HYUNDAI KONA EV (2022) / A gem easily overlooked for its flashier brothers. But is an EV practical?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2022
- Our road trip and review of the 2022 Hyundai Kona EV. Electric vehicles have been criticised recently as being impractical for long road trips. The EV roadmap is based on "wishful thinking" according to some. So let's find out whether a small family SUV like this is suitable for long road trips on our wide brown land of Australia. It's not the most striking looking little SUV but let's get familiar with this popular model and see just how good it is. Or isn't. Is is right for Australian conditions? Is any EV right?
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I bought my 2022 in Oct 7 2021 and have driven 20K and no regrets even in to cold winter months in Toronto I still have a range of 365km. Summer the average range is 475km mostly highway. I charge at home for $20 a month. I have saved $5000 in fuel.
Thank you.Makes me feel that i have made a right decision. Mine coming tonight 2023 Kona EV.
@@imemyself2244 You will love it. Bang for buck its amazing for an EV.
Really encouraging comment, thanks for the datapoints!
One of if not the best Kona EV review videos I’ve seen yet. You had me cracking up quite a few times along the way for the ride as well, all the best!
Thanks for coming along for the ride Clint. Polestar 2 review out tomorrow I hope.
That was a fab, chilled road trip. Was great to share it with you. Good fun.
Currently on our third trip to the Highlands. Owned since 2019. Still does 300miles. Now 67k miles. Great car, it works! Long distance car, not for the shops. 2k miles easy.
A very relaxing and pleasant video to watch. Thankyou for filming this journey!
A lot of sense coming out of Australia, great video, great presenter.
Thanks, very informative and exactly the review I was after for someone who has never used an EV and is starting to look into them.
Greetings from freezing Norway where its currently -28c. I changed my 2019 (64Kw) Kona last week to a 2023 facelift model for one reason only. To get the Hyundai BlueLink app. Living in Australia or the warmer parts of Europe the app is not really necessary, but here it's a must for warming up the car. The temperature in our detached garage is the same as outside and I was getting fed up dressing like an Eskimo to programme the car for the heating to come on half an hour before every journey. Shame we couldn't get the app on the earlier models. Norway being the world leader in EV cars per capita has 87% of all its new cars as pure electric. The choice of new EV's in 2023 is staggering, but believe me the Kona is still the most efficient EV I have ever owned. This is my fourth electric vehicle and have had them since 2016. Agree, it's not the most luxurious car on the market with a fairly plasticky interior, but for the money you won't get a better car making "range anxiety" a thing of the past.
Fantastic video and a joy to watch! Thank you.
What a great comment. Thank you for sharing your experience.
@@inCARnationAustralia you're very welcome! Your video is spot on and said how it is. Just subscribed to your channel 😀
@@inCARnationAustralia Further to your comment about the charging infrastructure in Australia lagging behind, we here in Norway have the big problem whereby there are so many fast chargers everywhere and operated by many companies. The problem with this is that you're having to sign up with them, create an account, send/receive sms messages, download their apps etc. that the whole thing is a mess, not user friendly and off-putting for those still sceptical switching to an EV. The Norwegian government has passed legislation last week that by 2025 all superchargers will have facilities to pay by card, just like a gas/petrol station! So far only Tesla has it nailed with their infrastructure being the best in the world (albeit with an account) but they're facing stiff competition and don't have the share in the market like they used to.
Incidentally also as from 2025 you won't be able to buy any new petrol, diesel or hybrids here in Norway, only pure electric. That's just 23 months away!
Keep up the good work with your videos. Very enjoyable to watch. Kind regards, Bob
@@MrLongraphics Thank you Bob. Fascinating. Would love to visit Oslo one day. I've shared your insights on the inCARnation Facebook page. Hope that's OK.
@@inCARnationAustralia You're very welcome to come to Oslo. We can meet up as we're about 1 hour north, near Lillehammer (Winter Olympics '94), You would be astonished to see the amount of EV's on the roads. I've visited Oz about half a dozen times when my daughter lived in Sydney (Five Dock). I was surprised with the amount of sunshine you get the lack of solar panels on the roofs of properties....Same goes for Spain. Stay in touch!
I really enjoyed the drive with you, I’ve driven all these roads, earlier this year chasing cars site took an Ioniq 5 to Melbourne doing 5, 8minute stops, as you said on tyres John Cadogan on his channel did a long term test of the Kona and changed to Michelin sport 4 tyres which made a huge difference.
Recently driving to Melbourne in my Passat 140tsi I was noting EV infrastructure, Mittagong, Goulburn, Gunning, Jugiong and Gundagai.
Thanks for the story.
Great video, are relevant to us Aussies. Also you are bang on about the ridiculous types of drivers out there. I'm buying one soon. Thanks.
Excellent upload.
No walk round the car enthralling about the trim and looks. Just the practicality that you want to know.
I've had a leaf since 2014. ... love it , but this will probably be my next car.
Being a long returning UK visitor to OZ it surprises me that with all your lovely sunshine, and minerals to dig, sorry to die for
Australia is so much behind most of the world
Great video loved it.
What a brilliant review. Really enjoyed it. Watching you from North Tipperary, Ireland. Good one.
Thanks Alun!
im in the UK i was so pleased with my 2018 Kona i got the upgraded one just over a year ago . Great review
great video Stu, thank you
Did a 460km roadtrip the other day with only one charger to go to. Went up to some mountain roads. Night fell and it was 140km to the charger and 114km on the car. So I went at 50km/h braking with the regen paddles. 3 hours later i made it with 30km on the car and 8.1 kw/100 km. Talk about range anxiety...
Whew. A bit tight. Care to share where (in the world) you are, Joao?
@@inCARnationAustralia Live in Portugal and was traveling in southern Spain. 50kw chargers and up are a rarity around here. 60% people drive diesel cars which is at 2€ per litre. Charge my kona on the weekends with 30% from solar power
Excellent video
Thank you for a superb video review.
I pick my brand new Kona 64KW ultimate ev up in 4 days time, it’s my first ev never had a hybrid or anything like that so totally new experience. I’m in the UK so we have a semi decent infrastructure which does seem to be improving all the time.
I think the title of the DJ in question needs to be upgraded from 'shock jock' to 'c*ck jock'. Great overview!
Another great video Stu. Hyundai really did a good job with those cars, prioritising practicality and a decent range for a reasonable price. Not my cup of tea - never been a FWD fan let alone a mini-SUV with FWD, but for many people it’s a really practical alternative.
The instinct to charge up everywhere is pretty strong initially, but as you point out, isn’t really necessary. Something overlooked by many though is that often you’ll want to stop for a bio break anyway. I know that the range of my model S is greater than the comfortable level of my wife’s bladder. ;) In some ways it’s a pity that it didn’t rain on you during the test, as pumping water out of the tyre tread impacts energy consumption a lot - especially at highway speeds.
The other consideration is that of the real advantage that Tesla has when it comes to charging options. The supercharger network is excellent, with more locations, each with more chargers and higher reliability. The Tesla of course can use both the general ones and the superchargers. I do expect that Tesla will open them up to other brands in future though since they are doing that in Europe right now in select locations.
Thanks for the video Stu. I've been driving a Kona EV for three years, loving it and wishing you would test one.
Mine is just the entry level and misses the few extra comforts of the Highlander but it was 8 grand cheaper at the time and available. It still has the 64kwh with 150kw motor though.
Spoke to my local dealer recently and there's a 12 month wait if you want a new one. Eeek.
It is a pity Mark couldn't be with you but then he seems to be only interested in performance cars whereas the Kona is a perfect example of a practical small EV SUV so it is understandable he may not like it.
I've done several road trips Brisbane to Cairns and Brisbane to Melbourne and don't have range anxiety any more. On our first trip north back in 2019, chargers were 200km apart and only one per station. Now in Qld they are every 100km up the coast with plans for inland on the books. Things are improving - albeit slowly.
Cheers
I’m going to wait the 12 months! Worth it.
I enjoyed your road trip, I bought one of these konas, waiting on it being delivered.
Cool. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Is it the new shape one, just released?
@inCARnationAustralia no its 2 years old,couldn't afford the new one.
Quite helpful, thanks! I test drove one earlier today and was surprised how good the ride felt (and) how straight-forward the drive experience was. I like that the cockpit of this car feels not unlike the cars I'm already used to driving. Just let me get in and go. I don't need a 24 inch TV screen bolted onto the dashboard. Nice review anyways!
New Kona just about to be released. Styling vastly improved. Looking foward to driving one.
In early 2020, I drove over 800km in a day in our 2019 Kona EV. I rarely drive that far in a day but it was no problem (Coffs Harbour to Canberra). Multiple partial charges are the key to a quick trip. If you plan to have each coffee/toilet/meal break where there is a fast DC charger every few 100km and don't hang around for a 100% charge but get back on the road, you can do 800km+ easily.
I have also done the Lithgow to Goulburn twisty hilly link in my Kona while towing a camper trailer. No problem. Overall that day was 360km from Newnes (Wollemi nat park) to Canberra with top ups in Lithgow and Goulburn. In Goulburn I charged from under 20% to over 50% in the time it took to visit the toilets and consume an ice cream. That was more than ample to get us home to Canberra, even with towing knocking a third off our usual range.
Great Heads up on private ownership. I was practically sold on a Kona, but I need to be able to tow a trailer on Xmas holidays from Brisbane north side to Bagarra near Bundaberg each Xmas. Now knowing that they can be outfitted with a tow bar I'm sold. I know a guy with a hybrid camry, and he was not permitted fit a tow bar. Thanks.
@@GlenB1963 Sorry to have to say this but I am now not towing with my Kona. After the ACT motor registry initially accepted an engineer's custom tow rating based on very reasonable, conservative and rational arguments, the motor registry reversed its decision and told me that I could no longer tow. The Kona does an excellent job towing our ~800kg camper but Hyundai are clearly not happy about it and having been formally told, I am no longer doing it.
@@PeterEVcharade Hi Peter, thank you so much for the info. Perhaps in a few years time the laws will change in the positive. In the mean time I guess it will be a roof rack. You would think that if you can tow with a petrol viant, then an electric with 400 odd NM's of torque, would be a no brainer. Obviously someone justifying their OH and S position and salary. Thanks again. G
Thanks for an interesting video. Odd to see how short you have come towards converting to EVs down under. Her in Norway, it's the order of the day. I get my new Kona in January - looking forward to that.
Hi Niko
Yes for a long time there's been a lot of push back and lobbying of government from the legacy fossil fuel industries, with a lot of misinformation and deflection on radio and TV for a decade. So much anti-EV sentiment still here. After ten years of inaction, we've recently had a change of government and things may get better. A lot of manufacturers won't bring their EVs here, and anyway, they're better off selling them close to their home markets for the carbon credits they receive. Interesting to note the huge takeup of EVs in Norway, especially considering you are a major oil producing and exporting nation - 2 million barrels a day - 2% of world production. That's huge for a small country. But clearly EVs make sense for your citizens or people wouldn't buy them.
@@inCARnationAustralia Aprox 20 of cars here are ev's by now, 80% of new cars sold are EV's. And you are absolutely right, it's about infrastructure, but also political willingness. Petrol cars here were (are) amongst the heaviest taxed in the world. EVs has up to now not been taxed at all. From 2023 there will be some small taxes on the heaviest and most expensive EVs. True, we are blessed with oil and gass, that most certainly helps our revenue. At the same time, we have the benefit of almost 100% coverage by hydropower for our own consumption. So it makes sense for us to drive electric, and our different governments has made this change possible by tax cuts on EVs. Btw, love your classification/ labeling of drivers 😁
@@MrNikodemus5 In one state in Australia, they have introduced a distance-based tax on EVs because they're not buying petrol (25% of the price of petrol goes straight to government as petrol excise tax). How totally backward-thinking is that? Aren't you glad you live in Norway!
this video is entertaining
Great car!!
A change is as good as a holiday and I quite enjoyed 30 minutes alone with Stu. Quality review. No offence to normal driver Mark W., but without a roaring engine sound, skilled lead foots could become back seat drivers in the silent engine revolution ahead. 😊
.. and that would be a bit sad. But thank you Anton!
just bought yesterday 8/12/23 this exact model, in White unfortunately but good price [imo] and traded in out Ix35 highlander Diesel 2014. We will see how it goes. The IX35 was faultless. Lets see how this one does.
Multiple motor and reduction gearbox failures worldwide reported on the 2018-2020 model including our own Kona EV. After only 20k kms multiple noises from motor and gearbox. The HV battery was also replaced and the 12 volt battery was eventually replaced after the vehicle died on us multiple times over 18 months. The latest fault is the charge port door no longer wants to open. Hyundai tell me them will be replacing the failing reduction box with the same part number gearbox that is reportedly failing for many owners. I would not rush out and buy another Hyundai or Kia EV any time soon, at least until they can prove they have these many issues under control.
I can understand your frustration regarding the motor and battery etc. I also had gear noise two years ago and it was rectified by turning the gears 180 degrees. Our 12V battery was also replaced (common fault with EV's) for a more powerful one, and the main battery replaced last year as part of a worldwide recall. Saying that, the Kona is a truly efficient vehicle and on par with Tesla, only more reliable! I had a Model S a few years back....That's another story! 😞
sorry you had problems.
So...if two families tried to do that trip in convoy, you'd be in trouble at each location where only one charger was available and working.
Or if you arrived five minutes after old mate whose battery was near empty, you'd have to wait till he was happy that he had enough charge for HIS next planned stage. You might only need a 10% top up to make it home, but if the guy in front of you is happy to wait 3 hours to go from 10% to 95%, you are a bit stuck.
I foresee people arguing over this... "why are you hogging the charger to trickle charge from 90 to 95%? You don't need to do that, it is bad for your battery, and there's 5 people waiting" ... "perhaps, but i was here first, and i get to use the charger until i am charged. And (if i say that) i need to be fully charged to make it home, then you mate, just need to wait your turn." Something like that.
I don't see the morons who routinely tailgate you in their dual cab so they can go 20kph over the speed limit suddenly turning into civilised human beings when they have to wait two hours at a charging station.
Nor the parents with a screaming baby in the back seat.
I WANT to have an EV so i can do all my shorter trips with (free) surplus power from my solar panels, but even for me with a 20kW solar array, the economics aren't there. The extra depreciation $pa from the EV price premium exceeds the potential saving from reduced fuel use. So there's a negative cash flow per year, and an EV can NEVER pay for itself on fuel cost savings.
It is a shame, but there needs to be some level of government "thumb on the scales", otherwise they will only be an option for the rich.
And the lease cost savings on EV's don't help non salary earners. We are looking at the full price in cold cash.
Lots of good points there, but I don't quite agree with your conclusion that they're only an option for the rich unless the gov't does do something to help.
I know a few people who are delighted with their EVs, bought them not for environmental reasons but for practicality, cost and comfort reasons, and are quite prepared to keep them long enough that the difference in depreciation isn't an issue. My colleague Mark Edwards has owned his Tesla Model S for ten years and has never been caught short or queuing. And his battery degradation is minimal. He just tops it up at night at home. He's going to trade it on another Model S he thinks and he paid a premium price as an early adopter of the high-end model, but even so the depreciation has been amortised over a decade and it's proven to be cheap motoring for him. And with really good cars like the MG4 and BYD Dolphin we reviewed around $40k, if you plan on keeping them 5 years, I think they're cheap motoring. As in - 'luxurious new car motoring at a cheap price'.
And quite practical for trips, as long as you time your departure.
People should think about charging their car in the same way that they think about charging their phone. You just give it a bit of a top up to get through the day, and plug it in at home at night on off-peak rates. Now I know people love to say 'what about the city apartment dwellers who don't have the ability to plug in at home'. Sure - an issue. But the average Australian drives 27km a day, and city dwellers even less. When you have a car with a 450-500km range, it's still not an issue once a fortnight to make a trip to your local servo or supermarket at some quiet hour. While you shop. Or surf. Or call an old friend. Or play chess. Just a little planning and even in our immediate-gratification 2-second-attention-span society It's not a big imposition I think.
But yes, leave on a long trip at 9am on a long weekend and their could well be tears. With broken chargers, poor planners, and a Amarok or Ranger parked across two EV charge bays.
Often I hear - "oh we still have the Prado for towing or off-road, and we love it but we both found we never drive it now unless we have to".
You've got a huge 20kW solar system - that's impressive - any batteries? If so, sure looks like you're a candidate...
Also I would point out that public infrastructure although still not up to scratch is improving very rapidly. Since that review 2 years ago things have changed a lot - I've noticed how a lot of BP and AMPOL servos have now sprouted a couple of EV charge spots. And the big ones like on the Hume Highway at Pheasants Nest - 6 rapid chargers either side of the highway. Every time I've been past only a couple were being used. They're popping up everywhere. And the likelihood of queuing - is still there are peak times - but again I say... planning.
Having said all that - I did see Paul Maric's Californian adventure recently when he hired a Rivian. Regarding charging - what a disaster! EV adoption much greater than infrastructure.
Hi guys. I'm planning to buy a small EV and this one looks spot on. I saw a few reviews complaining about road/wind noise at high speed. Is it that bad? I cannot go for a test drive as the dealer doesn't have cars available.. they are kind of rare these days.. waiting list is about 1 year. Still, I would like to order one but I'm concerned about the noise. Thanks.
I didn't find that to be the case at all. Car was on Michelin Primacy - standard fitment I think. I found neither road nor wind noise to be an issue. Top speed driven was only 110km/h though. SG
It would have been even cheaper if you used the 50kW charger at Goulburn instead of the 350kW, at 45c instead of 60c/kWh. At the relatively high state of charge of your Kona when you made those stops, it would not have gone much higher than 50kW anyway so you would have only charged slightly less in the same amount of time.
What is your height ?
Leg and head room ?
Suspension comfort on country roads ?
184cm. Just over 6'. Head room fine for me, front and back. Driving position no compromise for me. Comfortable but not spacious in the back though. IONIQ 5 significantly larger in every way.
And yes, even without adaptive dampers, the suspension was a good balance on country roads and coped well with our the ruts and potholes. Quite comfy.
Wow! That was a pricey stop! Those chargers probably owned by oil companies.
I thought it was pretty cheap. It's Australian dollars, maybe you thought it was US$.
Boo hoo! Ordered mine in June but now there's an extra delay before it arrives. Read all the reviews and looking forward to getting mine.
Dang! I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. Top car!
Non related question... were you Mr Squiggle?
A fair question Grant, as I know I have a strong resemblance to Mr Squiggle, especially the voice and long pencil nose. But no, I was only one year old in 1959 when Mr Squiggle first appeared on ABC TV so I am not him and nor is he me. And I have to admit that like many others of my generation, I was terrified of Mr Blackboard scolding Mr Squiggle with his gruff "hurry up. hurry up". Were you similarly scarred as a child? Mr Squiggle was actually conceived, operated and voiced by Norman Hetherington who passed away in 2010 but had he lived long enough, would have turned 102 this year. So he is marginally older than me. If you remember, Mr Squiggle drew his drawings upside-down and Miss Pat (Patricia Lovell) would turn them right way up so we children could marvel at them. To do this Norm, operating the puppet from above, would himself lie face down so he could see what he was drawing right-way-up. You'd think using a mirror would have been easier. But thank you for the question.
@@inCARnationAustralia lol, glad you took it in the right way 😜 I thought Steamshovel looked awesome and Gus the snail was a tech marvel!!
The people who say EV is not practical or cost effective are not educated or have not lived or driven the EV. Yes, the EV is just starting and it is just the beginning of whole new movement in energy transportation. It can only get better for all of us. Tech will come to the battery for longer range with time and EV support industry will be laid out every year that is an improvement over previous year. The future is bright. If you don't look at the positive, you will only gripe about current negatives.
Huh. Ausie drivers sound a lot like American drivers
Pretty much. Except we don't have to worry that somebody behaving badly on the road might have a concealed carry permit.
@@inCARnationAustralia this is very true. Road courtesy goes a long way 😂
unfortunately true.....
You should run a separate EV channel. This was great, but I'm not interested in all the fossil-based content!
Ha, thanks. I don't think Mark would go for that. He's a dino juice tragic, and with all the EVs cars I've flung at him, he's acknowledging the benefits and how good and practical many of them are. But his heart is still firmly in cars that make a lot of noise, smell and unnecessary heat and pollution. We cover all cars - to try to keep balanced and break down the barriers between those at both ends of what's sadly becoming a class war - the 'coal rollers' vs the 'ev-angelists'
Er…. No.
I had a Kona loan car for four days and it was the most forgettable car I’ve ever driven, then there’s the hideous styling. But the killer has to be the human slavery used to make 30% of all the cobalt used in ev’s.
If you really want to save the world buy a 90’s sedan and keep it well maintained
Ah that old furphy Andrew. Nothing changes faster than battery technology. In part because of this issue, there's been a big move away from Cobalt in batteries as you probably know. Or maybe you don't. LFP Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (as used by Tesla and increasingly by the others) are now Cobalt free. So one of the major uses of Cobalt is now what's it always been used for - for decades - in the petrol refining process as a catalyst to remove sulphur in the production of unleaded fuel. So all those people who have suddenly developed an interest in child welfare in the Congo should be turning their attention to reducing their dependence on petrol for their 90s sedans. But sorry you didn't like the Kona. Maybe it was the entry-level petrol version. And I also am not a fan of the styling.
Er…still no.
So regardless of your switch and bate comment about cobalt being used in the petrol business, it sounds like you concede that this car is not a Tesla?
And uses lithium Iron batteries?That use cobalt? That the World Health Organisation say that 30% of which comes from unregulated mines.
That can mean slaves.
Some of which are children.
Ok. So imagine that we agree on all that.
Do you also concede that the pollution made by producing a car 26 years ago and amortised over the last 26 years is better for the planet that one made more recently?
And especially a hideous looking SUV ev?
Ergo, we should all be driving. charismatic resto-mods and save the planet!
Thanks for watching and contributing. Wasn't switch and bait (sic). Just pointing out that Cobalt has long had other uses so EVs aren't entirely to blame. Glad to see our viewers have a strong social conscience. Keep it up.
And what car do you drive Andrew?
Just buy a car that gets it's cobalt from ethical sources then. All the companies have details on how they source their minerals if you care.
His point was also valid that half of all new Teslas don't have any cobalt (no idea about others) and that petrol uses cobalt. Also the computer you're typing this on uses cobalt.