[Draunzer21]

Good writeup.
To be honest I am not too much into EVs but I had thought all cars would have a standard charging plug and just like our petrol stations all charging stations would have standard charging gun but reading your hiccups I realised that charging guns might or might not fit the EV. Is that right? I am confused why this is the case then and why not have one standard across the country.
Sorry for my negligence here.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by Draunzer21

Good writeup.
To be honest I am not too much into EVs but I had thought all cars would have a standard charging plug and just like our petrol stations all charging stations would have standard charging gun but reading your hiccups I realised that charging guns might or might not fit the EV. Is that right? I am confused why this is the case then and why not have one standard across the country.
Sorry for my negligence here.

All newer EVs come with CCS charger support. It's the standard across the country. I believe certain older EVs like e-verito used GBT charger architecture which was the reason why such ports were also present at the station.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

All newer EVs come with CCS charger support. It's the standard across the country. I believe certain older EVs like e-verito used GBT charger architecture which was the reason why such ports were also present at the station.

Commercial/yellow board vehicles at least from Tata have GB/T vehicles sold even in 2024 like Tata Xpress- T, Tata ACE EV.

[XRoader_001]

Welcome to the ev club indeed kona electric is one of the few electric vehicles which we can get in India via CKD below 20 lakhs thanks to the offers plus discounts thoroughly enjoying the car myself from last year January.

Although Hyundai india needs to let it go for 2024 kona electric version no idea when or if ever

[shankar.balan]

@GKR9900 and @EV Fan.

Small Update on my Atlas White Single Tone Premium Kona EV:

Ive got the insurance done outside and got a fastag just now.

The vehicle should reach the dealership for PDI by Monday or Tuesday. It will get registered by Wednesday or Thursday. And I should receive it in hand on the weekend.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

@GKR9900 and @EV Fan.

Small Update on my Atlas White Single Tone Premium Kona EV:

Ive got the insurance done outside and got a fastag just now.

The vehicle should reach the dealership for PDI by Monday or Tuesday. It will get registered by Wednesday or Thursday. And I should receive it in hand on the weekend.

Looking forward to your detailed ownership review

[Love4Cars]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

And I should receive it in hand on the weekend.

Wishing you an uneventful PDI!
Looking forward for Delivery pics followed by an initial ownership review.

[ALTIMAed]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Hi GKR9900 and all other real world Kona/ Ioniq/ EV6/ Nexon Max/ MG ZS EV owners/users.


Considering the above, is there a similar 'charge depletion' observed in an Electric car like the Kona too? If yes, then please illustrate.

Thank you in advance for your help and clarifications.

I own a MG Comet which has a 17.3 KwH battery. which was grounded for 6 days as I had to attend an out of station marriage. Even I was keen to know how much the charge depletes while 'not using'. In case of my Comet, it was 2%

[shankar.balan]

@GKR900
@EV FAN
and indeed anyone else;

I seek a little advice regarding Clear CR 70 film on the front windscreen of the Kona.

In my Boxy, High Sided Thar, normally there was not issue with excessive sunlight entry while driving on the highways. However, there was a very light tint on the front windows on the driver and passenger side. And the front had a vast expanse of glass on which I had put CR70 film largely to cut any glare on a hot day and to also reduce the effect of oncoming traffic headlamps.

A short while ago I have done some research on the Kona by going to the nearby showroom and taking some photos of its windows to understand a but more. All the windows seem to be of clear glass - I am not able to detect a tint per se. However the front and rear windows, the rear quarter glass as well as the rear windscreen are all already rated AS2 and are 70% transparent. The front windscreen alone is rated AS1 and seems to be 75% transparent. I am wondering since this is a sleek and low slung car, would it be better that I have them install clear film ~CR70 on the front windshield?

Pictures attached for reference.

[GKR9900]

3 months update:

The Kona has done almost 6300 km since I took delivery in December. Here are a few notable mentions during this period.

- Efficiency numbers seem to show an increase. Earlier my work-home commute numbers used to hover between 7 to 9 km/kwh. Now it's usually between 9 to 11 km/kwh. This is with smooth acceleration and deceleration cycles and liberal use of the paddle-based regen. The more enthusiastic I am with the throttle, the faster the drop in efficiency.

- I have moved onto comfort mode as my usual drive mode. Earlier I used to go with eco mode. With comfort mode, it is much easier to maintain momentum as a light dab on the throttle provides more acceleration than in eco mode. Closing gaps in traffic doesn't require as much effort as in eco mode. Now I can see how EV fan can extract maximum efficiency in sports mode. But to me, aiming for efficiency in sports mode is kinda sacrilegious.

- The highest efficiency number I have gotten so far is 11.7 km/kwh for a 60 km stretch in Palakkad. I wasn't even trying to aim for efficiency and was on some work calls during the duration of the trip. Was pleasantly surprised about the results when I reached the destination. The Kona is a very efficient car provided you know how to tweak your driving style using the paddle and throttle input. But you need immense discipline to NOT bury the throttle at times just to have a smile plastered on your face.

- The car is an instant hit among my kids. So much so that when they are grumpy, I put them both in the back seat and go for a drive. My 1-year-old son has now learned to say 'caaaru' properly even before learning to say 'acha'. My 3-year-old daughter also enjoys the serene drive while listening to her favorite songs. Truth be told, these drives are like little pieces of heaven. And I can do them much more frequently without feeling guilty of burning fuel unnecessarily.

- The fuel cost savings for the last 3 months easily run upward of Rs 50k, when compared to my previous XUV500.

- Although I realized this earlier when I took delivery of the car, now I am pretty sure that it will be extremely difficult for me to upgrade to another car 'within a reasonable budget', next time I am in the market. The Kona is so darn good. The car reeks of quality and the way it drives is just superlative. I have heard umpteen number of times that the Kona is an outdated car citing the lack of a bigger screen and connected tech. As someone who prefers the mechanical feeling of a car over the features list, I would respectfully disagree. On second thought, the features present in the Kona specific to the EV powertrain like charging current adjustment and the implementation of the paddle-based regen are not seen anywhere else within this price bracket. And the driver's display is just so well organized and gives a plethora of useful information. All these are immensely useful and I use them on a daily basis. This car was way ahead of its time when it was launched. And 5 years later, it still holds its stance firmly, at least in the Indian market.

P.S: There are a few concerns regarding EVs and battery warranty that I should probably detail on another post as this involves not just the Kona, but other EVs as well.

[sheelRP]

Enjoy this fabulous car! I am driving it for more than 1 year and 16500 kms later, I always cherish my black pearl Kona. Still way ahead in terms of technology, safety and features in the current market. Just take care of proper tyre inflation and rotation.

[GKR9900]

10,000 kms UPDATE


It has been 5 months since I bought the Kona in December 2023. It has been an enjoyable experience no doubt. The 10000 kms were up and it was time to take the car for service. Service was scheduled for 9 am at Popular Hyundai, Kochi on 10th May. Reached the dealership by around 9.15 am. Inspite of making a booking via the Hyundai app and later confirming via call, it took a good 45 mins to get a service advisor allotted to me though. Guess they were short on staff that day. Anyway, once the service advisor did take up my car, he was courteous and tried to make up for lost time. The routine checks were done, fluids were topped up, the car was washed, and a BMS update was also done. They also looked into a few minor things that I had mentioned. While waiting, briefly checked out the Ioniq 5 too. These CKD Hyundais ooze some terrific quality. There’s no denying that.

I also managed to talk with a senior service head about the probable plans Hyundai India has lined up for the Indian EV space. The Kona was never intended to be a seller. It was more of an R&D exercise for Hyundai to test the waters in India. Ioniq 5 was sort of like a halo product. It seems the Creta EV is going to be their next major product, most likely as a replacement for the diesel Creta with the ever-tightening emission norms. Unlike the Kona, the Creta EV is expected to be a volume seller. So they are in the process of upgrading the Maharashtra plant and various service centres across the country to better handle that demand. The next in line is the Exter EV. He also mentioned how Hyundai is considering bringing in the new Kona EV (at a price of ~35L) and Genesis to India. But these might take some time. We also talked about how Maruti’s entry into the EV space is going to shake up the entire Indian landscape. Looks like EV fanatics are in for some juicy products in the near future.

After the service, I took the car to the nearby tyre shop the get a wheel balancing, rotation and alignment done. While doing this, there was a small screw that was found piercing the front left tyre. No warnings had popped up in the TPMS though. They fixed the tyre. The tyre pressure was set at 36 psi using nitrogen. This was later reduced to around 34 as 36 made the car unnecessarily bouncy. 34 seemed to offer a good balance between ride and handling.

So how does the car hold up after 10,000 kms?

Simply magical! Truth be told, this car is turning out to be an all-time favourite. I have said this before: The smooth, silent and explosive EV powertrain has made sure that it is next to impossible for me to consider another ICE car for purchase, but the low centre of gravity, the steering feel (I know I am talking about a Hyundai), the confident brakes, the paddle based regen, the 350 km realistic range, the way the car sticks on to tarmac - except for the times when you unleash all 400Nm of torque in a split second - have made sure that even if I am to consider another EV, it’s going to be a very hard exercise upgrading from all this. And I am not even mentioning about the fuel cost savings so far!

A few things I have noticed:

- Efficiency changes with outside temperature: The recent heat waves have demonstrated exactly this. When outside temperatures were soaring high, my efficiency for work-home commutes hovered around 6.5-7.5 km/kwh. Earlier I used to get around 8-9km/kwh even with spirited driving. Do note that I was driving mostly in comfort mode so the AC performance was not reduced. However, in the Kona, you can customise the AC to be in a higher setting even while driving in eco mode.

- Efficiency changes with tyre pressure: The recommended 36 psi on all tyres delivers more efficiency. But on a hot summer day, a bit of driving around takes the indicated tyre pressure to ~38 psi which makes the ride too firm and uncomfortable over poor road surfaces. I played around and have found that 34 is the sweet spot for tyre pressure in the Kona.

- Utility mode is Godsent: With peak summer scorching the living hell out of our bodies, the utility mode in the Kona - where you can use the car as a giant power bank while the motor is turned off - has come off as a lifesaver on more than one occasion. On a few occasions when our local transformer had gone caput, I did manage to get a few hours of sleep inside the car with the AC turned on in utility mode. A little bit of music adds a pleasant ambience inside the cabin.

All said and done, it’s pretty sad that Hyundai never promoted the Kona to its fullest potential. This is a no-nonsense, semi-aspirational, enthusiast-pampering car while being the first proper fully electric one in the mass-market segment. The car was initially launched in 2018 and there are so many things in the car that still feels well ahead of time. Anyways, I am happy to have lapped one up just in time. This one’s a keeper!

[Nanolover]

My cousins kona ev has done 75,000 kms in 18 months ( he does 250 kms daily as he is a visiting doctor). For him it used to be 3000 rupees per day in fuel now it's 300 rupees per day on charge.

The vehicle is maintaned with a fanatical attention to detail and it's really held up well for him ( his other drives are bmw 630 gt, Octavia, polo gt). On its original set of brake pads and company services only. He gets around 300 kms on a charge.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by Nanolover

My cousins kona ev has done 75,000 kms in 18 months ( he does 250 kms daily as he is a visiting doctor).

That means he must be charging every day to 100% right? Has he got his battery state of health checked at the dealership? Would be interesting to see that statistic.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

That means he must be charging every day to 100% right? Has he got his battery state of health checked at the dealership? Would be interesting to see that statistic.

Charging to 100% makes very little difference. In any case, the battery has a buffer and the 100% indicated is more like 95 to 97%.