So I live in Long Island New York and during winter it can get pretty cold. 20F to 30s and sometimes hitting the teens. I’ve been stuck on which I need. I was going to go for the 2019 Kona because it had the lifetime battery warranty but when I heard the 2020 model was coming out with a battery warmer and a winter mode it kind made me think to wait. But I also hear the 2020 will only have a 10 year battery warranty instead of the lifetime. so I’m kind of in a jam of what I should go with. either the 2019 with the lifetime battery warranty WITHOUT a battery warmer and winter mode OR The 2020 with a battery warmer and winter mode but no lifetime battery warranty what would you guys go for?
Unless you plan to drive substantially more than 10,000 miles per year seriously consider leasing. At the end of 3 years you trade in for the latest technology and a new car. I found the financial guy at the Hyundai dealership very informative.
Easy, if I had the patience to wait, the 2020 all day long. And if I was going to wait, then I'd cross-shop whatever else might be on the market at that time as well. For now, the Kona is the belle of the ball, IMHO. Good luck!
I would go for the 2020 to be able to access the better usable and improved features right now vs a possible but unlikely battery claim in the future. Plus there is some indication that some of the early 2019 model concerns around motor/gearbox noise may have been addressed with revised parts in 2020 models.
thanks for the input but I was really looking to purchase outright that’s why I’m asking. I really don’t want a monthly bill from a lease you know? thanks so much for the info. I’m leaning towards the 2020 as well. Was just worried a bit about the battery degradation
If its any encouragement the Chev Bolt LG built battery's chemistry is probably very much akin to ours and there are Bolts out in the wild in excess of 130,000 miles. https://www.voltstats.net/BoltEV
Depends on your use. For me, it is a no brainer as I drive over 30k miles per year and would be out of warranty in about 3 years... I usually reach 100k miles after around 3 years of ownership. I'm also planning on keeping the Kona in my name indefinitely. My daughter is now 7 and when she turns 16, I will likely give her the car for her use.. Will see what technology will be available by then for my next car.. planning on putting at least 250k miles on the Kona in the next 9 years..
Apu, can you link to the article where you saw the changes including upgrades to transmissions? Those of us who have early adopted the 2019 are always interested to read about these articles. Thanks
I have no articles to provide, rather its anecdotal information from Kia speakEV forum https://www.speakev.com/threads/braking-regen-noise.138230/page-12 where owners are report things like their replacement "motor had a thicker flange where it bolts to the reduction gear box. The bolts needed to be longer to accommodate it. He said(service manager) this is to stop any flexing between the two. They only replaced the motor, the gearbox is the original". There have been similar reports on this forum and other sites like dutch forum https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_message/60145990#60145990 indicating the replacement motor was different. I have not heard of any upgrades to the gear reduction assembly. Its clear Hyundai/Kia have a problem, I am fairly confident they know about it and I suspect they have already taken steps to mitigate.
Thanks for that update. I have referenced this to the clunking vibration thread where it is more applicable, as I am experiencing the same intermittent " card in the spoke rattle" as are several others including blakehaas who has received his car back from repair and reports the noise is still there after gear box replacement.
I've had my Kona Electric for 3 months now, and have 7,000 miles on it. Though we have not had any crazy snow storms in Buffalo this November (so far) we have has s few inches of snow and unseasonably cold temps. I have a type 2 charger in my garage, but have has the car outside as I've had other projects taking up space in the garage. Having a battery warmer was not something that was top-of-mind when I bought the Kona. But with cold weather here for the next 4 months, I am wondering just how much of a benefit a warmer could be. I do not drive the Kona similar miles every day. One day could be a 220 mile round trip, the next day can be 20 miles. I never know day-to-day. So having the fullest possible range is often critical for me. Turning on the heater, and with snow tires now on the car, range reduces from 258 to 180-210. I am wondering if having the battery warm when charging and the car simply sitting in the cold would help increase range? I kept my last car (a Prius) 7 years and 252,000 miles. Having a lifetime warranty on the battery pack is nice insurance if I hold onto the Kona that long. But possibly not having the range needed in cold weather could be a big drawback - I'm just not sure how much range loss a cold battery can cause. If chose the Kona, like me, because you need the 220+ mile range to make it practical, do some homework about range loss due to a cold. If you know you will rarely ever need 220+ miles of range per day, the a battery warmer probably is of little or no benefit to you.
In my experience the battery heater accelerates the onset of higher charge rates while DC charging, and that applies anytime under a very mild 15°C. The battery takes quite a while to warm up on its own, so this can be a time saver while on the road, or when DC charging before a trip.
