My new Kona Electric and my first impressions

E-Shark said:
It's pretty windy today, how did it hold up in the wind?
Pilots are so demanding!! lol jk. I've seen a lot more Tesla's in our parking lot, must be all the B777 pilots ;)
It's hard to get a vehicle fully right for everyone, but I do agree if a vehicle is supposed to be an Ultimate trim and technologically advanced, it should have those simple items mentioned.[/QUOTE

We were out in mega gusts last night and the Kona didn't have any pushing around from the gusts. Nice and solid on the road, and we went down a couple of roads that were real wind tunnels with small tree branches flying around. Our Michelin CrossClimate tires are feeling safe compared to our C-Max Energi PHEV without them.
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zoominbc said:
Here's the link to the BC Scrap-it program with a number of Kona's listed as available.
When I checked there were 17 available.
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I'm not sure they're actually all available. Mine wasn't listed as reserved, it was showing as available when I did my claim, and I'd pre-ordered it back in July. I think the dealer just didn't mark them properly. It's showing 2 available in Vernon but the dealer's website doesn't list any.
 
Wildeyed said:
So am I the only person on here still without a vehicle? I can't keep track anymore.
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No, unfortunately. There's a member in Nanaimo that still doesn't have his, and he ordered on July 17. My friend got a call from our dealer on Friday with news that he can now pre-order the Prefered trim, and this is only one week from him telling me that they would not be able to order that trim until the end of the year. What is going on with Hyundai Canada? They really have problem with customer relations.
 
KonaTom said:
No, unfortunately. There's a member in Nanaimo that still doesn't have his, and he ordered on July 17. My friend got a call from our dealer on Friday with news that he can now pre-order the Prefered trim, and this is only one week from him telling me that they would not be able to order that trim until the end of the year. What is going on with Hyundai Canada? They really have problem with customer relations.
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Good to know I'm not totally alone. I'd be doubly annoyed if I were in BC given proximity to port but I'm starting to get angry about the increasing number of cars on lots in Ontario and Quebec.
 
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zoominbc said:
Here's the link to the BC Scrap-it program with a number of Kona's listed as available.
When I checked there were 17 available.
Click to expand...

Yeah they definitely all aren't available,
Wildeyed said:
Good to know I'm not totally alone. I'd be doubly annoyed if I were in BC given proximity to port but I'm starting to get angry about the increasing number of cars on lots in Ontario and Quebec.
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Only 11 more days my friend! Hopefully you don't get one made in August though :(.
You still have a chance for Valentines!!
Want me to call your dealer and see if they have any others for sale? ;)
 
E-Shark said:
Yeah they definitely all aren't available,


Only 11 more days my friend! Hopefully you don't get one made in August though :(.
You still have a chance for Valentines!!
Want me to call your dealer and see if they have any others for sale? ;)
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I'm actually not sure why the August build date matters much. It's a car not a banana. Other than feeling screwed by the delay, that is.
 
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I'm so jealous. I want one so bad. I wonder when we here in the US get a chance to order ... [emoji849]

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
 
Two weeks in

There hasn't been a lot of driving this week with the snow and cold. I did take Kona on an errand today and the car seemed confident on packed snow. On the looser stuff, the ability to switch off traction control with a button is brilliant. With the Prius you had to search the internet to find the combination of pedals, buttons, stalks, and eye of newt necessary to override the car's refusal to move the drive wheels.

I've started using smart regeneration (aka auto recuperation), and so far I like it for tooling around town. It fits with my style of driving and I scarcely need to touch the paddles, or the brakes for that matter.

The heat pump is doing a fine job, though admittedly we're not talking real Canadian winter here on the coast. The driver-only climate option combined with a heated seat seem to make for economical comfort. The defrosters are very quick.

I haven't got around to calibrating the compass in the mirror, which uses a magnet. I've read that magnetic north is wandering all over the place these days, so maybe the effort would be wasted. Especially when GPS has that covered. ;-)
 
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SkookumPete said:
Two weeks in

There hasn't been a lot of driving this week with the snow and cold. I did take Kona on an errand today and the car seemed confident on packed snow. On the looser stuff, the ability to switch off traction control with a button is brilliant. With the Prius you had to search the internet to find the combination of pedals, buttons, stalks, and eye of newt necessary to override the car's refusal to move the drive wheels.

I've started using smart regeneration (aka auto recuperation), and so far I like it for tooling around town. It fits with my style of driving and I scarcely need to touch the paddles, or the brakes for that matter.

The heat pump is doing a fine job, though admittedly we're not talking real Canadian winter here on the coast. The driver-only climate option combined with a heated seat seem to make for economical comfort. The defrosters are very quick.

I haven't got around to calibrating the compass in the mirror, which uses a magnet. I've read that magnetic north is wandering all over the place these days, so maybe the effort would be wasted. Especially when GPS has that covered. ;-)
Click to expand...

Are you using the Nexen tires that came with the Kona? If so, I was curious to know how they would be in this recent weather. We had over 30 centimeters of powder snow last night and looks like we will get at least the same tonight. We are happy with our Michelin CrossClimate all weather tires. I am a smart regeneration fan too. Usually like regen level 1 or 2. I'm still getting the hang of everything. Didn't know we were suppose to calibrate the compass in the mirror. I will have to read about that.
 
Hey all!
I know some of you were waiting in anticipation for me to receive my “premium all weather floor mats” from Hyundai. I got them for cheaper than retail as part of my “deal” - still paid $500 tax in for fronts, rear and cargo tray. First impressions are really good. They’re excellent quality. Sturdy and clearly water resistant. The underlying material is some sort of almost Velcro-like material. They do not budge at all!

Coverage is great. The driver mat covers the whole deadpedal and under the brake and ...gas? Pedal lol.

The rear is one piece and it coveres everything. The lip isn’t quite as high in the rear as it is in the front, but still offers a ton of protection. They seem better built than the weather tech mats which I’ve had in all my past vehicles. The weather tech don’t look very nice, especially in summer. They also tend to warp after a couple of years and look ratty. Granted they have a lifetime warranty which I presume these do not. Only time will tell how these hold up! Here are some photos. Forgot to take one of the cargo tray. I’ll do that when it’s less cold and icy.
 

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I’ve been trying to work out the optimal charge range of the Kona EV that will increase the number of charge cycles and therefore prolong the life of the battery. I’ve found various sites that seem to agree the best range is short charges between 20-80%. Also avoid always topping up to 100% and using too many rapid charging (level 3).

If you have a few minutes this article does a really nice job at trying to figure out the mystery. It all comes down to how much reserve Hyundai is buffering at both extremes. They may be already “virtually” saving the battery for us - but this information is not made public.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/08/26/the-secret-life-of-an-ev-battery/
 
Brennan Raposo said:
Hey all!
I know some of you were waiting in anticipation for me to receive my “premium all weather floor mats” from Hyundai. I got them for cheaper than retail as part of my “deal” - still paid $500 tax in for fronts, rear and cargo tray. First impressions are really good. They’re excellent quality. Sturdy and clearly water resistant. The underlying material is some sort of almost Velcro-like material. They do not budge at all!

Coverage is great. The driver mat covers the whole deadpedal and under the brake and ...gas? Pedal lol.

The rear is one piece and it coveres everything. The lip isn’t quite as high in the rear as it is in the front, but still offers a ton of protection. They seem better built than the weather tech mats which I’ve had in all my past vehicles. The weather tech don’t look very nice, especially in summer. They also tend to warp after a couple of years and look ratty. Granted they have a lifetime warranty which I presume these do not. Only time will tell how these hold up! Here are some photos. Forgot to take one of the cargo tray. I’ll do that when it’s less cold and icy.
Click to expand...

They look very good. I would love a nice blue for my car. There seems to be no manufacturer making other than grey and black for good quality mats.
 
Mdsweb said:
I’ve been trying to work out the optimal charge range of the Kona EV that will increase the number of charge cycles and therefore prolong the life of the battery. I’ve found various sites that seem to agree the best range is short charges between 20-80%. Also avoid always topping up to 100% and using too many rapid charging (level 3).

If you have a few minutes this article does a really nice job at trying to figure out the mystery. It all comes down to how much reserve Hyundai is buffering at both extremes. They may be already “virtually” saving the battery for us - but this information is not made public.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/08/26/the-secret-life-of-an-ev-battery/
Click to expand...

I’m only 3 weeks into owning my Kona and so far, I haven’t done any official research. It’s pretty commonplace info to know not to charge to 100% frequently.

I’ve currently set my max charge to 90% for winter driving and plan to tone that down to 90% in summer. I charge level 2 at least 5 days a week at work and one weekend day I’ll charge level 3 at a local IKEA that’s down the street from me.

This, aside from the weekend charging, is what my “Tesla Model 3” colleagues at work do and have advised that I do.
They all have level two at home, which I don’t yet have. I wonder if my once weekly level 3 visit is doing harm?
 
Brennan Raposo said:
I’m only 3 weeks into owning my Kona and so far, I haven’t done any official research. It’s pretty commonplace info to know not to charge to 100% frequently.

I’ve currently set my max charge to 90% for winter driving and plan to tone that down to 90% in summer. I charge level 2 at least 5 days a week at work and one weekend day I’ll charge level 3 at a local IKEA that’s down the street from me.

This, aside from the weekend charging, is what my “Tesla Model 3” colleagues at work do and have advised that I do.
They all have level two at home, which I don’t yet have. I wonder if my once weekly level 3 visit is doing harm?
Click to expand...
The batteries in your Kona should be relatively robust. Maybe if you were DC fast charging multiple times a day you "might" see premature wear. Once a week should be fine. If you're really worried about it, just charge to 80 or 90%.
 
Domenick said:
The batteries in your Kona should be relatively robust. Maybe if you were DC fast charging multiple times a day you "might" see premature wear. Once a week should be fine. If you're really worried about it, just charge to 80 or 90%.
Click to expand...

Thanks Domenick and Brennan, it does look like it makes sense to stick around 80-90%. Currently I’m using turtle power level 1 until I move into my new home - for now I’m topping up overnight anywhere from 70-80 back to 90%.

Although if Hyundai has designed the BMS to actually prevent us from ever charging to 100% real chemical charge, by buffering the top end by 10-20% it would be nice if they made this public so we would feel safe reaching their “virtual” 100% state.

Just a thought...
 
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