2019 vs 2020 Ultimate (Battery Warmer)

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by EVME, Mar 30, 2020.

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  1. EVME

    EVME New Member

    Would you buy a 2019 Ultimate (without a battery warmer/heater) or a 2020 Ultimate (with a battery warmer/heater), if you lived in a cold climate?

    We live in central Maine where the average low in January is 7F (-13.8C); and the low low's can dip below 0F (-17.8C) sometimes as far as -15F (-26.1C)

    Back in late October/early November we decided that the wife's next car would be a Kona electric. At that time we thought that the 2020s would start to really appear in December (that didn't really happen). So, we decided to wait.

    My wife loved the Blue exterior with the Pebble blue interior; her preference goes to the Blue or Red exterior or the Pebble Blue interior; she places a bigger value on exterior color than interior color.

    Fast forward to now and she is still driving her 12 year old Subaru and has announced she will not put one more cent into the car (it needs about 600 dollars in work ... at minimum).

    Obviously something has to be compromised so we could:

    A) dump some money into the old car and keep waiting for the perfect new car;
    B) get a red or blue with the black interior 2019 with the current 0% financing; or
    C) get a 2020 with Grey exterior and Pebble Blue interior with ~2% financing.

    (Note: buying from an out of state dealer, beyond what a local dealer can swap with, really isn't an option since Maine kicks in $2k if you buy from an instate dealer and COVID has squashed travel).

    So back to my original question; given our climate is getting the 2020 worth it, or should we just get the 2019 in a color my wife likes and be done with it?

    One final item, if it helps, her commute is 56 miles (round trip). The car will be kept in an unconditioned garage and connect to a juicebox 40 amp (already installed, I ordered a 32A and it was not until it was installed that I realized it was a 40A) and at work it will be left for 8-9 hours (occasionally up to 12) in an open parking lot; there *may* be an opportunity at times to connect to a 120v outlet by the groundskeeping building (but another EV already does that now). Once a week she has a 115 mile round trip to make and every ~3 months there is a 320 miles (usually overnight) trip. Our second car (mine) is a manual which she is not comfortable driving in cities or in inclimate weather, so swapping cars based on conditions is not an option (when we replace my car I also hope to convert to EV).

    Sorry for the long post; if I have left out any valuable information or you have any other insights please ask/let me know.
     
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  3. EVDog

    EVDog Member

    I’m in Central Mass, not quite the lows in winter as Maine. I’m also getting a Kona Electric. I’m getting a ‘20, not a ‘19, just for the battery warmer. On regular commute days it won’t really matter, but there will be times I’ll be happy I have it!


    Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
     
  4. SkookumPete

    SkookumPete Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Mar 31, 2020
  5. EVME

    EVME New Member

    Thanks for the link/info.

    After reading the post, I am less worried about DC fast charging since it it will be level 2 charging except on the occasional long distance trip (thought I wouldn't buy an EV without it). But I am more worried about:

    -15C (5F) is something we see as a low several times a year.

    Without feeling what reduced to 35 kW feels like I guess we should aim for the 2020. She simply wants a good car and likely will not put up with any compromises for the purpose of owning an EV. (She test drove 2 other EVs, 1 hybrid, and 5 gas cars and the Kona EV was her favorite).
     
  6. 35 Kw = 46 Hp which is pretty much turtle mode in a nearly 4000 pound car. Keep in mind the -15C temp trigger for the battery is battery pack temperature and not ambient temp. I get pretty severe temps where i live and honestly I have appreciated the battery warmer( outside of DC charging) being triggered only a few times this past winter. That said it sounds like you get decently cold winters and I personally would consider getting a Kona with the battery warmer even if its for rare DC charging. DC charging without the aid of battery warmer is brutally slow and consequentially much more expensive if typically charged by the minute in cold climates.
     
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  8. NRH

    NRH Active Member

    I'm in Coastal Downeast Maine and we bought a 2019 Kona in December (no battery warmer). We have not had problems with DCFC speeds, even in the winter, but we haven't had to do it on any sub-zero days. We only use DCFC on road trips anyways, and in the middle of a 70 mph highway drive, the battery is keeping itself pretty warm anyways. For our purposes, I'm happy we got the 2019 (cheaper, and lifetime battery warranty), but if we lived in interior maine, where it can be a lot colder, maybe that would tip the balance. I think it's going to be a pretty marginal difference for you though, and you should probably consider what color she wants, because it sounds like that's important, and she'll see it every day.
     
    SkookumPete likes this.
  9. This is exactly what you can expect DC charging at -9C with a battery warmer. In this example I was driving an average 68 mph for 1.5 hours before I stopped for a DC charge at 20% SOC and battery pack temp was at + 12C from the driving( that is as warm as its going to get at that ambient temp, at -20C ambient you will be lucky to get above 0C pack temp). I was hooked up to a 250 kW DC charger and pretty much started at 43 kWh and quickly increased to 56 kWh because of relative warm pack and battery heater. I topped out at 78 kWh after the pack temperature hit 25 degrees from the battery warmer after 26 minutes. It took 30 minutes to deliver 32.8 kW. If I did not have a battery warmer my peak charge would likely not exceed 43 kw/hr for most of the session and would have taken approximately 32% longer( i.e. 32% more expensive if charged by the minute) to get the same amount of charge at -9C without a warmer.

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