New Generation Kona EV

I do it myself in my Kona. Sometimes I just use brake pedal to stop instead of left paddle.

 

That's a good idea. The brake-disc rusting problem is partially my fault--the Clarity PHEV sits undriven in the garage for long periods of time because my MINI Cooper SE is so much more fun to drive. If I would just drive the Clarity more often, your technique would keep the rotors rust-free.

 

My understanding is the brake pedal uses regenerative braking until almost stopped. So not much different than using the paddle. I clean the discs occasionally on a downhill by putting it in neutral and then using the brakes - no regen in neutral.

 

The other issue in Canada (and northern US) is seizing of the calipers with the road salt. My local Hyundai dealer was saying they don't 1 pedal regen in the winter to their customers of EV's.

 

Did I miss it or is there any North American rating for range on the new Kona?

I'm fine with the nominal 420km on my 2021 Kona, except when I need to drive into Saskatchewan.

 

That's correct, the paddle avoids the disk completely down to a stop, as does 1-pedal in a Tesla.

As best as I've determined from Tesla Owners Club forum members pressing the brake pedal in a Model 3/Y always uses the disks anyway, so even gentle foot braking should be effective at removing rust.

 

I do it hard enough to use hydraulics to press brake pads to discs. And long enough to polish all the rust, so discs are rust-free.

 

I posted this on another site regarding the changes in the 2023+ Niro EV battery. It's applicable to this thread because I believe the battery will the same or very similar on the 2024+ kona EV.

 

This thread has been entirely missing the fact that moving to Neutral disables regen, so all braking in that
state is 100% hydraulic. So no need to slam the brakes, and in fact hard stabs at the pedal instead of
smooth, gentle application is more likely to warp rotors and such. I use the Neutral trick down the first
small downhill going out of my neighborhood, seems to keep the rear end much quieter for the rest
of the drive.

_H*

 

What is Neutral in a Kona EV? AFAIK there is no provision for mechanical disconnect between the motor and the drive train. So is it just the application of electronics to the motor so that there is neither drive nor drag?

 

It appears certain that the motor is permanently wired to the inverter. I expect the inverter is powered-up (with 12V) but disabled from applying current to the motor windings.
A useful test would be to compare the power draw (in the Electricity Usage menu) between Level 0 coasting and Neutral at some moderate speed like 50 km/h. We already know it regens about 2kW in Level 0 but is that zero in N?

 

Neutral in just about any EV or hybrid drivetrain means simply "don't control the motors at all". No
current in or out. Well, except perhaps for a bit of deliberate field-weakening at high speed to
avoid overvoltage, but that's a deep subtlety that for this discussion we can ignore.

So yes, zero in N. You can see that in the "electricity use" screen or whatever that is.

_H*

 

Regarding control of the inverter I'm only seeing drive-mode-related input from the buttons where I see that there is a single analog communication line (which I understand to be resistive like typical steering wheel buttons) in addition to CAN, no doubt for redundancy.

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Meanwhile, I'm seeing info from an owner of the 2nd Gen Niro EV describing an improvement where it's being suggested that the 12V battery can request a charge off the traction battery as required, either immediately or within a short time period. If present on the new Kona (and surely it would be) that would presumably eliminate most 12V battery issues.

This should perform as well as Tesla's 16V LFE auxiliary battery that does this using its internal BMS and LIN data connection to the car. Their LFE has the same approximate capacity as a lead-acid so evidently increased capacity wasn't deemed necessary. I'll add as a note that engaging the parking cam feature brings the traction battery online for the entire duration.

Using the lead-acid intelligent battery monitor we already have (located on the battery negative post) it was only a matter of designing a way for that to wake up the car via its existing LIN communication wire.

So far the only complaints I'm seeing concerning the new Niro (other than the 'piano black' surfaces) is that there is some perception of reduced efficiency.

 

Do you suppose the newer version plainly weighs more?

 

Determining that was only matter of an internet search but by all accounts the 2023+ is 120 lbs lighter.

Standardised tests indicate energy consumption is less than the old model and I'm more inclined to believe measured data rather than owner impressions.
https://insideevs.com/news/658026/2023-kia-niro-ev-epa-range-price/