[mohanphadnis]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Why do you say it won't get software updates? Even though Hyundai will launch the facelifted Kona in India in few months from now, still they should continue to provide software updates specific to this generation Kona isn't it?

You are correct, let me rephrase, kona does not get OTA S/W updates. They did update my car a number of times, but it was a manual effort (every year when she went to the shop for servicing).

And because new Kona is going to be launched in some time, the discounts on current one would bring it's cost below/around the Empowered+ nexon.

[sripal88]

Compared to xuv400

1. Nexon EV's range rear seats are not that comfortable due to raised floor
2. Mahindra's sales service is better than Tata

3. Xuv400 charges much faster than Nexon EV LR aka max, Nexon 40kwh charges only at 30-31kw speed even in a 60kw charger

Suggest mg zs ev excite variant (23 lakhs on the road) because 50kwh gives 400km real-world range and charges faster and LFP also and MG sale & service is a delight

For India 50kwh will be the sweet spot for range and efficiency we don't need 70-80kwh and can't live with 30-40kwh.

Mod note: There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.

[GKR9900]

Update: As of now, also considering the Kona as the prices are just about a few lakhs more than the top end Nexon.EV. The sales exec assigned me a courtesy car to use for 2 days and it seemed to tick all the boxes. Less space at the rear and a firm suspension are the gripes, but they're no major deal breakers. Quality levels are definitely a step up from the other 2.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Update: As of now, also considering the Kona

If you are not in a hurry or in an immediate need then would suggest waiting to see new lineups from Tata, Hyundai & who knows even Maruti & Mahindra as well.
Kona is quite a good vehicle but since it is not locally built the service time period due to issues is quite long. And the service personnel are almost in a trial & error mode due to this being a rare one - personal experience.
This could be worsened if you don't have an EV specific service center nearby. I live in Chengannur & the only 2 centers that are allowed to touch the Kona are in Kochi or Trivandrum- both more than a 100kms away. No other center can open a job card, not even for something trivial.

Advantages:
Tata - New platform, localized production. So, far more spacious with all the app functionalities
Hyundai - Creta or Exter EV, might get Kona like car but with localized production so better service & turnaround times
Maruti - Need to keep an eye on this one, after all they have said they are looking to get an EV with the entire ecosystem so that means the after sales support which has been the sore point for literally all the EV manufacturers now.
Mahindra - Might just surprise the market with its new entrants, although i am quite skeptical

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

Kona is quite a good vehicle but since it is not locally built the service time period due to issues is quite long. And the service personnel are almost in a trial & error mode due to this being a rare one - personal experience.
This could be worsened if you don't have an EV specific service center nearby. I live in Chengannur & the only 2 centers that are allowed to touch the Kona are in Kochi or Trivandrum- both more than a 100kms away. No other center can open a job card, not even for something trivial.

Thanks for the update. I was expecting something similar and even expressed my concern over Kona being a CKD and potential downtimes. I was kinda reassured because my home is just 25 km or so away from the Kona service center. I was a fan of the car and as an EV it seemed quite sorted. If you don't mind, can you outline the issues faced and the response from the service center regarding them?

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

I was a fan of the car and as an EV it seemed quite sorted. If you don't mind, can you outline the issues faced and the response from the service center regarding them?

I too absolutely love the car but Hyundai's always treated it like an orphaned child and the dealer treats it almost like runt of the litter.

While a detailed post is already in the making, the problem i faced is apparently around a common issue faced by quite a few owners - the AC clogging up & blowing up the compressor. As per the service center it happens if the vehicle does not get regularly DC charged, monthly once atleast resulting in the battery cooling system (expansion valve) getting clogged due to disuse.
In my case it is the 3rd compressor replacement in 4 months. The service center only did symptomatic fixes rather than fix the root cause and no proper testing to verify if the issue is resolved by DC charging.

Concern is that cooling is critical here, as the battery is an active cooled NMC - prone to degradation or even fire risk without the cooling.

[sidoxic]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

As per the service center it happens if the vehicle does not get regularly DC charged, monthly once atleast resulting in the battery cooling system (expansion valve) getting clogged due to disuse.
In my case it is the 3rd compressor replacement in 4 months.

This sounds super annoying
Main advice on charging usually is home charge/slow charge as much as possible. Except for long trips needing fast charging, DC doesn't have any other advantage.
Now this is something else only!
Having a DC charging on schedule is ridiculous - either the service centre chaps are making this up randomly, or it's a significant design flaw.

In my experience (XUV400) the compressor comes on while slow charging even in a cool basement parking, but much more while slow charging under the sun. I'm pretty sure all EV batteries/BMS trigger some cooling based on temperature - irrespective of DC/AC/charger speed.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

While a detailed post is already in the making, the problem i faced is apparently around a common issue faced by quite a few owners - the AC clogging up & blowing up the compressor.

Hey EV Fan, I would like to know more about this issue. I’ve DM’d you. Please let me know.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by sidoxic

Having a DC charging on schedule is ridiculous - either the service centre chaps are making this up randomly, or it's a significant design flaw.

Unfortunately at the risk of hijacking the thread with Kona woes, here it goes.

So technically the Kona's active cooling kicks in when the battery pack goes above i think 30-32deg C, that is the fact that i know off.
So it should start the AC circulation for battery (thereby preventing valve from clogging). Now, with the assumption of nice/cold weather the only way battery temperature can go up is when we do DC fast charge.
I think the service center guys want to be on the safer side & hence inform customers to do DC fast charging regularly.

But the actual design concern is the AC's - dual port expansion value.
Neither did they make it robust enough nor did they implement a fail safe.
The worst part is not even a proper testing mechanism was set up to diagnose this issue even after so many years of identifying it.
And the best part is the service center guys don't check using DC charging as it is beyond their scope(basically no DC charger in premises). It's only when it ends being a repeat issue and the customer is irate do they kind of do out of scope checks.

While this info might be a bit limited in terms of technical info on Kona & even dealer practices but this is what i had figured out after i ended up in the quagmire.

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by EV Fan

So technically the Kona's active cooling kicks in when the battery pack goes above i think 30-32deg C, that is the fact that i know off.
So it should start the AC circulation for battery (thereby preventing valve from clogging). Now, with the assumption of nice/cold weather the only way battery temperature can go up is when we do DC fast charge.

Or may be you can start charging after a "spirited" drive (god knows where can you get those spirits in gods own country). But this sounds as bad as the DPF situation in recent BS6 (so aptly abbreviated if you ask me) diesel engines. Drive hard to unclog some mysterious internal part.

I have difficulty believing in this explanation though. When the car is being driven there is a high chance that the battery cooling system would have become active. Kerala is not so cold for the battery to remains below 32 deg C.

Do you know of this problem for other EVs in town ? I have noticed that Nexon's battery cooling gets activated even when slow charging (mostly while using the 7.2 KW wall mounted charger but I have seen it gets activated with the 3 KW charger as well). And I usually charge at night (start it up a few minutes after a drive as recommended in the manual) and that too in my covered parking lot. On the other hand recently one of my distant relative had this problem in Tiago EV where the car refuses to charge from a fast charger (it charges for about 2% SoC increase and then stops). The claim by the service center sounded equally dubious to me (they say moisture had got into the charging port).

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by electric_eel

Do you know of this problem for other EVs in town ?

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Hey EV Fan, I would like to know more about this issue. I’ve DM’d you. Please let me know.

Originally Posted by sidoxic

This sounds super annoying

I think, the post had more of a discerning effect that intended. The concern here was the service center's inability of fixing a well known issue with Kona's AC.
While the car's drivetrain, BMS & even the AC system is good enough, except for the expansion valve. My post's focus was to highlight some of the Hyundai's service hassles:
1.) The service center had not properly diagnosed and fixed the issue even after 3rd attempt and that too having themselves handles it quite a few times. It's trial & error and still felt a bit lack-lustre if put mildly though i felt they have been completely irresponsible.
2.) what unhinges me is that their explanations almost sound superstitious, Without understanding the basic logic or they are not bothered understanding/explaining them to customers.
3.) Lack of service options. Not all Hyundai centers touch the "EV's". all 3 service centres within 50kms refused the Kona. only options in my case were 125kms away. Literally not even to fix punctures. Felt almost like racism.
4.) There is an extended delay while sourcing the service parts as it is a CKD.

I just wanted to highlight these to the OP as he was looking at Kona alternatively to the Nexon & XUV 400.
So wanted everyone to be aware that even though Kona is a good vehicle there are a few hassles to be aware of.

All said & done, i still have a soft corner for the Kona. i never regretted picking it after almost confirming a ZS EV but this service nightmare just made me rethink if i had made a mistake.(not to forget the loathing from the entire family).

So while i was planning to pen down the service nightmare i had with the service center, after seeing if they fix it atleast this time. i think i will not delay further and post it as soon as possible.

[GKR9900]

Hello everyone, here’s the anticlimactic update that ultimately unravelled. Was a roller coaster ride for the past few weeks and finally picked up a Hyundai Kona yesterday. Huge thanks to bhpians EV fan (Vimal) and evd torque (Srikanth). Wouldn’t have happened without these guys’ help. Will make a detailed thread on it soon. Thanks for your valuable inputs everyone. Much appreciated!

[rving]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Hello everyone, here’s the anticlimactic update that ultimately unravelled. Was a roller coaster ride for the past few weeks and finally picked up a Hyundai Kona yesterday. Huge thanks to bhpians EV fan (Vimal) and evd torque (Srikanth). Wouldn’t have happened without these guys’ help. Will make a detailed thread on it soon. Thanks for your valuable inputs everyone. Much appreciated!

Congratulations!! I am in the same boat as you are, but find the price difference with the XUV4OO to be the deterrent (17 vs 23 on road quoted by Hyundai Dealer). Is it possible to let us know the deal you were able to get on the Kona?

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by rving

Congratulations!! I am in the same boat as you are, but find the price difference with the XUV4OO to be the deterrent (17 vs 23 on road quoted by Hyundai Dealer). Is it possible to let us know the deal you were able to get on the Kona?

I’m not sure about Mumbai, but I believe it’s possible to get the Kona for a couple of lakhs cheaper in Bangalore.

[sumosari]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Hello everyone, here’s the anticlimactic update that ultimately unravelled. Was a roller coaster ride for the past few weeks and finally picked up a Hyundai Kona yesterday. Huge thanks to bhpians EV fan (Vimal) and evd torque (Srikanth). Wouldn’t have happened without these guys’ help. Will make a detailed thread on it soon. Thanks for your valuable inputs everyone. Much appreciated!

Congratulations on your new baby. I am on the same boat looking between Kona, MG ZS EV and Nexon.EV Empowered LR in Bangalore. Can you please help with the current year end discount price 🙏

My monthly usage was around 1000kms but need fully automatic and felt EV are better compared to ICE Automatic as most of them start ar 15L that too the compact ones.