New Generation Kona EV

I just learned today that the Australian specification Kona Electric, now being delivered, comes with a spacesaver spare!

 

I saw that! Does Australia have particularly bad roads? I'd guess it's yet another regional adjustment. I assume there's a reason.

 

If I recall I think back in 2019 it's mandatory to have a spare in Australia. I'm getting My new Kona tomorrow I hope my spare from my 2019 fits in the hole

 

I couldn't find any proof that a spare or run-flats are required in any Australian state, despite that not having such backup when venturing into the 'outback' is pure madness. There's one site that says it's required in NSW but the government link provided doesn't actually indicate that. Several sites comment that only 3% of car sold in Oz have a full-sized spare, noting that the gist of many discussions is whether a spacesaver or run-flat option is even sufficient given the distances.

Here in NZ I'm more concerned about the lack of cell service outside of towns and cities, nevermind the cost and inconvenience of trying to get reliable and competent assistance. Leaving a car disabled on the side of the road in a remote area is not a good idea.

Have you seen the TV show "Outback Truckers"? According to stats I'm seeing, about 60% of Aussie roads by km are unsealed. Those would be primarily in remote areas of course.

 

Hmmm, we will be visiting NZ in Feb and plan to do a lot of road tripping incl the remote South Island parts. We were thinking of getting a NZ Sim card for our phones. But maybe that really isn't worth it. My understanding is most of the town and tourist info centres have free wifi. Is that true?

And what is the concern about having to leave a car on the side of the road in a remote area? I didn't think there was much crime there.

 

The South Island is far less populated than the north and has less cell coverage. I’d always get a sim anyway because it’s more convenient than scrounging for WiFi in small towns and a minor cost in the big picture. Check to see which provider has the best coverage, if I recall it’s 2-degrees.
In the N island you just need to be careful about leaving stuff visible when leaving the car at some less-busy tourist spots.

 

Do the NZ carriers not share their networks with competitors, making coverage the same for everyone?

Yeah, leaving stuff in the car when stopping for a hike is always a concern when road tripping.

 

Pretty sure not widely as in Europe's GSM. I think it was much the same as the US, the government auctioned off use of radio spectrum and looked the other way, so it took a while to shake out the winning technology. Everyone is now using 3G-5G but not sure how much actual network sharing goes on.

Vodafone is now called 'One' here. The other two are Spark and 2degrees.

https://www.nperf.com/en/map/NZ/-/164191.Vodafone-Mobile/signal/
https://www.canstarblue.co.nz/phone-internet/best-mobile-coverage/

 

Thanks, good info. But sounds like indeed the carriers don't share their networks. In Canada, all networks are shared, and I believe the US as well.

 

Well, it's official (for my '24 Kona anyway): when my car charges on scheduled charging it hits the programmed benchmark but then, in subsequent days, DOES NOT top itself up to maintain the benchmark. It drifts downward by 2,3,4% and doesn't show any signs of topping itself back up. This is very annoying and does not reflect the behaviour of my '19 which dutifully maintained itself. I'm curious if any other '24 owners have experienced this? I'd really like to see a BMS update to correct it. I use the car so I can't leave it long enough to see if it just keeps dropping but I can't help but think if I left it inactive long enough (as I did during COVID lockdown, for example) it might just keep right on draining itself.

 

Just curious, your new Kona won't top up even if you set the benchmark to 100%?

 

… or with the provided portable charger.

 

My MY19 has been left for up to 5-6 weeks and only drained 1%. 2-4% in a few days sounds like a current drain. Check all doors, hood etc and look for warnings on the dash.
If it is not topping up according to your schedule, then perhaps your settings aren't doing what you think they are..

 

Well I got my Ultimate the other day two tone red. I traded my 2019 Kona in. The car rides a lot nicer it's firm The seats are more comfortable. I like all the camera setup especially for parallel parking you can see the curb now. I don't like the center council I will just have to get used to it. I Charged it to 100% and got 425 kms at 8 degrees out. This is my 3rd electric so I don't get all that excited about it. The frunk is nice it could work great as a cooler for about a dozen beer or pop. The trunk is bigger and the space below the trunk floor holds my spare from my 2019 Kona That a big improvement to me. Controls are different so that will be a learning curve. So I paid $23,000.00 with floor mats, trunk mat, mud flaps and wheel locks. I did ok

 

Congratulations. I'm sure you'll enj

Congratulations. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Let me know if you notice any charging anomalies. Once again yesterday I depleted my battery during the day and my scheduled charging in the evening to 80% ended up at 79%.

 

If you are using the car scheduling, it is normal for an 80% charge to finish at 79% on the dash display - my MY19 has always done that. If you use Torque Pro or equivalent apps, they will display 79.5%.

 

I use Bluelink to monitor my car. In my '19 Kona 80% charge was always 80% and it maintained 80% forever while plugged in. My new '24 may or may not report a full charge at the completion of a scheduled cycle and slowly drops over 2 or 3 days 79, 78, 77 etc. and does NOT top up despite being plugged in and despite charging being scheduled for ever evening. Again, my old one ALWAYS topped itself off daily.

By the way, the dash display of range is the same as that on Bluelink.

 

If it does not top up, that can be because it is already fully topped up, and the Bluelink reporting is faulty, which is not unusual, and reported by many owners.
You need to exclude that possibility by testing with Torque Pro or similar..