If you're just enjoying the car

Well, one thing about having a BEV, it encourages you to get out more, with all the free charging available. That is something we noticed after we got ours just over 2 years ago. Now we don't hesitate on a whim to go to a store on the other side of town, or out of town somewhere for a hike or sight seeing. Before, we were (or at least I was) always aware of the gasoline costs of a trip, even a short one (maybe unreasonably). So now we do drive more, and go places. You might find the same once you get an EV.

And oh, just to remember, ALL my EV driving so far has been free, haven't even charged at home yet. And with the new Petro-Canada fast chargers being free, that will make it even better on a trip.

 

Not only that, think of the huge R&D investments Hyundai and Kia (with the Niro) must have avoided having the ICE, Hybrid, and EV variants all on the same platform. Although it does appear most other manufacturers seem to be going the other route of having specific EV platforms.

But I also disagree a certain range is a prerequisite for a "real" electric car. So the Mini EV is a "fake" electric car? It's an absolute hoot to drive and I would buy one in a minute if it had the range the Kona EV does. I could live with the short range if I absolutely had to, but it's just too big a compromise for my needs right now. Sounds as if a new Mini EV with much more competitive range will be here in another 2 or 3 years.

Overall the number of available EV models is going to be growing exponentially, and we can expect longer ranges and lower battery costs. Sounds like nothing but a huge win for us consumers.

 

In Sudbury, if using PlugShare app there is only 2 free charging stations. We only have 1 Petro-Canada station with EV charging and the BMW dealership is free. I am located where blue dot on pic.

No stores in Sudbury area have free charging. The ChargePoint stations downtown Sudbury is indoor parking where you have to pay to park before considering charging cost.

Wish now I was in BC

Somehow I think BMW dealership would not welcome non BMW EV’s charging there


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I will change credit card to RBC when I do get an EV to access some free charging for the year , thanks RP for the info.

Dan

 

Yeah, I see the ones close to you (walking distance) are mostly level one free chargers. But I suspect the dealers will allow/welcome you to charge at their sites. They certainly do here where I live. They like you coming in to browse and chat about cars. On my last trip, even had a Chevy dealer move one of their lot cars (Bolt) out of the way, so I could charge my Kona. And there was a Hyundai dealership right across the street (no charger there, though).

But even a level 1 is OK, if you don't mind leaving it there for a while (eg overnight).

 

For level 1 charging can charge at apartment as I arranged to have the 1 parking spot next to AC outlet.

The Hyundai dealership here not friendly at all and told me only Hyundai EV’s can use their charging and you pay to park if over 2 hours. BMW dealership across the street from them did not have this condition.

Dan


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I am in the same boat as you. 8 months in and I am still thoroughly enjoying this car. It was exceptional during the winter, and I’m surprised how efficient it has been since the weather has warmed up.

Picture is after my commute to work one day, apologies that it’s in metric.

 

I just got back from my longest trip ever in my Kona electric -- just over 500 miles over 4 days traveling from San Francisco to Pinnacles National Park in central California, wandering around the park for a couple days and then returning home. The Kona was a complete joy in everything from city streets to highways to twisty mountain roads, and the instant acceleration got me out of trouble a couple times. I was able to stay at a motel that had EV charging on site (not free but still cheaper than gas and super convenient). This is far and away my favorite car of any I've ever owned.

 

Have a 2019, and love it. We've put about 25,000 miles on it. Great car!
When I've got a little more time I'll start a buyback claim, and I think most likely we'll replace it with another Kona. (Depends on whether the Ioniq 5 arrives in time, and how much it costs.)

 

I love my Kona and will be sorry to give it up. I read about the car in 2018 when I had a Ford C-Max Energi and had installed solar in 2017. It did not take long for me to realize that 15-25 miles of EV range was not enough for me, especially since EV driving was mostly "free" for me if I charge at home. So I was ready for this car almost a year before it was even available and once it was, I jumped on one asap.

In the 2+ years I've owned the Kona it has pretty much met, or usually, exceeded my expectations. I didn't realize just how fast and quick off the line it would be, that is a pleasant surprise every time I use it. The range has mostly exceeded expectations, the one time I was surprised was a cold weather trip through WV when I realized it was going to be too close to risk trying to make it to my planned stop, so I stopped for an hour just to charge level 2. Other than that I've had no issues with the range. My local dealer has been great, and all recalls were quick and easy. I do think if I were keeping the car I'd have to deal with the "card in the spokes" sound that others have reported and had fixed, but I'm not worried about it since Hyundai is buying the car back anyway, it's out of my hands.

My honest lone complaint is a small but very annoying one. If you use AA for maps, etc, then wireless charging is virtually worthless in this vehicle without wireless AA too, which of course the car does not have. I was very disappointed when I realized this shortly after buying the car. Wireless charging was a cool feature I definitely liked about the car, and then to realize I never actually could use it was very disappointing. C'est la vie.

 

Whats fun is to plug in at home where charging is free due to an 8KW grid-tied solar system on my roof. Or, to plug in for free at work where they have 31 level 2 charging stations for about 200 EVs driven by employees, which are underutilized due to work-from-home.

 

Love my 2020 Kona even with the battery issue. But charging to only 80% is not much of an issue as I still get 200 mile range and it takes me a week or more to get to the point of needing a charge at my home Level 2 charger. This is my 3rd EV and by far the longest range, which is such a plus. The BMW i3 was a joy to drive, but could not take it to the city as we live in rural NW California.

 

You have me beat, my solar is 6.35 kW, but I'm moving to Vegas soon and then... we'll talk

 

My best day so far has been 57KWh/day around the summer solstice; winter peaks at ~15kwh/day averaging at ~8kwh/day

 

Here are my first impressions...
http://simonberry.net/2021/06/why-the-hyundai-kona-electric-is-a-game-changer/

 

for the buyback claim....have you received info from hyundai about buyback or is this something you need to initiate on your own?

 

This is a "happy" thread, there are plenty of others for that stuff!

 

Totally agree. Am very happy despite successful battery replacement and it actually led to getting a second rather than keeping ICE for long distance. There are other threads for annoyed folks dealing with “Sedgewick” whatever but not here.
Happy motoring ev drivers!


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