Hyundai Motor has begun production of the Kona Electric at its European manufacturing plant, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC).
The first Kona Electric SUVs produced for European markets left the factory this week, headed for customers in Europe.
The Nošovice plant will produce the more powerful of the two Hyundai Kona Electric versions, which has a 150 kW electric motor and a battery capacity of 64kWh resulting in a driving range of 484 km. Kona Electric is the first new-generation electric car to be produced in the Czech Republic. Together with the increased production from Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in Korea, in 2020 the company will more than triple the availability of Kona Electric for its customers in Europe compared to last year.
“Expanding production of the Kona Electric is an important step to meet the growing European demand for electric cars. Reducing the distance the vehicle has to travel between the manufacturing plant and the consumer will shorten delivery times. We are also further strengthening Europe as manufacturing location by producing future mobility solutions on site,” said Dong Woo ChoiPresident and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe HQ.
All stages of production at HMMC were prepared for the Kona Electric: the stamping shop, the welding shop, the paint shop and assembly. The production line had to be extended by 15 meters due to a new production stage involving the installation of the electric battery.
The batteries will by produced in Europe, reducing the distance the component needs to travel. A new warehouse has been set up at HMMC to store the batteries. An automatic guided vehicle will transport them from there to the production line.
The paint shop also introduced a new two-colour painting process, as the Kona Electric is also available with a two-tone roof.
In 2020, Hyundai expects to deliver more than 80,000 units of zero-emission vehicles to European customers, including the Kona Electric, IONIQ Electric and the NEXO fuel cell electric vehicle. With this development, Hyundai expects to become the biggest provider of zero-emission vehicles in Europe in 2020.
