My mother was interested in buying a 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Limited with 50K miles for $25,000, up to 258 miles I quite like it and it is pretty zippy, my mom doesn't do a lot of highway/long-distance travel should she consider it?
Consider the following:
MSRP on a brand new gasoline/petrol powered Kona middle trim $23K
EV is questionable technology and this was built 4 years ago when the technology was even more sketchy.
The car is used which means limited if no warranty.
It's only 3 years old. Why is it for sale?
It's a Kia.
I rest my case.
Sorry I goofed it is a Hyundai. My bad.
Same difference
I wouldn't waste the money. My coworker has a regular 2020 Hyundai Kona and he can't wait to get rid of it. It's very cheaply made, and he's felt the transmission shift funky a few times. He bought it brand new and only has around 30,000 miles on it or so. He's getting a new Mazda soon, but he's getting a sedan.
It is a Kona Electric with no gears.
@ToyotaLover77 I believe @justin-shepherd was referring to how the Kona is a crapshoot even with a gas engine.
-
PS. Was that Kona a 1.6T with the dual clutch? If it only shifted funky a few times over 30k they’ve improved, the last time I had the displeasure of driving a Hyundai TGDI-DCT it was nauseating (way worse than a Focus)
I'm not sure. He doesn't know really anything about cars. That's what I was getting at, I guess I didn't spell it out, if their conventional powered cars are pretty much garbage, their EVs are surely garbage.
Well, If that’s the dual clutch than it’s normal for it to occasionally to have a rough shift - especially when it’s a electrically actuated dry clutch design like Hyundai’s, That’s just how dual clutches are.
But if it's the 6AT than it's very interesting, Hyundai began flashing them with updated software that allows the conventional auto to achieve CVT level of efficiency but makes the gearbox operate at much higher temperatures - It has negatively affected the shift quality of the lowest capacity variant, especially when cold.
The Conventional AT on the Kona uses the second lowest capacity variant (A6GF1), So it's interesting wether that new efficiency software also has degraded the shift quality on it...
I could get his VIN and find out, I didn't think of that until just now, lol. I'm curious on this one now as well.
Where do you think the infamous Samsung phone batteries were made? ... Korea
The batteries inside of the Korean Samsungs Note 7 were actually made by a Chinese company ("Amperex", "Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited", "CATL") - the same people who make Toyota Hybrid, Honda and some Apple batteries.
They found that the Note7 Batteries Produced by another Korean company, Samsung SDI did not have such issues (They will supply Stellantis)
The troublesome batteries inside of the Bolt and Kona were made by LG chem, and the batteries that explode in the Bolt have been made in Michigan, US.
I don't see how place of manufacture would affect the reliability, when talking about batteries.
The Kona EV is known for spontaneously erupting into flames in massive numbers.
The reason it’s going for that much cheaper even during the current state of the car market is because people aren’t that big about being burned alive.
And then there are also issues with electronics that no mechanic knows how to fix and that the dealer is going to Chan the you $,$$$ for.
If you’re certain that you want to go electrified, the Corolla Cross hybrid is a decent choice.
As the Corolla Cross is mechanically solid and based on the Corolla a compact car, while the Kona is a sub compact sharing parts with the Hyundai Accent.
So between the fire hazard, the cheapness, the issues surrounding repairability I’d avoid it.
EDIT: Thinking more about it, I think the perfect solution for your mom would be a PHEV. The RAV4 Prime has 42 miles of EV range.
And Toyota’s “prime” hybrids have been so far very reliable - the warranty is long and usually the batteries do last for 10-15 years.
Hyundai uses LG Chem batteries for their EV’s. It seems companies that use LG Chem batteries are having a hard time. With Hyundai having burning, and Ford Mach-E having coolant leak on them, they are still trying to figure things out.
No
