has one of them. The Nexo uses multiple carbon-fibre wrapped hydrogen tanks which can be filled up in just five minutes to provide a range of about 600km. However, the brand said that it does not have any plans to bring this car to the country yet. Meanwhile, the company’s new headquarters is equipped with thirteen electric charging points including three fast chargers. And Hyundai Kona owners in India can avail benefit of charging their vehicle at the premises.