My New 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric SEL - New User Questions

I picked up my new 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric SEL on January 3, 2024 at the Santa Clara, CA Stevens Creek Hyundai (DGDG) Dealership. Other than getting a flat tire a few days later, I've been impressed with the ride and features on this new car, but I have a few questions about how this car operates:

• 1. The Portable EVSE supplied with my Kona seems to be stuck at delivering no more than 6A of power. Why?
  Note: I charged two different EV's with it using two different 120v outlets and could only get 6A (720W) of power out of this EVSE.
  I followed instructions in the owners manual on pg 1-34. When you try to select a higher current, it always goes back to delivering only 6A.
  
  
  
• 2. What is the meaning of the orange light that lights up (when the car is not in drive) in the middle of the dash?
  I suspect this is the indicator for the 12v Battery Saver+ mentioned on page 1-56 in the owner's manual. When does it come on? is it an issue?
  
  
• 3. Observation: When using the mechanical key on the driver's door, turning the key Clockwise LOCKS the door, CCW UNLOCKS - this is the opposite of what the Owner's manual says on page 5-22.
  
  
• 4. Over The Air (OTA) Infotainment software updates are available only for HYUNDAI Connected Services users from Pg 5-65 in the owner's manual. Does this include BlueLink users? Are OTA updates pushed out to the car, or do users have to initiate/request/download them? The BlueLink Service Registration Summary indicates that Maps & Multimedia Over the Air Updates are Free for 36 months. What happens after that?
  
  
• 5. V2L - Vehicle to Load - Is this feature available on the 2024 Kona Electric SEL?
  The Owner's manual pg 1-46 shows a menu item "Electricity Use Settings (V2L)" that doesn't appear on this menu in my SEL, so I suspect this SEL model cannot use V2L? Please confirm.
  
  
• 6. Page 1-37 of the owner's manual refers to a [Plug/Lightning icon] button one can press after pressing the door lock or unlock button to stop AC or DC charging. Where is this button located? I don't see this icon on the Smart Key and I don't find it inside the car. I found it - it is just below the charge level LEDs on the charge port. Is my understanding that to release the charging connector from the charge port before the charging has stopped you should try: 1. press the unlock button (on the keyfob or door handle) 2. Press lock or unlock on key fob and within 15 seconds, press the button below the charging LEDs for more than 2 seconds. 3. Open the hood and pull the port unlock release cable. Is my understanding correct ?
  
  
• 7. Can a Smart Phone (or NFC Card Key) be used as a Digital Smart Key on the Kona SEL? According to pg 5-13, it looks like you need the car to have the Wireless Authentication/Charging Pad which is not available on this model.
  
  
• 8. Does the 2024 Kona SEL have the Theft-Alarm System? I don't see the WARNING SECURITY SYSTEM triangle sign anywhere on my car.
  
• 9. Regenerative Braking: After reading the Manual pg 6-14 thru 6-21, my understanding is that the 2024 Kona Electric has multiple modes of Regen Braking: One Pedal Driving is operated by using the Left Paddle to control braking, vs iPedal mode which is selected by using the Left Paddle beyond Level 3 and sets the car to drive using just the accelerator. Finally, there is a "Smart Regeneration" Mode which is selected or deselected by holding the Right Paddle for over 1 second and adjusts regen braking based on recognizing vehicle to vehicle distance using the front Radar sensor. Question: Is "Smart Regeneration" the most efficient mode? (does it provide the best driving range?)
  
  
• 10. According the manual starting on pg 6-25, the Electronic Parking Brake should be set manually after the car has come to a full stop while depressing the brake pedal. The manual says that when the car is subsequently put in 'Park' using the shifter, the EPB is set automatically. Why, then, does the manual include instructions (pg 6-27) to set the EPB after shifting into Park? It also looks like the EPB is released automatically when the car is shifted in to Drive or Reverse. So, when does the driver need to set or release the EPB? It shouldn't be set while the car is moving. The manual states that one shouldn't drive with the EPB applied. Is this even possible? What are situations which require manually operating the Electronic Parking Brake?
  
  
• 11. Drive Modes: According to the owner's manual (pg 6-37) The Drive mode resets to NORMAL when the vehicle is re-started. That is not what I found. If I put the car in ECO mode and park it and shut it off, it is still
  in ECO mode when I restart it.
  Sorry for the long post. Answers/comments about any of the above are appreciated.

 

Thank You for your comments. I did set the AC current settings on the portable EVSE by pressing the button until it displayed "12" but it doesn't stick and reverts back to "6" immediately. There are no instructions on the EVSE itself and I followed the steps in the owners manual. Hopefully, someone else on this forum will have tried the same EVSE and have some feedback.

 

Yes, I have tried both setting the current BEFORE plugging in and AFTER - It makes no difference. It is definitely something to do with the portable EVSE Hyundai provided with the Kona. When I tried using my Nissan Portable EVSE, the Kona charges at the maximum current available (12A). No instructions came with the Hyundai EVSE . The instructions in the Kona's Owner's Manual (pg 1-34) tell the user to plug the portable charge into a (preferably unshared) 120v (15A minimum - I tried both a 15A and a 20A circuit) and then plug the charging connector to the AC charging Port. You can, optionally reduce the current setting before hand by holding the button on the control box for more than 2 seconds until the number on the charging current indicator blinks. If I don't press the button, it charges at 6A, if I press the button and select any other current setting (8A, 10A, or 12A) it charges at 6A. It is frustrating.

 

Good News, I managed to correct the issue with my Hyundai portable EVSE charging at the lowest current setting (6A). I found instructions on another forum. Apparently, selecting the charging current on the portable EVSE is a bit more complicated than what is found in the owner's manual. Whichever current setting was selected prior to disconnecting the EVSE from power, will stick the next time the device is plugged in. To change the default setting from 6A to 12A, you must hold the button down for > 2 seconds until the current indicator blinks slowly, then press the button briefly to select the next current setting, so 06-->08-->10-->12. Next, while the indicator is slowly blinking 12, you hold the button down until the 12 on the display blinks rapidly, then press the button once more to set it. The current indicator should then display 12 (not blinking). Now you can plug the charging connector to the AC charging port on the car and it charges at 12A. The portable EVSE remembers the last current setting when it is plugged in again.