Strange charging schedule behavior?

[dndrich]

This is just a difference in design philosophy, not a fatal flaw nor a problem. The Kona will normally jump from 97% to 100% if no balancing is required, then switch off immediately upon reaching 100. 14 months later mine has never done the 'balancing act.'

Right. I am not concerned about it, but there is really no documentation, and the videos from Hyundai imply behavior more like the Bolt. Now that I know what it does, no problem. It still will do exactly what I need.

 

[KiwiME]

I haven't seen the video in question but can certainly imagine the void that exists between a marketing team and the engineering staff, having been an engineer for decades. Having said that, I appreciate that there are dozens if not hundreds of minor design imperfections in the Kona EV. It's been clear to me as I get to know the car (14 months now) that design schedule and cost far overruled design refinement. As my work colleagues in the UK said of Rolls Royce, "the triumph of craftsmanship over engineering".

 

[dndrich]

Oh sure. Same thing with the Bolt. The head unit was very buggy. Sometimes the keyless start would not start and the alarm would go off. Lots of other nonsense. Flaky Bluetooth. These cars are in their infancy, and the companies will have to learn. I was impressed that Chevy could build the Bolt as basically a totally new design and pull it off as well as they did. Similar situation here. Kona is a multi-platform design for gas and EV, and they have really done a nice job despite some shortcomings. They've been building gas burners for decades, so we are the early adopters basically. I drove a Leaf for 3 years too, and it really had its quirks. Its main problem was the limited range.

 

[Mattsburgh]

Maybe a difference of opinion, but I would rather the car have a higher chance of being fully charged than waiting until the last possible moment to charge. Let's say there was a power outage, or some other issue where not as much power or time was available, I'd be irritated. I can't honestly think of a benefit to the delayed start, after reading this thread. Did the Bolt check the power delivery rate of the charger when it first gets plugged in so it knows how long it needs? Do you have to manually program in your charger power?

This was my thought as well. I would prefer the car just charge and be full sooner rather than later.

 

[KiwiME]

In the Bolt's favor this policy would minimise the cumulative time the battery sits at a higher charge level. It would be good it were switchable, similar to the feature in the current iPhone iOS13 that does much the same thing.

Did the Bolt check the power delivery rate of the charger when it first gets plugged in so it knows how long it needs? Do you have to manually program in your charger power?

As I mentioned before, the offered charging current is available for the car's assessment whenever a charger is plugged in and waiting. This is normal for the J1772 protocol.

 

[dndrich]

Agreed. The Bolt method is a superior method. And, it was perfect for me during my 3 years of leasing it. Didn't hiccup once.