It turns out I misuderstood the dealer, the car that is coming to me on August 25th is not a 2022, but a 2023. Does anyone know if there are any differences between the 2022 and 2023 model years for the Canadian market (mine is the Preferred trim) Here is the 2022 Canadian site to show what the differences were between the trim levels in the 2022 year https://www.hyundaicanada.com/en/showroom/2022/kona-electric/trims
I found this dealer website in Victoria, British Columbia https://www.victoriahyundai.com/new/details/2023-Hyundai-Kona_Electric.html It shows a Nav System in the Preferred now (which the 2022 did not have)
Sorry to keep replying to my own thread IF they are doing the same mods as they did in the 2023 Kia Niro EV then it will have a slightly larger battery capacity 64.8KW and the dash like the Iconiq 5 Here is a video of a guy reviewing all models of the 2023 Kia Niro and in it he mentions 64.8KW battery and at the time stamp it shows the new dash (the old Kia Niro EV dash was similar to the 2022 Kona EV)
As best as I can see from following the release of the 2023 Niro EV and attempting to track down info on how that might relate to a revised Kona, it seems from what I've read that Hyundai are staying with the current Kona design for 2023 and won't bring in the major changes until the 2024 model year.
I would anticipate a move toward uniform body panels with distinct interior differences to distinguish the brands. If one production line can service both, tooling changes slow output. There's a plant in the Czech Republic making both.
Some markets had rear seat heating for the ultimate trim level. Our 2021 does NOT have this feature. The marketing dept at work...
I'm glad they addressed the possible lower motor torque specification since in one of their earlier 2023 Niro EV articles it was suggested to be an error. I fully expect Hyundai to align with Kia in this respect; it would be out of character if they didn't. And being a blanket motor derating rather than just one implemented outside of the 'Sport' driving mode, I'm somewhat confident that the goal is simply to reduce gearbox warranty claims.
Logically speaking it would be prudent for Hyundai to implement a software revision to apply a lower motor torque on existing cars in the form of a TSB when replacing gearbox/motor related issues under the existing TSB to start, and in a broader aspect as well. Only a reduction in torque can reduce the majority of the drivetrain problems encountered over the past 4 years without a reduction gearbox re-design which is not going to happen. Owners can control the amount of starting torque obviously with easier acceleration, but higher regen levels will also contribute to the issue, sometimes that cannot be controlled particularly when using "smart regeneration" or smart recuperation as sometimes described or even with heavy application braking characteristics in part due to the weight of the vehicle. I can live with less torque in exchange for a lifetime drivetrain rating that we all expect will last 10 years minimum, but getting a large corporation to admit they kind of overdesigned the motor with respect to the gears that transfer that energy to the axles is a long shot to say the least. Worse part... its only taken 5 model years to figure this out
Just to clarify ... by 2023 model I mean the North American model years. Our 2023s release this month (for the Kona) but it is NOT the new redesign that is seen in the article above.