Home Run

A legitimate electric car’s heading our way, and there’s plenty of reason to be upbeat about it.

- Raunak Ajinkya

Are you that guy? You’re particular about separating recyclable and non-recyclable waste, you scoff at the idea of using a plastic straw, you make mental notes to openly harass someone who just littered on a beach, and you just refuse to watch Animal Planet because at the rate we’re going, who knows when you’ll see one of those animals in real life, if ever? Let’s say you are. You do your bit to save the Earth, but you just can’t seem to piece one final, crucial element of the puzzle together: getting around.

I mean, sure. You did your bit. You tried, rather. You vehemently refused to get on to the bus that could seemingly kill a tonne of baby seals by simply driving past them with its big, dirty plumes of smoke. You objected to getting into that big SUV to get to work. ‘I’ll cycle, instead,’ you told yourself. But the sweat and grime and muck by the end of the 30 km ride just didn’t seem to impress your colleagues. Who’d have guessed...

You’re in a bit of a bind, then, aren’t you? Well, this should come as a relief. As you read this, Hyundai will have already launched the car you see on these pages. It’s said that on nights when the visibility is close to non-existent, polar bears and whales have reportedly been giving this car high-fives and bear hugs. I’ve gathered that nugget from the dark reaches of the dark web, though, and they’ve also been chattering on about how Zach Galifianakis is our true Lord and saviour, so it’s hard to glean what’s true and what isn’t.

What I can confirm, though, is that the Kona electric vehicle you see on these pages is destined to call for a serious round of changes in the Indian market. What’s even better is that, basis the drive I’ve recently had in it, I’m quite onboard with this development. I’ll explain why.