I've had my Kona EV 64kWh for over two years now and have done over 25,000km (even with almost 7 months of working from home last year)!
I've done lots of trips around the North Island between Auckland and Wellington ... all drives have been great.
I've also done one drive (in 2021) with 100% charge all the way from Napier to Auckland (413km home to home, according to google maps) with aircon on and entertainment system running and driving as fast (legally) and normally as I wanted. I hit TURTLE MODE (for the first time) when I turned in to my street ... which means I had 30km or so of range left! I was impressed AND pleased :-)
BUT .... any other owners on here will have received this email from Hyundai NZ:
As an EV owner, you may be aware of the recent global news that Hyundai Motor Company has decided to voluntarily recall certain Kona Electric and IONIQ Electric vehicles for full battery replacements.
We would like to reassure you that your safety is paramount to us. We are working hard with Hyundai Motor Company to determine affected vehicles in New Zealand, and to gather as much information as possible about this recall.
What we do know is that the decision for this recall reflects findings from an investigation which revealed the possibility of short circuits in certain defective battery cells produced in LG Energy Solution’s Nanjing plant which could lead to a fire.
We understand and acknowledge that this news may be distressing. Whilst there have been a handful of fires recorded globally, there have been no fires in New Zealand related to this issue and no accidents or injuries.
I am interested in the thoughts of other owners ... the replacement of our battteries is going to take a LONG TIME, yes? First, they have to be made (which therefore stops new Kona EVs being manufactured). THEN they have to be shipped all around the world ... and NZ is not going to be a priority, I reckon? AND, shipping around the world is in chaos, thanks to Covid.
This coiuld be a LOOOONNNNGGGG process, I reckon?
Family members who live 215km from us have one. They typically fully charge before coming to visit, and turn up with 48-54% battery remaining (lower end of the scale for when they have done an additional 15km odd running to pick a person up on the way out of town). Amazing amount of range compared to our tired Nissan leaf.
They are at 22,000km.
Regarding the (probable) recall, its 76,000 battery pack's I think, so it's not going to be a fast process to replace them all.
[edit] - Should note that assuming the recall happens, it is actually sweet for the owners. All EV batteries degrade over time (I guess 2% a year?), so for somebody having their 2018 kona pack replaced later this year they will restart the clock on degradation.
Are there any other EV vehicle manufacturers using these same LG cells?
The Chevy Bolt would be the most common example sharing the same cells.
gzt: I'm not an owner. Does the safety issue occur in relation to charging or randomly?
Should note this issue is very rare. Under 15 occurrences in over 76,000 packs.
At the first recall it was thought to be an issue when charging at high states of charge. The recall had a software fix to essentially stop charging at 80%, and balance the pack, and to take steps to ensure it stays in balance from there. If any parameters were out of acceptable range the car would need to have it's pack replaced.
Subsequently a defect with the cells themselves has been identified. Unsure of when the risk time for failure of this is.
KiwiME: I would expect the recall to take 6 months to a year to complete. I would not be surprised if we were advised to limit our maximum charge level to 90% until then, TBD. I’m only up to 17,000 km on mine, didn’t drive much till now because I needed cataract surgery, now done, so that will pick up. At least it appears Hyundai are standing behind their product and that’s appreciated.
Yep, it is good Hyundai are doing the right thing in replacing all batteries (including on Ioniq's)... I guess it would have looked VERY bad if they hadn't, considering they are going ahead with pushing the EV side of their business hard.
justin5: I've had my Kona EV 64kWh for over two years now and have done over 25,000km (even with almost 7 months of working from home last year)!
Good to know there are a few NZ new around with low km when I get around to a second hand one ; )
LOLOL ... yes ... and I tempted by the new Hyundai EV coming out later this year ... so, maybe a low mileage one will become available later this year?
Also liking the look of the KIA EV recently teased ... and the Tesla Model Y ...
Family members who live 215km from us have one. They typically fully charge before coming to visit, and turn up with 48-54% battery remaining (lower end of the scale for when they have done an additional 15km odd running to pick a person up on the way out of town). Amazing amount of range compared to our tired Nissan leaf.
They are at 22,000km.
Regarding the (probable) recall, its 76,000 battery pack's I think, so it's not going to be a fast process to replace them all.
[edit] - Should note that assuming the recall happens, it is actually sweet for the owners. All EV batteries degrade over time (I guess 2% a year?), so for somebody having their 2018 kona pack replaced later this year they will restart the clock on degradation.
Manufacturing 76,000 batteries is going to be AGONISINGLY slow ... WOW!
Your friends have bought a great car ... the range IS amazing :-)
I have noticed NO degradation of my battery as yet (after 2.5 years and 25,000km) ... but then, it is hard to tell with the range being so big. A new battery will be nice, though ... if I still have my Kona?
Are there any other EV vehicle manufacturers using these same LG cells?
The Chevy Bolt would be the most common example sharing the same cells.
Ahhhh .... someone with the knowledge! Thank you Scott3 :-)
The software update done last year to "fix" the problem was a bit of a pain, as I discovered on my drive from Auckland via Hawkes Bay to Wellington. Each time the charge hit 80% while connected to a ChargeNet charger, the charger sent me a message with an error saying I had been disconnected ... so it would never go higher than 80% (and also had me rushing to get back to my Kona ASAP to not have it look like I was hogging the charger unnecessarily haha).
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