Hyundai finally started the delivery of the Kona Electric made at its European manufacturing plant, in Czech Republic. Current European production is at 150 Kona Electrics per day and Hyundai plans to produce over 35.000 units in 12 months.
Let’s see the press release.
- Hyundai has started production of the Kona Electric at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) in Nošovice, Czech Republic
- The plant plans to produce 30,000 electric vehicles in the first year
- Kona Electric is the first new-generation electric car to be produced in the Czech Republic
- Additional production in Europe will significantly reduce delivery times of Kona Electric for European customers
13 March 2020 – Hyundai Motor has begun production of the Kona Electric at its European manufacturing plant, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC).
The first cars 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.
Hyundai Kona Electric made in Europe: infographic
First fully-electric car to be produced in Czech Republic
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.
Hyundai Kona Electric made in Europe
Increased production necessary to shorten waiting times and keep up with demand
HMMC, which is located in Nošovice in the Moravian-Silesian region of the Czech Republic, is one of the largest and most modern auto manufacturing plants in Europe. The plant plans to produce over 35,000 units of the Kona Electric in 12 months. Current production is at 150 Kona Electrics per day.
Hyundai will also give customers the opportunity to track the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of their Kona Electric. Once ordered, the ETA tool makes it possible to track the car from production to final shipment.
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.
European customers can now expect reduced delivery times for this great electric car that received a series of upgrades at the end of last year. One of those upgrades is the three-phase on-board charger which can top up the battery at 11 kW.
Finally, Hyundai expects that by delivering 80.000 electric cars to European customers this year, it’ll become the biggest provider of zero-emission vehicles in Europe in 2020. I have my doubts about that, I see Tesla and Renault as the most likely automakers to reach that goal, with Volkswagen trying hard to get into the top 3. Nonetheless, Hyundai is well positioned to surpass PSA and Nissan. What do you think?
