THE ONTO Hyundai Kona EV has been with us for a couple of weeks now and I have to admit I am getting sold on the idea of electric cars.
I really like the silent running which allows for a smooth and comfortable ride. The instant acceleration is a bonus as well while the Kona comes equipped with pretty well all the bells and whistles you could wish for – including sat nav, electric seats, phone connectivity etc.
As mentioned in an earlier report, the Kona has been provided by EV subscription service offered by Onto, which has a whole range of EVs to choose from ranging Renault Zoe to Jaguar i-Pace, with lots in between.
Onto is seeing demand grow rapidly – currently, 5% of all new electric vehicle registrations are actually made by Onto for its fleet. The minimum commitment is one month, and costs start from £339 per month, which covers everything (insurance, road tax, breakdown cover, wear and tear, service and repair, plus free charging when using a BP Pulse charging point or a Shell charging point).
Onto said that a third of customers also swap models regularly, to try out a range of cars and see which best fits their lifestyle. The Hyundai Kona, costs £559 for a month and an additional £49 gets the car delivered to your door. A further £9 allows an additional driver to be added.
Download the Onto app and register. Credit card details will be taken and subscription fees when you have a car are taken automatically. You need the app also to lock and unlock the car as well as start it.
Another neat touch is the fact that the app tracks the car on its way to you, tells you where charge points are and even where the car is parked should you forget.
While we wait for the EV charging infrastructure to became more available and efficient, things have been made considerably easier thanks to the installation of a home charger by Leasing Broker Federation partner Project EV.
With an available range of around 280 miles, for general day-to-day running around, it’s only really necessary to charge the car overnight once every couple of weeks. There has been one long 250-mile round trip on business and while that brought the car close to its range limit, the Hyundai’s ‘fuel gauge’ is remarkably accurate.
There are a few myths surrounding EVs and for those thinking of making a switch to an electric fleet, a trial with an Onto vehicle could provide a good insight while some of those myths are tackled in a document by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
It looks at such things as what you have to pay for charge points, how and where to charge, congestion and low emissions zones and the effect on the UK’s energy grid.
