The Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo as well as the Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Jelani Aliyu, at Abuja have congratulated Stallion Group and its subsidiary, Hyundai Nigeria for introducing the first Electric Vehicle into the Nigeria market.
In a goodwill message in Abuja on Friday at the official unveiling of the Hyundai Kona, Nigeria’s first locally-assembled electric car, assembled by Stallion Group, the Minister said: “This is the first electric car that we are seeing here. The Federal Government is willing to provide the enabling environment for this technology to thrive”.
Explaining further, the Minister said: “On behalf of the Federal Government, I commend Hyundai for this initiative, as we continue to support this noble idea.”
Meanwhile, Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Jelani Aliyu, has announced plans by the Federal Government to begin Electric Vehicle (EV) Pilot programme in three universities.
Speaking at the event, the Director General, National Automotive Design and Development Council, Mr. Jelani Aliyu, MFR congratulated the Stallion Group (the parent company of Hyundai Nigeria) for the huge achievement. He said the unveiling of the KONA ELECTRIC VEHICLE is a significant milestone for the Nigerian automotive industry and a strong testimony to the achievements of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP).
Speaking at the event, CEO of Stallion Group Mr. Anant Badjatya says “the government has always been forward thinking for the greater good of Nigeria- and sustainable means of operations making the nation future ready. Being here today and advocating the first electric car locally assembled vehicle further adds to the vision for a greener eco-friendly Nigeria”.
Mr Anant Badjatya, explained that the electric car comes with zero emission, and can be charged both at home and workplace. He said “we are working to ensure that we do more work on the new product and make it more cheaper for Nigerians. Right now, the most important thing is for us to understand that we need to embrace the future, because this is the future of automobile.
“We cannot wish it away, because the entire world is now embracing EVs as they want to get away from the diesel and petrol engines. The good thing about Nigerians is that they are very innovative, they can embrace and enjoy this technology.”
The Hyundai brand head Mr. Gaurav Vashisht further added that Hyundai Kona is a stepping stone towards a greener Nigeria. “The question often asked is-are we ready for Electric Vehicle in Nigeria? I am asking “Who says we are not ready? Making it affordable and accessible will see most Nigerians adopt in the new normal in today’s time. It will be great to simply charge my car at home like a mobile phone and drive around at no fuel cost. Kona offers just that ease to the consumers.
The first electric SUV from Hyundai, the Kona can go up to a range of 482 km with an acceleration of (0-100kms) in 9.7 seconds on a single battery cycle of a capacity of 64 KWH. The ease of charging is unmatched and can be plugged in at home or work for 9:35 hours (standard charger) for a full battery, you can also charge Kona battery with ultra-fast charger in 3:30 hours. Its 100% electric with zero carbon emission. KONA Electric is here to change the way people think about going electric.
Kona electric has been extensively applauded for its class driving range, safety convenience features and fast-charging capability. Its success can be measured by the following; In April 2020, it was named the Best Small Family Car by the inaugural TopGear Electric Awards based on its 24-hour (1,600-km) performance.
The EV also played a role in the KONA nameplate winning Spanish newspaper ABC’s Best Car of the Year award. It also won the 2019 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year.
