Hyundai's Kona Electric is ready to hit the road

You'll barely notice the lack of engine noise over all your oohs and ahhs.

Hyundai likely isn't the first automaker that springs to mind when talking about electric vehicles, but maybe it should be. While industry stalwarts like Ford and startups like Tesla dominate the conversation around the future of the EV market, Hyundai is out here quietly developing a a crossover SUV that can travel farther on a single charge -- 258 miles, to be precise -- than any other electric vehicle on the market (that isn't presently built by Elon Musk).

The Kona Electric (or Kona EV, in Hyundai's marketing shorthand) is, unsurprisingly, based on the existing Hyundai Kona gas-powered platform, which we were also very impressed with. The exterior stylings are virtually identical, with the EV just 0.6-inches longer and 0.2 inches taller. The two models also share the same trio of trim packages. You've got the base SEL, then Limited and Ultimate. The Kona EV will be available in six colors, two of which are exclusive to the electric model. The vehicle was designed, as Chris Chapman, Senior Chief Designer at the Hyundai Design Center explained, with the motifs of circuitry and flow in mind.