[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by linuxworld

Excellent data, @ADI7YAK. I had never seen this kind of granular record detailing. Posts like these play a crucial role in EV onboarding for people sitting on the fence.

I wanted to ask about two things.

1. Do you see range degradation after driving for 160k km?
2. Is range anxiety still the issue especially on long routes, or is it no longer the case once you get used to the car?

Thank you! The battery was changed at 65k km as part of a global recall procedure so technically new battery has done only 95k km. Don’t see much degradation yet. Car still predicts around 340-360km range on a full charge but it changes rapidly depending on how it is driven.

Range anxiety is a non issue for most of the journeys between metros and even Tier 2 cities. Major highways have chargers dotted around and number is going up. You can refer to PlugShare app and website. It is every EV owner’s go to app to look for a charger.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Absolutely amazing to see such a long-term review of the Kona, which IMHO is one of the most promising EVs that were offered in the market.

Will be nice to see a breakeven analysis (even if rudimentary) as to how long it would take the recover the actual cost of the car in terms of fuel savings over the years. I am sure given the accelerated jump in the fuel prices over the past few years this break even point would be achieved faster.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! I have already posted fuel savings vis a vis Creta petrol auto and diesel auto, but getting full car’s value (ie ₹24 lakh) back might take 1.6l more kilometres!

Originally Posted by Jupizire

Bewildering to see the car clocking 1.6L kms in under 4 years! Was this also used for any commercial purpose or purely personal?

This is the only car we currently have. Although it was primarily bought for city use, an unfortunate incident involving the second ICE car has turned this into the primary vehicle for daily commute and longer trips. I also like to drive it a lot!

Originally Posted by sheelRP

Congratulations on a fabulous ownership of a very underrated EV. I own one and now closing on 20K after about 15 months of ownership. Wishing you many more miles in Kona.

Thanks and wishing you many happy miles as well!

[enj0y_ride]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

My calculations show approximately Rs 11 lakh & Rs 8 lakh savings in fuel alone compared to same mileage in a comparable petrol and diesel car respectively. Do note that maintenance is not included in this.

Attachment 2617628

All in all, it has been a fabulous ownership experience and there are no plans of letting this car go yet.

Thanks for sharing. Amazing ownership and 1.6 L is no small feat. In fact the maintenance would have costed a ton for ICE at this stage ( if you are to compare Hyundai to Hyundai ). I sold my Verna diesel at 1.7 L Km and I remember every service after 1 L costing more than 20k and some cases more than 40k. And at that stage I had to insist on EGR valve cleaning everytime due to black smoke ( and there you are with no emissions at 1.6 L )

[Sensible_Speed]

I've noticed, EV owners drive their cars a lot more than the equivalent ICE car owner. My friend had an Alto that he drove about 27000 km in 8 years. But, once he upgraded to a Nexon EV max, that usage shot up exponentially. He put almost 15000 km on it in the first few months. Subsequently, he's driven it 32000 km in 1.5 years, despite not having to move around all that much. It's cheaper to use the EV than take a petrol scooter out!

[SKC-auto]

Originally Posted by enj0y_ride

And at that stage I had to insist on EGR valve cleaning everytime due to black smoke ( and there you are with no emissions at 1.6 L )

Fact, the per km emissions of this car would have reduced from the time it was bought 4 years ago, as we are adding more and more renewable energy to the grid.

[furyrider]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

Total spent on the car (depreciation not included) is around Rs 4.7 lakh.

My first reaction was 4.7 lakh isn't cheap. I then opened fuelio to check the amount spent on my vehicle. The running costs blew my mind.

For those of you scratching your heads on the running costs, here is a comparison:

Vehicle: 2022 Kia Carens Diesel MT
ODO: 29050 (last refueled at 28932)
Amount spent on fuel: INR 1,60,272.41
Total amount spent on vehicle (including fuel, insurance, tolls, maintenance, etc): 2,92,960.41 (31K on tolls alone).
Average fuel economy: 18.26 Kmpl
Average fuel price: ~95-96/L

Thank you, sir, for the informative post! This is an eye opener for someone (like me) who is not really into EVs. I will seriously consider one when the time comes to replace our 2019 Santro AMT.

[navinmra]

Brilliant review and discussion thread on Kona EV ownership. As a Nexon EV Max owner with 20k on the ODO in 13 months, my question is not about the battery or motor or anything EV at all, but the overall mechanicals and general wear and tear of the car. Please can you talk about the following?

• Rusting
• Shock absorbers
• Tyres
• Bearings
• Wiring
• Rattles

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by navinmra

Please can you talk about the following?

• Rusting : Although I have not personally checked thoroughly, car does get inspected at service center every 10k km and I haven't heard of any rusting issue from the service center folks. Will specifically ask to get it checked next time around.

• Shock absorbers : Car is on original suspension and it is doing just fine. No noises or clunking.

• Tyres : I'm on the third set of tyres, last changed at 1.08l km and from what I could tell, will need to be changed at 1.7-1.75l km again.

• Bearings : Wheel bearings were changed once under warranty, but turned out it was the noise from unevenly worn Michelin (second set of tyres) and wheel bearings were fine. Car is still on the first set of brake pads since all the weight lifting is done by regenerative braking system.

• Wiring : Not sure about this one. Car is working fine so I assume all is well.

• Rattles : Surprisingly not many, definitely nothing that would bother someone who pays close attention to rattles. This is even with dashboard being removed and reinstalled for AC coil replacement. The only thing rattling in the car is the parcel shelf and occasional lose items in the cabin or boot.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

[*]Rattles : Surprisingly not many, definitely nothing that would bother someone who pays close attention to rattles. This is even with dashboard being removed and reinstalled for AC coil replacement. The only thing rattling in the car is the parcel shelf and occasional lose items in the cabin or boot.[/list]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

All in all, it has been a fabulous ownership experience and there are no plans of letting this car go yet.

Wonderfully put. Thanks a ton.

Your experience is more assuring than Hyundai's "Asurances"

Btw have you hit these kind of numbers on any ICE before?
Would love to hear your opinion on an aged ICE vs EV.

[navinmra]

Totally agree with @EVFan’s comments. What is assuring is that the whole car is so well put together, not just the batteries, which a majority of folks will understandably have their apprehensions on. As cars age, the body and other mechanicals show wear and tear and to EV Fan’s other point, I may even theorize that EVs age more gracefully than their ICE counterparts - something your post has confirmed.

[Sentau]

@ADI7YAK I assume that you have traveled to Mumbai in your Kona.

What percentage of charge did you use on those trips on average when driving back to Pune from Mumbai?

There is a substantial elevation change, so I wonder about extra charge usage. My father travels to Pune regularly (a few times a month) for some work and usually returns the same day, so I am wondering whether a smaller but more efficient EV like a Kona can make the trip on one charge if push comes to shove in case he is unable to charge while returning.

From what I have seen, the MG ZS-EV could do it while the Nexon-EV long-range can't, but there is no information regarding the Kona.

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by Sentau

@ADI7YAK I assume that you have traveled to Mumbai in your Kona.

What percentage of charge did you use on those trips on average when driving back to Pune from Mumbai?

Yes I regularly use Kona for Mumbai drives. I usually charge between 70-80% which is sufficient to get back home from North Mumbai. The elevation change can take up extra 30-50km range depending on how you drive. Some Kona owners have done Pune-Mumbai and back on a single charge, but with my driving style it wouldn't be possible (or worth it ) Mumbai has a lot of chargers and you only spend around 20 minutes to charge so might as well do it for the peace of mind.

[Sentau]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

Yes I regularly use Kona for Mumbai drives. I usually charge between 70-80% which is sufficient to get back home from North Mumbai. The elevation change can take up extra 30-50km range depending on how you drive. Some Kona owners have done Pune-Mumbai and back on a single charge, but with my driving style it wouldn't be possible (or worth it ) Mumbai has a lot of chargers and you only spend around 20 minutes to charge so might as well do it for the peace of mind.

Thanks. So after topping upto 70% and driving 'non-conservatively', at what SOC percentage do you reach home?

Also slightly off topic but why the hell isn't there a charger at the big, relatively new food court before the khalapur toll on the pune to mumbai side. Like so many people stop there to have some food or a quick snack, seems like the perfect place to have some DC chargers to allow for fast charging.

@mods please feel free to remove the 2nd paragraph if it is too off topic

[ADI7YAK]

Originally Posted by Sentau

Thanks. So after topping upto 70% and driving 'non-conservatively', at what SOC percentage do you reach home?

I get back home (central Pune) with around 10% of juice left.

Originally Posted by Sentau

Also slightly off topic but why the hell isn't there a charger at the big, relatively new food court before the khalapur toll on the pune to mumbai side. Like so many people stop there to have some food or a quick snack, seems like the perfect place to have some DC chargers to allow for fast charging.

Nope, no charger at that food mall yet, but I believe there is a Tata Power one at the old one besides it. I have never used it since I leave home with 100% battery and usually get there with around 80% still left, so no point in charging there. It could be handy for those who do not have a full battery while starting from Pune or those who are driving from other places.

[ADI7YAK]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to update you all with latest stats with odometer hovering at about 185k km.



Spent a total of Rs. 5,91,456 over 185k km. This includes every expense ever incurred on this car (minus fines )


Per kilometer cost an ICE car can only dream of.



Home charging makes up 90% of total charging.



Started new year with a big expense on a new set of tyres. Previous set of tyres lasted a cool 76k km! Wanted to give Michelins a try again but they were costlier by Rs 12k and the jump didn't make sense especially considering how long previous Continentals lasted. The car is also due for regular maintenance, but I'm waiting for rear bumper and LHS taillight both of which are damaged because of an reckless rickshaw driver.



Car still predicts 300+ driving range under mixed highway+city usage. Range does drop on a fast expressway though.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by ADI7YAK

Car still predicts 300+ driving range under mixed highway+city usage. Range does drop on a fast expressway though.

Thanks for keeping this thread updated. Helps many EV fence sitters like me.

How much is the real world battery degradation you have observed after such lengthy usage?