[parambyte]

Originally Posted by pkirwadi

Recharged car at the place where i stayed, using nothing but a level 1 charger (2.2 kW). Charging time: 17:45 h )

Did you use AirConditioning throughout the trip?
Did you stay at a hotel?
How difficult was it to convince them to charge your vehicle?
Did you pay them anything on electricity used for charging?
Did you charge from a 15 AMP socket or regular? You must be needing to carry cables and adaptors?
Asking because I am seriously considering an EV for my next car and yes I want to use it on highways, hoping to charge at lunch and night stopovers. If I do, will call and make charging requests beforehand I guess.

On many highways, especially Pune to Mumbai, there are loooong sections of downhill slopes which I am sure are excellent for regenerative energy?

[pkirwadi]

Originally Posted by parambyte

Did you use AirConditioning throughout the trip?
Did you stay at a hotel?
How difficult was it to convince them to charge your vehicle?
Did you pay them anything on electricity used for charging?
Did you charge from a 15 AMP socket or regular? You must be needing to carry cables and adaptors?
Asking because I am seriously considering an EV for my next car and yes I want to use it on highways, hoping to charge at lunch and night stopovers. If I do, will call and make charging requests beforehand I guess.

On many highways, especially Pune to Mumbai, there are loooong sections of downhill slopes which I am sure are excellent for regenerative energy?

Did you stay at a hotel? -> Yes

How difficult was it to convince them to charge your vehicle? -> Easy, not much effort, but they seemed a bit concerned and were contemplating on charging me for this extra service.

Did you pay them anything on electricity used for charging? -> No, I told them its important to consider how this might make sense for their patrons using EV`s to consider their property/hotel in future. They reluctantly agreed.

Did you charge from a 15 AMP socket or regular? You must be needing to carry cables and adaptors? -> Yes, the default cable that comes with Kona that uses the regular 15amps. The maintenance folks at the hotel, fixed me up using an extension cable, that they temporarily lined up from a near by socket.

Asking because I am seriously considering an EV for my next car and yes I want to use it on highways, hoping to charge at lunch and night stopovers. If I do, will call and make charging requests beforehand I guess -> yes that`s important, you got to plan and call them in advance, may not get a favorable response, but can`t stress them with too much info either. But most`em, especially the starry one`s, have no problem in obliging to such requests.

On many highways, especially Pune to Mumbai, there are loooong sections of downhill slopes which I am sure are excellent for regenerative energy? -> That`s an absolute certain. Having taken up on the infamous ghats of Karnataka (namely, shiradi & charmadi), i have thoroughly enjoyed the regen experience., adds significant amount of range, no doubt ! You got to plan it well though, needs gentle, precise and calibrated driving, anticipating the outcome of regen in advance, it comes with practice so don`t worry about it.

[yajaman99]

Originally Posted by docsr

Looks great. Would suggest having a 15 amp socket installed with a independent circuit breaker as well on the same line

Originally Posted by pkirwadi

Here`s how they set it up in my apartment

Hi docsr and pkirwadi, I am planning for the ZS MG EV and need to understand how to get the AC Fast charger installed in an apartment.

I am in Bangalore and the BESCOM Sanctioned load in my Electricity bill is 3kW. On the BESCOM online portal there is an option to increase sanctioned load.

I wanted to know if you have got the sanctioned load increased , if yes was there any cost involved ?
I read here that the meter needs to be changed to a 3 phase.
What all does that involve ?
And is this a reversible process ?

This part of buying an EV is not advertised, just the fact you are getting a free charger. The Sales executive gave me some high figure of Rs 24000 to BESCOM as a refundable deposit.

Hence wanted to check what the real story would be.

pkirwadi that is some amazing stats of the Kona with 11KM/kWh, true to the max range.
The max the MG ZS EV will offer going by the marking material is 340km/44.5kWh = 7.64km/kWh, which is real life would be more like 6.74km/kWh

[yajaman99]

I am really interested to know how the Delta wall box gets setup.
I have a single phase meter with 3kW sanctioned load from BESCOM.
On doing some googling higher than 5kW will need three phase meter and supply.
If I get 3 phase power supply setup does the whole flat needs to be done up to support 3 phase.
Can i just get a separate BESCOM Meter for the car ?
Any inputs from members who have got the Delta AC fast charger installed in an apartment complex.
So if i go for the MG ZS EV I might end up using the slow charger and need to charge more frequently.

[pkirwadi]

Originally Posted by yajaman99

I am really interested to know how the Delta wall box gets setup.
I have a single phase meter with 3kW sanctioned load from BESCOM.
On doing some googling higher than 5kW will need three phase meter and supply.
If I get 3 phase power supply setup does the whole flat needs to be done up to support 3 phase.
Can i just get a separate BESCOM Meter for the car ?
Any inputs from members who have got the Delta AC fast charger installed in an apartment complex.
So if i go for the MG ZS EV I might end up using the slow charger and need to charge more frequently.

your 3kW line could be a hindrance, I have a 5 kW (single phase) line but i`m easily pulling over 7.5 kW and maxing out the delta charger. Your bill would typically indicate the max load consumed, so if its on a consistent basis, they normally upgrade your line and charge you extra for the consumed load. Single phase meter is what your need. Kona & Delta`s input requirements is limited to single phase, 7.2 kW. I do not recommend a separate meter.

[yajaman99]

Originally Posted by pkirwadi

your 3kW line could be a hindrance, I have a 5 kW (single phase) line but i`m easily pulling over 7.5 kW and maxing out the delta charger.

Thank you for the swift response, this makes perfect sense. Will do an upgrade to 5kW. As per my bill the average shows 1KW.

[reihem]

Mods please highlight this if you can.

Over the last few hours news of a global recall for the Kona EV has been hitting the news. The recall is linked to battery fires. Apparently the battery manufacturer LG Chem and Hyundai and arguing over who is at fault.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...le32832212.ece

As is the case often, India doesn't seem to feature in their story or plans. As an Indian Kona EV owner, I'm quite concerned. Other Kona EV owners on TBHP, what is your plan of action ?

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by reihem

Other Kona EV owners on TBHP, what is your plan of action ?

I think emailing Hyundai India would be the best thing to do as Indian motor law coupled with Kona being a very niche car isn't going to get Hyundai's response on this specific issue unless owners themselves demand for at least a clarification.


In other news, my Kona's tyre suffered a massive damage yesterday when I hit a pothole (at around 60-70 kph) and the tyre basically tore and now has a huge crack. Fortunately I could replace it with spare wheel at a side of a busy. Upon checking other 3 tyres I noticed each of them have a bubble. I've read about this issue and have consulted with a good tyre shop as well. Turns out this can be dangerous if not addressed quickly. The only solution is to get new tyre/s. The tyres are from Korean brand Nexen, a company which doesn't operate in India as far as I know. My friend also found out an Australian review of the Kona complaining about same Nexen tyres. Attaching link to the same.

https://www.caradvice.com.au/801358/...ichelin-tyres/



Has anyone else faced similar issues on their car? I'm trying to get in touch with Hyundai India to get tyres replaced under warranty or goodwill as car has barely done 4.6k kilometres. Attaching photos of the bubbled tyres as well.

[reihem]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

I think emailing Hyundai India would be the best thing to do as Indian motor law coupled with Kona being a very niche car isn't going to get Hyundai's response on this specific issue unless owners themselves demand for at least a clarification.

I love the Kona in many ways. I love the way it feels on the road. I love the mad pickup and torque. I love many, many things about it. But, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m not feeling a tinge of buyers remorse right now. The silence from Hyundai India on a recall that’s made the headlines both nationally and internationally is unbelievable.

I knew I was an early adopter and that it would come with its challenges. But i always assumed those challenges would be linked to the non existent charging infrastructure. I never expected Hyundai would totally ignore their customers like this.

It could also be that I own a bunch of niche cars now and I’m feeling alienated. To the left in my garage is a kona with the axe of a potential recall swinging over it (and honestly the larger axe of a potential fire). To the right is a Volvo staring at an uncertain future since Chennai’s Volvo dealership just shut down unceremoniously.

This is a sign. Next time I’ll just look at what sells the most in a given segment and buy it.

[Shreyans_Jain]

I believe it is next to impossible for individual owners to get a response out of Hyundai on this. Can TeamBHP officially write to Hyundai seeking a clarification on the battery issue and on if and when a recall can happen?

[sheldon.dz]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

I think emailing Hyundai India would be the best thing to do as Indian motor law coupled with Kona being a very niche car isn't going to get Hyundai's response on this specific issue unless owners themselves demand for at least a clarification.

The tyre quality is bad, we have had 3 punctures
In the last 2 months of which one of them was so bad the tyre had to be replaced. It can get easily punctured even with small nails etc.

They don't cover tyres under warranty if you have a good relationship with the service center guy they may just cover 50% of the cost. The cost is around 14k we paid 7k.

The process of getting replacement is painfully slow took us a week to get a new one.
We have also purchased a spare full size tyre Yokohama earth brand just as a backup if this occurs in the future.

Mod Note - Please quote only the relevant bits of a post when replying. Also, please proof read your post.

Thanks.

[NannuBhai]

Hey Guys,

Trying my first long distance road trip in my Kona. Unfortunately, a week after I got my Kona, lockdown was announced & so couldn't go out. Planning to go to Aurangabad for Diwali on my Kona. I will be travelling with my wife, my son & my Lhasa dog. I will be having luggages as well. The distance one way - should be about ~270 kms.

Any hints / tips to follow & how I can make sure my vehicle battery lasts the distance?

Or is this a bad idea? Let me know your thoughts please.....specially experienced owners.

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by NannuBhai

Or is this a bad idea? Let me know your thoughts please.....specially experienced owners.

If you're okay with driving at speeds of 80 or so then Kona can manage 270km distance provided you leave with a full charge. How do you plan to charge the car at Aurangabad? There aren't any public chargers there, so your only option is charging via 15amp plug which takes 15 to 20 hours. Should be pretty easy if you're comfortable with both caveats.

For example, I did Pune-Mumbai-Pune but didn't face any issue since Mumbai has multiple DC chargers so 40 minutes of charge on Tata 25kW DC charger was more than enough for me to get back home doing slightly above speed limits.

Attaching picture of when I reached Mumbai for reference.

Car showed 300+km range at the beginning. I sticked to speed limit while going.

[NannuBhai]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

If you're okay with driving at speeds of 80 or so then Kona can manage 270km distance provided you leave with a full charge. How do you plan to charge the car at Aurangabad? There aren't any public chargers there, so your only option is charging via 15amp plug which takes 15 to 20 hours. Should be pretty easy if you're comfortable with both caveats.

For example, I did Pune-Mumbai-Pune but didn't face any issue since Mumbai has multiple DC chargers so 40 minutes of charge on Tata 25kW DC charger was more than enough for me to get back home doing slightly above speed limits.

Attaching picture of when I reached Mumbai for reference. Attachment 2078812

Car showed 300+km range at the beginning. I sticked to speed limit while going.

Thank you. Yes. I'll have to do 80 kmph necessarily to ensure I hit the 300 kms range. No problems doing that at the moment. I'm going to my in-laws place. So, will charge there on 15 Amp plug.

So, both these caveats shouldn't be an issue. What about AC usage? Would that lessen the range down? And by how much? Should I be worried?

Also, when you were in Mumbai where did you get your charge done? I'll do the same when I go to Mumbai. (Note: I'll be going to Chembur in Mumbai)

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by NannuBhai

What about AC usage? Would that lessen the range down? And by how much? Should I be worried?

You should be able to use AC just like a normal car. I would suggest keeping map set on Carplay or Android Auto and keeping an eye on distance left and range as shown by car's computer to make sure there are no mistakes.

Originally Posted by NannuBhai

Also, when you were in Mumbai where did you get your charge done? I'll do the same when I go to Mumbai. (Note: I'll be going to Chembur in Mumbai)

Please download Tata EV Charging app from Play Store if you have an Android or follow this link if you're on ios. The app is in beta stage, you'll need to register first. It's an easy process. https://testflight.apple.com/join/1199pNZi