Kona EV Takes First Step into Southeast Asian Ride-hailing Services
We plan to start with the 20s and increase it to 200 by the end of the year.
Hyundai, Kia, and Grab Collaborate on Service-Optimized EV Production

Hyundai Motor's flagship electric vehicle (EV) model, the Kona Electric (Kona EV), is making a full-scale entry into the Singapore sharing economy market.

Hyundai Motor announced on the 16th that Grab, Southeast Asia's largest car hailing company, has launched a car hailing pilot service using the Kona EV.
This is the first ride-hailing service utilizing EVs in Southeast Asia.

Hyundai Motor supplied 20 Kona EVs to Grab for the launch of this service. Grab plans to purchase a total of 200 Kona EVs by the end of the year.

Grab has completed leasing all 20 Kona EVs to its affiliated drivers. Grab drivers rent the Kona EVs from Grab and generate revenue by providing ride-hailing services to local customers. Grab aims to create an initial boom by setting the daily rental fee at 80 Singapore dollars (approximately 66,000 won), which is not significantly different from the daily rental fee of a standard internal combustion engine vehicle.

The Kona EV's competitive driving range on a single charge makes it a vehicle optimized for local ride-hailing services. Although the average daily driving distance for Grab drivers is only 200 to 300 km, the Kona EV can travel over 400 km on a single charge, allowing them to provide service without worrying about charging. When using a fast charger, it can be charged to 80% within 30 minutes, saving time spent on charging.

The Kona EV, which emits zero exhaust gases, has the advantage of significantly reducing fuel costs compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, so it is expected to provide very high satisfaction for both drivers and passengers.

Singapore Power Group, a leading power supplier in Singapore, is also stepping in to help establish the ride-hailing service utilizing electric vehicles. Singapore Power has enabled Grab drivers to charge their vehicles at EV charging stations at a 30% discount.

Through this collaboration with Grab, Hyundai Motor plans to rapidly enter the Southeast Asian EV market and secure a head start, while simultaneously enhancing the customer experience for its EV models and further elevating its image as an innovative company.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors announced in November 2018 that they would make a strategic investment of a total of $250 million in Grab and plan to pursue new mobility projects utilizing EV models on Grab's business platform.

At the time, the scale of the investment was the largest ever made by Hyundai Motor Group in an external company, and Hyundai-Kia Motors made the decision after carefully reviewing Grab's future growth potential as well as the importance of the strategic partnership.

The three companies will closely analyze charging infrastructure, driving range, and driver and passenger satisfaction through pilot projects to assess the potential for expansion and business viability of EV vehicle call services. Afterwards, the plan is to expand the vehicle-hailing service using electric vehicles to major Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia.

The three companies also agreed to actively cooperate to develop EV models optimized for future mobility services.

Hyundai Motor announced that it plans to further solidify its image as an eco-friendly vehicle brand in Southeast Asia through the launch of a car-hailing service utilizing the Kona EV, and to further strengthen its position in Southeast Asia, which is rapidly emerging as an automotive market, by leveraging partnerships with influential local companies such as Grab.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor is continuing its efforts to transform into a smart mobility solution provider by collaborating with global car-sharing companies, such as India's Revv and the U.S. mobility service provider Migo, to establish a response system for the future mobility market.