Hyundai Kona Electric EV Charging Cable

Four batteries and a charger that changed in 2019

The first Kona Electric came in 39 kWh and 64 kWh forms, 180 and 300 miles WLTP. The 2023 second generation runs 48.4 kWh and 65.4 kWh, about 234 and up to 319 miles. What moved underneath is the charger: cars up to about November 2019, and every 39 kWh car, use a 7.2 kW single phase unit, while later cars carry an 11 kW three phase one and the 2023 car a 10.5 kW three phase one.

The good news is that it barely matters. British homes are supplied with one phase, so an 11 kW or 22 kW car rating lands at 7.4 kW on the driveway. A single phase Kona draws its full 7.2 kW at home; a three phase Kona draws 7.4. Both fit comfortably inside a 32A cable, so the same lead is right whatever your registration plate says.

One number on Hyundai's own page needs reading carefully

Hyundai UK quotes 6 hours 25 minutes for a full charge on the 65.4 kWh Long Range. That is a three phase figure, achieved on an 11 kW supply. On a single phase British house the same charge takes closer to ten and a half hours.

We mention it because it is the sort of number people plan around. Nothing is wrong with your charger if you see ten hours rather than six and a half. A heavier lead makes no difference, because nothing downstream of the onboard charger sets the pace.

How long a full charge takes

Hours come from dividing the pack by the power the car actually draws, with 13 per cent added for losses. Miles per hour is worked at a conservative 3.5 miles per kWh. Columns are the 39 kWh first generation, the second generation Standard Range and the second generation Long Range. The 64 kWh first generation sits between the last two.

DC rapid charging runs from 44 kW on the 39 kWh car to about 102 kW on the current Long Range, so motorway stops are handled without this cable.

Which length for a Kona

The inlet is in the centre of the nose on every Kona Electric. Central is the easiest case on this whole site: there is no nearside or offside to establish, nothing mirrors for right hand drive, and parking nose-in puts the socket as close to the charge point as the car can physically get it.

So nose in and 5 metres is comfortable on a 4.2 to 4.35 metre car. Reverse onto the drive and the lead has to come the full length of the car and back, which is 10 metres. Choose on the real distance from inlet to charge point, not the distance on the drawing, and never buy it tight.

How these cables are built

Standards are IEC 62196-2 and CE, protection is IP55, and the specified working range runs -30C to +50C.

Three pin construction follows IEC 62752, CE marked, IP67 rated, usable from -30C to +60C. Backed by a two year manufacturer's warranty, with free next working day delivery and a 30 day return window.

Also from Hyundai: Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid EV Charging Cable. The full range of Hyundai charging cables is on one page. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Hyundai Kona Electric charging cable questions

What cable does a Kona Electric need?

A 32A Type 2 to Type 2 cable, whichever year you have. Early cars draw 7.2 kW single phase, later ones 7.4 kW from a single phase supply, and a 32A lead carries either.

Why does Hyundai say six and a half hours?

Because that figure assumes an 11 kW three phase supply. On a single phase British house the 65.4 kWh Long Range takes nearer ten and a half hours from empty.

Where does a Kona Electric plug in?

The centre of the nose. It is one of the few cars where there is no left or right to get wrong, and it makes nose-in parking the best case for cable length.

Is a three phase cable worth it?

No, not at a house. Later Konas do accept 11 kW across three phases, but a British home supplies one phase, so the three phase cable gives the same 7.4 kW as the single phase one.