[wocanak]

Originally Posted by aim120

Ask yourself whether discount is worth the slightly cramped interiors and a LIPO battery vs the much safer and longer lasting LFP battery in the ZS ev.

Battery was the concern for me, can live with the size and dated interiors. Otherwise Kona is good option with many advantages: Hyundai service, sales reps were much more professional and responsive, no Chinese company concerns.

[SKC-auto]

Originally Posted by wocanak

Battery was the concern for me, can live with the size and dated interiors. Otherwise Kona is good option with many advantages: Hyundai service, sales reps were much more professional and responsive, no Chinese company concerns.

With Kona the battery concerns are over, LG Chem and Hyundai should have good experience by now with identifying battery issues. I believe you should not worry about the battery, though LFP looks to be better bet for our conditions and with regards to longevity.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Has the 2022 Kona electric been launched in India? I'm seeing advertisements on Hyundai India YouTube channel talking about 2022 version but by showing the pre facelift version.

Originally Posted by pnp2022

The facelift will launched next year. So, Hyundai is just marketing the existing 3 year old model with a 2022 tag.

Hyundai India does advertisements and news events for Pre-facelift models in India now, while the world got the Facelift almost 2 years back and is gearing up for Kona Electric 2023...
Feels almost like Indians getting "EXPIRED STUFF" on clearance.


Translated

Hyundai New Kona
Several prototypes of the second generation of the hit crossover, Kona have been spotted. This suggests a range at least as varied as the current one in terms of fuel types. Thus, it is very likely that the new model will replace the current one on the whole line, including the electric version which does not seem to have to give way to a model of the Ioniq family.
Also, spy photos confirm slightly larger dimensions, with a supposed length of around 4.3 meters. As for the engines, there is talk of a full hybrid version, a mild hybrid version and at least one plug-in, and later an N version. The launch and marketing should take place from the first half of the year.
Name Hyundai Kona
Body Crossover
Engines Hybrid petrol, electric, diesel engines (to be confirmed)
Arrival date Spring 2023

https://fr.motor1.com/news/624529/hy...antafe-6-2023/

[Hawk4]

Originally Posted by wocanak

Battery was the concern for me, can live with the size and dated interiors. Otherwise Kona is good option with many advantages: Hyundai service, sales reps were much more professional and responsive, no Chinese company concerns.

Hi, Did you proceed to buy Kona? I'm in a similar situation because I enjoyed Kona's overall quality and features, including how it looked from the outside. However, the main issue is purchasing a nearly 4-year-old model when new models are available.

I have already booked MG ZS EV, but missing many useful features.

[wocanak]

Originally Posted by Hawk4

Hi, Did you proceed to buy Kona? I'm in a similar situation because I enjoyed Kona's overall quality and features, including how it looked from the outside. However, the main issue is purchasing a nearly 4-year-old model when new models are available.

I have already booked MG ZS EV, but missing many useful features.

I decided not to, as it is there is uncertainty about what happens to battery after 8 years. At least with LFP, uncertainity is a little less as they will retain 80% capacity for 3000 cycles. Based on my usage that should last 15+ years, since I keep my cars for long this is fine with me. I don't have the same confidence with Kona's battery.

ZS EV is a good choice, what features are you missing?

I am leaning more towards Nexon Max and putting the difference into roof top solar, but all the horror stories about Tata ASS is not motivating me much (also the Fiesta that will be replaced is now behaving better! )

[Hawk4]

Originally Posted by wocanak

ZS EV is a good choice, what features are you missing?

I am leaning more towards Nexon Max and putting the difference into roof top solar, but all the horror stories about Tata ASS is not motivating me much (also the Fiesta that will be replaced is now behaving better! )

Ventilated seats, regen level 0 and telescopic steering are items that the ZS EV lacks yet which I consider essential. As opposed to the rotary wheel of the MG, I preferred shifting with buttons. And Kona provides more insightful information on the driver console depending on drive mode than MG.

If we try to start the car while it is charging, the error "High voltage battery fault" appears frequently in MG vehicles. The BMS in Kona is managing these cases well and without any problems. Therefore, Hyundai must have designed the software more robust.

Once Kona discounts are taken into account, the price difference is almost 6L. I also looked at Nexon EV Max, but I found it to be one segment below and not worth 20L. At 23.5L and 22L, the MG ZS Excite and Kona seem VFM.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by wocanak

I don't have the same confidence with Kona's battery.

This was the same concern i am struggling with. Though with the same model serving the more stringent / customer oriented western markets, i do hope that there might not be a serious degradation or some form of tried & tested solution from Hyundai due to the demands from the western market

Originally Posted by wocanak

I am leaning more towards Nexon Max and putting the difference into roof top solar, but all the horror stories about Tata ASS is not motivating me much

Was almost sorted on the Nexon Max but the ASS stories were just intimidating (even had a friend who experienced it with her Altroz).
The Nexon Max also was less efficient (KM/KWh) than the Kona on the test ride, when i tried hyper-miling.
Coming to charging and the solar setup, neither Nexon Max nor the MG ZS have the capability to reduce the Load when plugged into regular mains, the Kona did. Basically it means, the Kona can be connected on a single phase, low load connection without blowing the fuse or getting a load penalty.
Would like to know your observations if you had tried / tested them on these characteristics or if you have any workaround solutions.

Originally Posted by Hawk4

Ventilated seats, regen level 0 and telescopic steering are items that the ZS EV lacks yet which I consider essential.

Same here, somehow paddle shifters - regen control on fingertips and the capability to stop the vehicle with them made it a highly desirable feature for me.Another thing i liked was the ECO+ mode with the speed cap as opposed to the all time forced limit on the Nexon.

Originally Posted by Hawk4

And Kona provides more insightful information on the driver console depending on drive mode than MG.

Though did not observe much difference in MID data i did like the Ampere readings that were visible on the MG ZS Exclusive - which literally gives a figure of the drain on the battery.

Originally Posted by Hawk4

If we try to start the car while it is charging, the error "High voltage battery fault" appears frequently in MG vehicles.
The BMS in Kona is managing these cases well and without any problems. Therefore, Hyundai must have designed the software more robust.

Did hear about the "High voltage battery fault" a lot. The Kona did seem to have a more mature & stable BMS (already tested on Western markets).But one big flaw was that the Kona does not charge the low voltage battery till the vehicle is switched On, so if it gets drained before you start it then it's time for ASS- a serious flaw.

Originally Posted by Hawk4

Once Kona discounts are taken into account, the price difference is almost 6L. I also looked at Nexon EV Max, but I found it to be one segment below and not worth 20L. At 23.5L and 22L, the MG ZS Excite and Kona seem VFM.

The discount has made me reconsider Kona. The MG ZS Excite is nowhere in site - with new MG model due soon, i seriously don't think Excite will be seeing the Indian Roads.

[Hawk4]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

Did hear about the "High voltage battery fault" a lot. The Kona did seem to have a more mature & stable BMS (already tested on Western markets).But one big flaw was that the Kona does not charge the low voltage battery till the vehicle is switched On, so if it gets drained before you start it then it's time for ASS- a serious flaw.

The discount has made me reconsider Kona. The MG ZS Excite is nowhere in site - with new MG model due soon, i seriously don't think Excite will be seeing the Indian Roads.

However, the 12V battery in EVs will only be used to regulate the main BMS and ECU modules. All the heavy load like AC, Lights, other electronics draw power from main battery. Therefore, the draining issue won't occur until the car has been parked for several months.


I heard that only a limited number of MG Excite variants are being delivered now. With MG's increased production from 400 to 800 units per month, the backlog will be cleared quite quickly. There is now only a two-month waiting period for new bookings.

The continuation of the current 80EEB income tax deduction on EV loans after March 2023 is my other concern.

[sumannandy]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

This was the same concern i am struggling with. Though with the same model serving the more stringent / customer oriented western markets, i do hope that there might not be a serious degradation or some form of tried & tested solution from Hyundai due to the demands from the western market


Was almost sorted on the Nexon Max but the ASS stories were just intimidating (even had a friend who experienced it with her Altroz).
The Nexon Max also was less efficient (KM/KWh) than the Kona on the test ride, when i tried hyper-miling.
Coming to charging and the solar setup, neither Nexon Max nor the MG ZS have the capability to reduce the Load when plugged into regular mains, the Kona did. Basically it means, the Kona can be connected on a single phase, low load connection without blowing the fuse or getting a load penalty.
Would like to know your observations if you had tried / tested them on these characteristics or if you have any workaround solutions.


Same here, somehow paddle shifters - regen control on fingertips and the capability to stop the vehicle with them made it a highly desirable feature for me.Another thing i liked was the ECO+ mode with the speed cap as opposed to the all time forced limit on the Nexon.

Though did not observe much difference in MID data i did like the Ampere readings that were visible on the MG ZS Exclusive - which literally gives a figure of the drain on the battery.

Did hear about the "High voltage battery fault" a lot. The Kona did seem to have a more mature & stable BMS (already tested on Western markets).But one big flaw was that the Kona does not charge the low voltage battery till the vehicle is switched On, so if it gets drained before you start it then it's time for ASS- a serious flaw.


The discount has made me reconsider Kona. The MG ZS Excite is nowhere in site - with new MG model due soon, i seriously don't think Excite will be seeing the Indian Roads.

I am living with a max for two weeks. Max can be connected to a regular 15A point without blowing fuse in fact I was doing it for the first week at my home. There should be proper earthing.

I got wh/Km as low as 58. It depends on driving I guess.

I think all these cars are good in their own merits.

[wocanak]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

This was the same concern i am struggling with. Though with the same model serving the more stringent / customer oriented western markets, i do hope that there might not be a serious degradation or some form of tried & tested solution from Hyundai due to the demands from the western market

Problem is there are some key differences between the western markets and India, like hotter weather, stop/start driving and road conditions. My worry is it should not be like other stories of successful cars/tech from western markets doing not so great in Indian conditions (e.g. Australian cars in the 90s, TCs in Indian cities, etc.)

Originally Posted by EV Fan

...
Coming to charging and the solar setup, neither Nexon Max nor the MG ZS have the capability to reduce the Load when plugged into regular mains, the Kona did. Basically it means, the Kona can be connected on a single phase, low load connection without blowing the fuse or getting a load penalty.
Would like to know your observations if you had tried / tested them on these characteristics or if you have any workaround solutions.

Are you referring to the charging time and limit setting in the MID in Kona? This is not available in Max and ZS. But I think a limit can be set in the charger to ensure that you stay within your sanctioned load limit. This can increase the charging time, and will be annoying when you have to do the recommended <10% to 100% charging once a month or once in 4 charge cycles.

For Nexon Max with 3.3 KW charger, it is just a 15A plug so the charging time can be controlled using a simple 15A smart plug.

In my case I have 10 kw connection, my current usage rarely exceeds 3 kw, so I am considering the 7.2 kw A/C charger, as that will bring down the full charging from ~15 hours to ~7 hours.

The solar setup is entirely independent, and does not affect charging.

Originally Posted by EV Fan

Same here, somehow paddle shifters - regen control on fingertips and the capability to stop the vehicle with them made it a highly desirable feature for me.Another thing i liked was the ECO+ mode with the speed cap as opposed to the all time forced limit on the Nexon.

Yeah, the paddle shifter regen control really improves driving comfort and will be missed in the longer run. I tend to forget/ignore/take for granted the niceties which don't affect driving, so won't miss other features much, but this is a good one.

Originally Posted by EV Fan

...
The discount has made me reconsider Kona. The MG ZS Excite is nowhere in site - with new MG model due soon, i seriously don't think Excite will be seeing the Indian Roads.

What I heard is Excite will be available in ~2 months, but Kona and even some variants of Max are available for ready delivery. Tata is also offering some discounts (and benefits like free extended warranty) but Kona definitely has more discounts and there is not much risk of any hike in Jan '23.

In the end all three are good options with their own strengths and weaknesses, making it difficult decide.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by Hawk4

Therefore, the draining issue won't occur until the car has been parked for several months.

Usually quite rare, but it has happened in errant scenario's as well like when people forgot to close the boot properly and the alert+boot lamp drained the battery etc. It seems the BMS does not monitor the low voltage battery when the vehicle is not powered on.

Originally Posted by Hawk4

I heard that only a limited number of MG Excite variants are being delivered now. With MG's increased production from 400 to 800 units per month, the backlog will be cleared quite quickly. There is now only a two-month waiting period for new bookings.

Originally Posted by wocanak

What I heard is Excite will be available in ~2 months

The Excite i thought was only a rumor, was not aware they have started selling it. Need to check that out.

Originally Posted by Hawk4

The continuation of the current 80EEB income tax deduction on EV loans after March 2023 is my other concern.

this and the possibility of road tax getting implemented on the EV's.

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I am living with a max for two weeks. Max can be connected to a regular 15A point without blowing fuse in fact I was doing it for the first week at my home. There should be proper earthing.

Earthing is usually the likely culprit where the ELCCB trips. But the scenario i was talking about was a slightly rarer one- some old houses (usually villages) where MCB & fuse are not matched properly or improper load addition on 6A etc.

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I got wh/Km as low as 58. It depends on driving I guess.

Wow, that's an impressive figure. Is this an avg or a section of flat road or downhill? Quite curious to know how you achieved it, most of the avg's i heard on the forum were 90/100+ Wh/Km.

Originally Posted by wocanak

Are you referring to the charging time and limit setting in the MID in Kona? This is not available in Max and ZS. But I think a limit can be set in the charger to ensure that you stay within your sanctioned load limit.

Yes, Kona has option for "Charge Current" (Maximum, Reduced, or Minimum) alongwith the scheduled charging & charge limit.
If you set this, with the portable charger the load can be around 900W-1KW on "Reduced" and 0.5KW on "Minimum". It will charge very slowly but can be a saving grace on houses with low sanctioned load.
The wallbox charger allows the option for all the vehicles but only Kona as of now gets it for portable charger via its Infotainment.

Originally Posted by wocanak

For Nexon Max with 3.3 KW charger, it is just a 15A plug so the charging time can be controlled using a simple 15A smart plug.

The smart plug is a good option for the timing, though cannot control the load.
I am not actually sure what are the Nexon's & ZS's minimum cutoff Wattage rating while charging, Kona seems to be 500W.

[Rossiter]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

Usually quite rare, but it has happened in errant scenario's as well like when people forgot to close the boot properly and the alert+boot lamp drained the battery etc. It seems the BMS does not monitor the low voltage battery when the vehicle is not powered on.

Actually it does. The Kona has a small yellow light in the front of the car, near the Hyundai badge that comes on when the 12V battery is getting charged. In my Kona, it comes on at odd times when the car is parked.
Am seeing it more often now, since my car and the battery is 3+ years old, and needs constant care from the main traction battery.

[GKR9900]

The next gen Kona EV spotted in the flesh. I just hope Hyundai brings this one to India soon. That would provide some pacification for those who were waiting for the facelift version for a long time now.

https://youtu.be/Wo52jl2Vit8

[NannuBhai]

While this new face lifted Kona EV looks good, Hyundai has never been true to India in bringing the latest & greatest, while the rest of the world gets it.

* Introduced Kona EV to India with the lower trim & never brought the higher trim, which performs quite well.
* Introduced India to Ioniq 5, while Ioniq 6 is being released to the world.
* Announced to the rest of the world that Hyundai will be changing the battery of all Kona EV but didn't do so for India. It was only after some arm-twisting tactics by the Govt that Hyundai fell in line.

These are a few. So, going per the video, if this is being released in Korea in May 2023, don't expect it in India until May 2024.

Just get a feeling that Hyundai thinks poorly & lowly of us Indians.

By the way - I do have a Kona EV.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by Rossiter

Actually it does. The Kona has a small yellow light in the front of the car, near the Hyundai badge that comes on when the 12V battery is getting charged. In my Kona, it comes on at odd times when the car is parked. .

Thanks for sharing this info. Since, the automakers are almost good for nothing when it comes to transparency on issues/updates or even technical know how, it is up to BHPians like you to fill the gap.

Originally Posted by GKR9900

The next gen Kona EV spotted in the flesh. I just hope Hyundai brings this one to India soon. That would provide some pacification for those who were waiting for the facelift version for a long time now.

Originally Posted by NannuBhai

While this new face lifted Kona EV looks good, Hyundai has never been true to India in bringing the latest & greatest, while the rest of the world gets it..

The bets are on. I highly doubt that it will see indian roads atleast for 2-3 years - Possibly due to supply chain issues not yet being ironed out and covid resurgence (though not seemingly as bad as first time).

Originally Posted by Rossiter

since my car and the battery is 3+ years old

Originally Posted by NannuBhai

By the way - I do have a Kona EV

Also a query for Kona owners. Have you folks taken any 5'6" passengers in the rear seats on long trips? How bad or tolerable was it? The short test drive made us aware of the knees up position and wary of how bad it could be on long trips.