Hyundai Kona

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Hyundai has committed to providing 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary Electrify America ultra-fast charging for owners of the 2021 Kona Electric and 2021 Ioniq Electric.

Owners of the brand’s electric vehicles can use the network through the Electrify America smartphone app and according to Hyundai, 250 kWh of charging equals about 1,000 miles of EPA-estimated driving range for the Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric.

Read Also: Hyundai Confirms Kona EV Short Circuit Recall Affects 55,000 Vehicles Outside Of Korea, Cost $900 Million

“We know EV interest and sales are expanding, nationwide and more people are adding chargers to their homes every day,” vice president of Product Planning and Mobility Strategy at Hyundai Motor North America Olabisi Boyle said in a statement. “Our Kona and Ioniq EV owners are getting additional peace of mind when heading out on longer trips with prepaid access to Electrify America’s national fast-charging network. Electrify America’s DC fast chargers more than meet the Kona and Ioniq’s higher power charging capabilities.”

When plugged into a 100 kW DC fast charger, the 64 kWh battery pack of the Kona Electric can be charged to 80 per cent in as little as 54 minutes. Meanwhile, the 38.3 kWh battery pack of the Ioniq Electric also reaches 80 per cent in 54 minutes through a 100 kW DC fast charger.

“Hyundai Kona and Ioniq Electric model owners can count on our ultra-fast charging network to provide convenient and reliable charging where and when they need it,” added director of automotive and fleet business development at Electrify America Wayne Killen. “With more than 500 charging stations in the U.S., Electrify America’s network gives EV owners range confidence traveling across town or across the country. Kona and Ioniq owners gain access to our fast-charging network which was rated Number One by umlaut Inc. in Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine in its 2020 “Best-in-Test” award.”

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According to South Korea’s transport ministry, Hyundai has decided to recall its Kona electric model locally over a possible short circuit due to what could be faulty battery cell manufacturing. The resulting spark could cause a fire.

The recall will commence on October 16 and will include software updates and battery replacements following an inspection. Involved are 25,564 Kona EVs built between September 2017 and March 2020, reports Reuters.

This recall “is a proactive response to a suspected defective production of high-voltage batteries used in the vehicles, which may have contributed to the reported fires,” said the carmaker, adding that it will use all necessary measures to identify the cause of the issue and address customers’ needs.

Read Also: 2020 Hyundai Kona Electric Updated With Faster Charging

Of course, this is a very serious problem, especially after there have already been some 13 incidents of fire involving this model, including documented ones in Canada and Austria. The one in Canada took place in a garage in Montreal where the Kona simply exploded despite not being plugged into anything at the time.

LG Chem, who makes the batteries for the Kona Electric, said that the exact cause of that fire hasn’t been determined and a reenactment experiment conducted together with Hyundai did not lead to a similar incident, which means the fires may not be related to faulty battery cells.

After the recall was announced, Hyundai shares fell 1.4%, mostly because battery replacements could be costly – the battery accounts for roughly 30% of an EV’s overall price. Meanwhile, LG Chem shares actually went up 1.8%.

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