Hyundai Kona Electric

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WetEV said:
LeftieBiker said:
I don't read those sites as much as you might expect so I haven't noticed. Why don't I read them? See above. Also things like referring to a bigger battery as 'providing more horsepower'...

A bigger battery can provide more horsepower.

There is a limit as to how much power you can take out of a given battery. It is often expressed as the "C rate", which just means the "capacity of the battery in kWh)" / "power charge or discharge".

To get to higher horsepower, you need a larger battery, or a battery that can withstand a higher C rate. Or both.

Exactly. And BEV batteries are engineered for Energy density rather than Power density. PHEVs use Power dense batteries so they can propel the car with battery only despite a smaller capacity. This is also why many of the hot rod conversions use a Chevy Volt battery - lots of power, relatively little weight. It doesn't go as far, but it doesn't matter. It only needs to go about a quarter of a mile...
 
WetEV said:
LeftieBiker said:
I don't read those sites as much as you might expect so I haven't noticed. Why don't I read them? See above. Also things like referring to a bigger battery as 'providing more horsepower'...

A bigger battery can provide more horsepower.

There is a limit as to how much power you can take out of a given battery. It is often expressed as the "C rate", which just means the "capacity of the battery in kWh)" / "power charge or discharge".

To get to higher horsepower, you need a larger battery, or a battery that can withstand a higher C rate. Or both.

The 2018 Leaf has more horsepower because of inverter and motor modifications, not because of the C rate of the pack. They did nothing to raise the HP of the 30kwh pack. Maybe there were marginal conditions in which the 24kwh pack would have gotten a bit of voltage sag with more power being drawn, but it's almost never the size of the pack that determines the power output of the motor in a non-race EV.
 
LeftieBiker said:
WetEV said:
To get to higher horsepower, you need a larger battery, or a battery that can withstand a higher C rate. Or both.

The 2018 Leaf has more horsepower because of inverter and motor modifications, not because of the C rate of the pack. They did nothing to raise the HP of the 30kwh pack. Maybe there were marginal conditions in which the 24kwh pack would have gotten a bit of voltage sag with more power being drawn, but it's almost never the size of the pack that determines the power output of the motor in a non-race EV.

C rate of the 30 kWh Leaf pack is just about the same as with the 40kWh LEAF pack. Oddly enough, the 60kWh ePlus has almost the same C rate. As the pack gets larger, you can draw more power and maintain the same C rate. C rate limit is there to minimize localized internal heating. So maybe it isn't so odd.

Sure, you could increase the power of the motor and inverter without increasing the size of the pack. That would increase the C rate, which would do bad things to battery life. Just shorter battery life, if just a littler higher C rate. Loud, smelly, expensive and hot things if you push the battery pack too hard. Or unless you also change the cells to something closer to a PHEV cells that are designed to handle more power, which would increase cost and reduce range. Like in a race EV. Like the VW Pike Peaks car, with 48kWh of PHEV cells and 500kW of motor. That is a C rate slightly over 10. Chevy Volt cells are pushed to a C rate of 15 for drag racers. Don't do this for much more than a 1/4 mile. And don't try it with LEAF cells.

Want lower cost energy dense cells? Then the C rate limit is going to be lower. Using energy dense cells, the way to raise motor kW and keep the same cells and keep the same C rate is to increase battery kWh. Might raise battery size without a motor power increase, to get longer battery life at a lower C rate. Unlikely to accept less battery life just to get more motor power, unless you also shorten the battery capacity warranty.

The 24kWh LEAF pushed the batteries fairly hard. Do you think Nissan with the 30kWh pack should have:
A) Drop the C rate to improve battery lifetime (which they did)?
or
B) Increase the motor kW to make the car faster, and shorten the battery life?

Yes, the motor and inverter also have to change to get more power. Just keep telling everyone that. Maybe they will forget the battery issue.
 
Dogged, aren't you? I complained that a net "journalist" attributed a HP increase to a larger battery. That was wrong. The above argument is about something else entirely - battery longevity under increased C rate - as if people drive their Leafs with the pedals mashed to the floor. What you wrote is pretty much accurate, but it also has nothing to do with my complaint. Please find another chew toy.
 
IEVS:
Hyundai Can’t Ship You That Promised Kona Electric Due To Crazy Demand
https://insideevs.com/hyundai-cant-ship-kona-electric-crazy-demand/

Although it just sold its first example of the Kona Electric in the U.S., it seems Hyundai has a hit on its hands. And it’s little wonder, seeing as the all-electric crossover tops our list of range-per-purchase-dollar and has been edging out competitors like the Chevy Bolt in road tests. This is, of course, a great thing for the company, but it also creates some problems for some prospective buyers: they aren’t available for purchase from their local dealers in most of the country.

Initially, the plan was to begin initial sales in California and expand to the so-called ZEV states. . . .

In November, however, hope blossomed for customers nationwide as we heard that the Korean automaker said it will also ship the Kona Electric to dealers in non-ZEV states if they have a “sold order.” The celebrations that followed may have been premature.

A would-be customer reported on the InsideEVs Forum that their attempts to secure a car through local dealers were proving unsuccessful. So, we got in touch with the automaker to see what the situation was. The result? A statement that, at least for now, those in non-ZEV states may be out of luck. Said the company:

  • Given the current demand for Kona Electric in California and other ZEV states, we aren’t able to support volume sales in all non-ZEV states at this time. In the near future, we do plan to offer Kona Electric in non-ZEV states that exhibit higher electric vehicle demand. . . .

C&D:
2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Battle To Find the Best Alternative to the Tesla Model 3
But wait. Maybe don't cancel that Tesla Model 3 reservation just yet.
https://www.caranddriver.com/review...vrolet-bolt-ev-vs-2019-hyundai-kona-electric/

Short version, Kona comes out on top. Lots of bitching about current lack of charging sites etc. compared to SCs.
 
Our local dealership has a few Kona EV limited trim editions in today.

Dealer called to notify and ask if we wanted to take a test drive. Curiously, they don't show on the dealer website.

The usual sales pressure used on the voice message they left - to come in before someone else gets them.

We're holding out until April when our 2016 Leaf SV gets turned in after lease. Looking at leasing another Leaf (40 kWh) or leasing a Kona EV SEL or Niro EV. Not holding our breath on getting a good offer on the Kona or Niro since so new, but who knows.
 
iPlug said:
Our local dealership has a few Kona EV limited trim editions in today.

Dealer called to notify and ask if we wanted to take a test drive. Curiously, they don't show on the dealer website.

The usual sales pressure used on the voice message they left - to come in before someone else gets them.

We're holding out until April when our 2016 Leaf SV gets turned in after lease. Looking at leasing another Leaf (40 kWh) or leasing a Kona EV SEL or Niro EV. Not holding our breath on getting a good offer on the Kona or Niro since so new, but who knows.
Is the new Soul not on your list as well?
 
GRA said:
iPlug said:
Our local dealership has a few Kona EV limited trim editions in today.

Dealer called to notify and ask if we wanted to take a test drive. Curiously, they don't show on the dealer website.

The usual sales pressure used on the voice message they left - to come in before someone else gets them.

We're holding out until April when our 2016 Leaf SV gets turned in after lease. Looking at leasing another Leaf (40 kWh) or leasing a Kona EV SEL or Niro EV. Not holding our breath on getting a good offer on the Kona or Niro since so new, but who knows.
Is the new Soul not on your list as well?
We'll take a look if it is on dealer lots in late March or April, but not hopeful.

The new lease will continue to be my wife's daily driver, and her response was as I expected when I showed it to her: "ewww". Too boxy.

Not a deal breaker for me, being more interested in function and value (I still drive a plug-in Prius), so I played up the specs to her, and she says she will take a look at it.
 
iPlug said:
GRA said:
We'll take a look if it is on dealer lots in late March or April, but not hopeful.

The new lease will continue to be my wife's daily driver, and her response was as I expected when I showed it to her: "ewww". Too boxy.

Not a deal breaker for me, being more interested in function and value (I still drive a plug-in Prius), so I played up the specs to her, and she says she will take a look at it.
I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the Korean jobs, or the Bolt FTM. I'd be leery of the LEAF in your climate, but I take it you've found the likely degradation of a 40kWh LEAF acceptable, given your wife's range needs and the fact you're leasing?
 
GRA said:
I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the Korean jobs, or the Bolt FTM. I'd be leery of the LEAF in your climate, but I take it you've found the likely degradation of a 40kWh LEAF acceptable, given your wife's range needs and the fact you're leasing?
Thanks, good suggestions. Yes, between our two current vehicles, she has limited range needs and indeed the current Leaf lease/warranty gives us a guaranteed minimum EV range that surpasses her minimum required range.

She already looked at the Bolt and didn’t like the fit and finish. Wouldn't completely rule it out if a stellar lease deal presented itself.

We had our battery replaced 2 years into the 2016 Leaf SV lease, but its limited range wasn’t really an issue for us and it was too hard to pass up how affordably we got the lease. We only needed 50 miles minimum guaranteed range and never saw less than that during our winters with heating and freeway driving.

The replaced battery appeared to be doing the same degradation thing with loss of range over the same time period, but when the software update was applied the actual range returned to very close to new. Of course it has only been a year and we won’t have the lease further to find out what happens in 1+ years.

Any battery range beyond 30kWh is just icing on the cake until we can get an affordable long range EV vehicle to replace my Plug-in Prius. Will be looking for some decent cargo space when that time comes as all of our long trips involve all four family members. Maybe Model Y?
 
iPlug said:
GRA said:
I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the Korean jobs, or the Bolt FTM. I'd be leery of the LEAF in your climate, but I take it you've found the likely degradation of a 40kWh LEAF acceptable, given your wife's range needs and the fact you're leasing?
Thanks, good suggestions. Yes, between our two current vehicles, she has limited range needs and indeed the current Leaf lease/warranty gives us a guaranteed minimum EV range that surpasses her minimum required range.

She already looked at the Bolt and didn’t like the fit and finish. Wouldn't completely rule it out if a stellar lease deal presented itself.
Heh. Bolt itself is practically a Korean job. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102176_bolt-ev-powertrain-how-did-gm-and-lg-collaborate-on-design-production lists what LG supplied. On my Monroney sticker, 64% of the parts are listed as being from South Korea. When you pop the hood, one of the largest units you see in the center says Made in Korea on it.

Yeah, I hear you about the Bolt, at least when it comes to interior quality. '18/'19 Leaf is better on that front. Exterior fit and finish on my Bolts and most of the ones I saw on the lot at the dealer I bought from was fine.

I didn't find any lease deals on Bolts that I deemed attractive given that I planned for it to my be only car (planned to sell my Prius (done) and plan to sell my Leaf). I ended up buying due to heavy discounting (e.g. https://www.chevroletoffremont.com/VehicleSearchResults?model=Bolt EV) and tax credit being $7500 until end of March 2019.
 
BTW, re: lease deals, one place I looked was http://ev-vin.blogspot.com/. I believe at the time, the Bolt lease deals were on base LT and 10K miles/year is way too few miles for an only car.

I wanted a Premier trim (in order to get the Surround Vision camera system) and DC FC inlet, at minimum. I'd also need 15K miles/year as 12K might not be enough... so, I figured at that point, since GM wasn't passing along the full tax credit on leases, I may as well buy.
 
Bolt might be best deal on a $/kWh basis right now with those nice thousands off MRSP - fed credit - state rebate - utility rebate.
 
iPlug said:
Bolt might be best deal on a $/kWh basis right now with those nice thousands off MRSP - fed credit - state rebate - utility rebate.
Indeed. https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/9-2017-chevy-bolt-ev-general-discussion-forum/31867-car-driver-article-bolt-vs-hyundai-kona.html#post483817 claims Hyundai dealers doing a $5K markup (aka second sticker) above MSRP! :shock:

Given the supposed demand situation, I doubt one can get a Kona EV for any significant discount. Will be interesting to hear field reports about actual pricing and deals on the Kona EV.

I unfortunately can't qualify for CA CVRP as my income's too high.
 
^^ If there are 100 people in CA who want to buy the Kona then demand is definitely higher than supply.
 
iPlug said:
GRA said:
I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the Korean jobs, or the Bolt FTM. I'd be leery of the LEAF in your climate, but I take it you've found the likely degradation of a 40kWh LEAF acceptable, given your wife's range needs and the fact you're leasing?
Thanks, good suggestions. Yes, between our two current vehicles, she has limited range needs and indeed the current Leaf lease/warranty gives us a guaranteed minimum EV range that surpasses her minimum required range.

She already looked at the Bolt and didn’t like the fit and finish. Wouldn't completely rule it out if a stellar lease deal presented itself.

We had our battery replaced 2 years into the 2016 Leaf SV lease, but its limited range wasn’t really an issue for us and it was too hard to pass up how affordably we got the lease. We only needed 50 miles minimum guaranteed range and never saw less than that during our winters with heating and freeway driving.

The replaced battery appeared to be doing the same degradation thing with loss of range over the same time period, but when the software update was applied the actual range returned to very close to new. Of course it has only been a year and we won’t have the lease further to find out what happens in 1+ years.

Any battery range beyond 30kWh is just icing on the cake until we can get an affordable long range EV vehicle to replace my Plug-in Prius. Will be looking for some decent cargo space when that time comes as all of our long trips involve all four family members. Maybe Model Y?
I've always felt that any BEV that needs to be depended on for routine driving should have at least two days autonomy. That way, if you normally charge up every day, the power goes out while you're asleep and the car doesn't get charged, you can still get to work etc. and back, and have time to work out alternative charging/transportation options for the 3rd day. Maybe I'm just overly conservative when it comes to such matters.
 
cwerdna said:
iPlug said:
Bolt might be best deal on a $/kWh basis right now with those nice thousands off MRSP - fed credit - state rebate - utility rebate.
Indeed. https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/9-2017-chevy-bolt-ev-general-discussion-forum/31867-car-driver-article-bolt-vs-hyundai-kona.html#post483817 claims Hyundai dealers doing a $5K markup (aka second sticker) above MSRP! :shock:

Given the supposed demand situation, I doubt one can get a Kona EV for any significant discount. Will be interesting to hear field reports about actual pricing and deals on the Kona EV.
https://insideevs.com/hyundai-dealers-price-gouging-kona-electric/ alleges reports of markups of $5K to $8K above MSRP! Ugh! :evil:
 
cwerdna said:
cwerdna said:
iPlug said:
Bolt might be best deal on a $/kWh basis right now with those nice thousands off MRSP - fed credit - state rebate - utility rebate.
Indeed. https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/9-2017-chevy-bolt-ev-general-discussion-forum/31867-car-driver-article-bolt-vs-hyundai-kona.html#post483817 claims Hyundai dealers doing a $5K markup (aka second sticker) above MSRP! :shock:

Given the supposed demand situation, I doubt one can get a Kona EV for any significant discount. Will be interesting to hear field reports about actual pricing and deals on the Kona EV.
https://insideevs.com/hyundai-dealers-price-gouging-kona-electric/ alleges reports of markups of $5K to $8K above MSRP! Ugh! :evil:
They'll do that for a bit, and then once the people panting to buy one have paid those rip-off prices, competition will set in. Such markups just aren't sustainable for a step above entry-level car, which is what these BEVs are aside from their powertrains. I remember when Hollywood celebs (wasn't DiCaprio at the head of the list?) were paying way over MSRP to get New Beetles early.
 
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