Hyundai Kona Electric - 64 kWh with range up to 470km coming later this year

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Hyundai Kona Electric - 64 kWh with range up to 470km coming later this year

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608 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2205930 27-Mar-2019 22:08

Great to hear you're enjoying the Kona Justin, and 20-80% sounds like a good way to keep battery health. Although I'd charge it a bit earlier, at 30 or 40% to 80%.

Re the Niro, the 39kWh model also has a 'smaller' motor, 100kW vs 150kW on the bigger battery model.

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KiwiME

204 posts

Master Geek

#2206121 28-Mar-2019 10:07

To add to Justin's comments, I have owned the base Kona since Oct and don't think I miss any of the Elite options with the possible exception of the LED headlights and vented seats. It surprises me that there are so many still sitting on dealer's lots, especially given the worldwide demand. Since most seem to have demo kms now there must be wiggle room in the price once 1,000 km is exceeded.

The e-Niro 64 seems to be priced the same and has a few options and advantages over the Kona base, worth consideration.

Another point towards buying the current base Kona is that those models on the lot (and all delivered Elite) are Irish spec and as a result have the desirable heat pump option. It seems most likely we would receive Aussie spec cars in the future which may be better optioned in other areas, but they won't have the heat pump. Not sure about the e-Niro, it's not mentioned in the spec sheet.

As for range, I find I can return about 100 km per 21% loss of battery charge, at least in summer temps. Change in elevation and time spent at higher speeds are factors, as will be winter temps as I will soon find out.

justin5

102 posts

Master Geek

#2206423 28-Mar-2019 16:51

paulchinnz:

60% for 300km

That's 500km for 100% around town - cool.

I've just been playing with my Kona's charge management as I want to charge it to 100% overnight for a big day of driving tomorrow.

That's when I noticed that I've actually been charging from 20+ to 70% every 10-11 days and getting around 300km of city driving...even better than I previously said!

10.7kWh/100km is showing on my dash since I last reset the trip meter a few weeks ago :-)

justin5

102 posts

Master Geek

#2206426 28-Mar-2019 16:55

Delphinus:

Great to hear you're enjoying the Kona Justin, and 20-80% sounds like a good way to keep battery health. Although I'd charge it a bit earlier, at 30 or 40% to 80%.

Re the Niro, the 39kWh model also has a 'smaller' motor, 100kW vs 150kW on the bigger battery model.

Thanks for your advice, Delphinus.

I've just checked my charge management settings (see a previous reply to someone else) and I've actually been charging from 20+ to 70% every 10-11 days as I read somewhere a while ago that 70% was an even better level than 80% for battery health - with a big battery, I can do that in the Kona and still drive in the city for days.

Would you still suggest I charge to 70% from 30 or 40% for even better battery health? And, may I ask, why you think that might be better?

Cheers

frednz

1452 posts

Uber Geek

#2206954 29-Mar-2019 12:23

justin5:

frednz:

So how's your Kona Elite going Justin, is it doing everything you expected of it? Would you recommend a "non-elite" model or the forthcoming lower range Kona EV model?

My Kona Elite is going great, frednz.

snip

BUT I still miss having instant access to NAV for those times in Auckland when you suddenly strike a traffic jam and wonder if turning into a side street might help avoid it (I rarely plug my phone in for CarPlay maps except on trips where I know I'll need navigation assistance).

Anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to ask :-)

If I owned a car which didn't have its own built-in navigation and you could only use Android Auto or Apple Car Play, I think I would buy a mobile phone that always stayed in the car and which I didn't actually use for making or receiving phone calls. Do you think this is a practical idea which might help solve the problem of missing having instant access to NAV at all times? After all, the cost of a second mobile phone isn't great when you consider the $80,000 needed to buy the Kona Elite EV.

KiwiME

204 posts

Master Geek

#2206966 29-Mar-2019 12:44

I've considered leaving a second phone in the car, more for a permanent but hidden mounting position rather than the moment it takes to plug in. But don't want to pay another $19 a month for a SIM.

It's amazing that cars still don't provide a good location to hold a smartphone in an RF-suitable location such as near the front glass, but out of the sun.

I would plan my charging stops (or 'stop' for the Kona) before the trip so don't really need live updates. The Kona is a great car for curing range anxiety ... I almost wish I'd selected the i3 for a bit more of a challenge.

KiwiME

204 posts

Master Geek

#2206969 29-Mar-2019 12:50

Delphinus: Re the Niro, the 39kWh model also has a 'smaller' motor, 100kW vs 150kW on the bigger battery model.

The motor will most likely be the same but if the battery pack voltage is lower it means current must start to back off at a lower RPM to overcome back-EMF, hence same maximum torque, lower maximum power.

Delphinus

608 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2207074 29-Mar-2019 13:45

KiwiME:

Delphinus: Re the Niro, the 39kWh model also has a 'smaller' motor, 100kW vs 150kW on the bigger battery model.

The motor will most likely be the same but if the battery pack voltage is lower it means current must start to back off at a lower RPM to overcome back-EMF, hence same maximum torque, lower maximum power.

How does power vs torque, in an EV, actually relate to 'feel' of acceleration? Eg from 0-100 and from say 80-130 (overtaking). For me the Niro 100kW that I drove felt a lot more sluggish than the 150kW Kona I drove. According to online stats the Niro was even a bit lighter.

frednz

1452 posts

Uber Geek

#2207077 29-Mar-2019 13:50

KiwiME:

I've considered leaving a second phone in the car, more for a permanent but hidden mounting position rather than the moment it takes to plug in. But don't want to pay another $19 a month for a SIM.

It's amazing that cars still don't provide a good location to hold a smartphone in an RF-suitable location such as near the front glass, but out of the sun.

I would plan my charging stops (or 'stop' for the Kona) before the trip so don't really need live updates. The Kona is a great car for curing range anxiety ... I almost wish I'd selected the i3 for a bit more of a challenge.

Thanks, you make a good point about an RF-suitable location, but would you lose signal very often from where your mobile sits at the moment? I suppose this is one advantage of a built-in NAV system, perhaps you are less likely to lose signal when compared with using a mobile phone?

Now about selecting a BMW i3 for a bit more of a challenge, you certainly would get that with the "pure EV" models, but not so much with one that has a range extender which allows you to carry a small amount of petrol to charge up the electric engine so that you get perhaps another 120km of range before you need to fill the petrol tank again.

paulchinnz

Circumspice
763 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2207092 29-Mar-2019 14:00

@KiwiME for $10k you could get a worn Leaf - that should provide a sufficient challenge!

wellygary

7374 posts

Uber Geek

#2207095 29-Mar-2019 14:07

frednz:

Now about selecting a BMW i3 for a bit more of a challenge, you certainly would get that with the "pure EV" models, but not so much with one that has a range extender which allows you to carry a small amount of petrol to charge up the electric engine so that you get perhaps another 120km of range before you need to fill the petrol tank again.

Nah. just get the "pure" version and get yourself one of these and jerry can to toss in the boot on those long trips. :)

tripper1000

1539 posts

Uber Geek

#2207097 29-Mar-2019 14:20

KiwiME: I've considered leaving a second phone in the car, more for a permanent but hidden mounting position rather than the moment it takes to plug in. But don't want to pay another $19 a month for a SIM.

2degrees has free data sharing. If you have a post-pay plan you can share your plan data with up to 5 other pre-paid sim cards. I think it is designed for people with Ipad Airs/tablets etc. I have a phone that lives in my car and it costs me nothing per month for the data it uses.

Edit: also ideal for GPS trackers/security systems etc.

KiwiME

204 posts

Master Geek

#2207150 29-Mar-2019 16:11

Delphinus:How does power vs torque, in an EV, actually relate to 'feel' of acceleration? Eg from 0-100 and from say 80-130 (overtaking). For me the Niro 100kW that I drove felt a lot more sluggish than the 150kW Kona I drove. According to online stats the Niro was even a bit lighter.

Well, there is only gear ratio in these cars, about 10:1 motor to wheels, so you feel constant torque as constant acceleration up to the point where torque must decay to the constant power portion of the curve. In the Kona I think that's about 4,000 rpm at the motor, perhaps about 80 km/h at a guess. With smaller batteries that point may be lower. Of course traction control and other factors may alter this somewhat. I have noticed the drop off at speed in the Kona but the low down performance is very good.

KiwiME

204 posts

Master Geek

#2207151 29-Mar-2019 16:12

tripper1000: 2degrees has free data sharing. If you have a post-pay plan you can share your plan data with up to 5 other pre-paid sim cards. I think it is designed for people with Ipad Airs/tablets etc. I have a phone that lives in my car and it costs me nothing per month for the data it uses.

Thx for the tip!

KiwiME

204 posts

Master Geek

#2207155 29-Mar-2019 16:18

frednz:

... but would you lose signal very often from where your mobile sits at the moment? I suppose this is one advantage of a built-in NAV system, perhaps you are less likely to lose signal when compared with using a mobile phone?

I'm thinking more of being trapped in a metal box next to a cell phone fighting to contact a distant tower. A valid concern, I'm not certain, but the RF radiation does worry me slightly and I would prefer it have a more direct shot via the glass.

As you say the built-in NAV has the shark fin on the roof (but not present on my base Kona.)

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