Latest news with #HyundaiKonaEV
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
EV Q&A: Why do electric cars still have old-fashioned 12-volt batteries?
Q: I recently had a garage car, a Hyundai Kona EV, on loan while my 222-reg Enyaq was being repaired. The first evening, I went to start it, and everything was dead. It turns out it was fitted with an old-style wet battery, and this had died. The garage told me all EVs still have the old-style batteries, and these have a relatively short lifespan of approximately four years. I wasn't aware of this, and on the few occasions I opened the bonnet of my Enyaq, failed to see one. – Brendan M, Co Wicklow A: Yes, it's true. Any electric car you buy has two batteries. The bigger one is the one that gets all the headlines – it's the one with lots and lots of kilowatt-hours of energy storage, that takes ages to charge (at least from a slow AC charger), and that actually powers the wheels. It's technically known as a traction battery for that very reason. But there's another, kinda secret, battery that lurks alongside the big traction battery, or indeed sometimes even within the structure of that big battery. In your Enyaq, the 12-volt battery is located quite low down in the compartment under the bonnet, but the positive terminal is under a flap at the back and to the passenger's side. READ MORE This second smaller battery will, in many cases, be a familiar sight to most motorists, and is often as you describe – a 'wet' lead-acid battery, discharging 12 volts of current. This has been the standard design for batteries that have started up all our petrol and diesel cars since time immemorial (all right, since the 1950s…). Why does a modern, high-power EV need such an extra battery, of such an old-tech design? Well, to be fair, not all of these 12-volt batteries are quite so old-school. While many of them are indeed old-fashioned lead-acid designs, many car-makers are now starting to use the same lithium-ion tech that powers the big traction battery, just with a lower-voltage output. Such low-voltage lithium-ion batteries are generally much smaller and lighter than the older-style lead-acid units. If you've ever had to change the lead-acid battery in your car (be VERY careful if doing so), then you'll know how weighty these boxes of electricity are. So, why does a new EV need one? Simple – voltage. A modern electric car's traction battery will run at a voltage output of 400 volts, while some newer, more powerful designs will run at 800 volts. That's great for charging up quickly and for big power outputs, but if you ever tried running any of your car's systems and functions other than the main electric motor, you'd have a big problem. Basically, that 400 to 800 volts of power would instantly fry any of the 12-volt-based systems. And those systems are really important. [ EV home charging pilot fails to address critical issue Opens in new window ] Essentially, every electrical switch or touchscreen that you interact with in your car is running on a 12-volt system. Why? Because it's the system that's simplest and easiest to design and produce. Car-makers don't fancy the challenge of redesigning everything from door locks to windscreen wipers to run on an 800-volt system when the cost and time spent on such research and development would be astronomical. It's also a safety consideration. Because the voltages in the big traction battery are so strong, if a driver is involved in a crash, that battery needs to be isolated promptly and shut down so as to make it safe. Not only does the 12-volt battery on board do that job, it also means the rest of the car's systems should continue to work – not least electric windows and the increasing number of electronic door lock releases. It's really important that the door locks, in particular, are powered by the 12-volt system, as you definitely don't want 800 volts running through or near the door catches in the event of an emergency. [ China's CATL says it has overtaken BYD on 5-minute EV battery charging time Opens in new window ] However, we're not sure about your garage telling you that the 12-volt battery will only last for four years. A 12-volt battery should last, with reasonable care and regular servicing, for at least a decade unless there's some specific fault. What can happen, and what has happened with the loan Hyundai you were driving, is that – just as with the 12-volt battery in an old petrol or diesel car – the battery can run flat. In a combustion-engine car, the 12-volt battery is kept charged by the car's alternator. In an electric car, that's not possible. Instead, that battery can be topped up by the bigger traction battery while driving, thanks to a DC-to-AC converter. That also allows the 12-volt battery to be topped up when the big battery is charging at home, or on a public charger. Problems tend to arise when a car is left sitting for some time. New systems such as keyless entry and ignition require sensors and receivers to be switched on all the time, and if a car's electrical and electronic subsystems aren't well designed to work in low-power mode for long periods, or if there's a fault, then the 12-volt battery can become drained very quickly indeed. When that happens, your options may well become limited. Most doors can be opened with mechanical locks, as can most (but not all) charging covers, which should allow you to get access to the car and to plug in a charger. However, you may have to resort to an older-school technique – jump starting. It is possible – although not with all vehicles, so make sure you check the owners' manual first – to connect an EV's 12-volt battery to another car's, via good old-fashioned jump leads (or you can use a jump-start battery pack) and bring it back to life that way. Some car-makers – notably Hyundai – are now starting to fit systems that allow the 12-volt battery to be 'jumped' from the car's big traction battery, and thankfully Hyundai has been clever enough to create a physical button which does this job, as the touchscreen is going to be dead in that scenario.
Telegraph
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
What's the best plug-in hybrid to replace my electric car?
Dear Alex, I drive a new Hyundai Kona EV; my wife has a petrol Kia Venga. Due to the low annual mileage of each car, I would like to change the Venga for a Kia EV2 next year. I then wish to change my Hyundai to a plug-in hybrid for longer journeys, as I am still wary of limited charging options. Is a Toyota C-HR worth considering? – DN Dear DN, I think I can follow your thought process; swapping a larger EV for a smaller, more town-friendly one, then adding a plug-in hybrid for ease of use over a longer range. However I have to query whether all that upheaval is really necessary. Could you not simply use the petrol Kia for longer trips and the electric Hyundai for urban use? Granted, the Venga isn't ideal for long distances, which is why I suspect you're thinking of making the switch. But I feel as though it's incumbent on me to point out that it would save time, hassle and money – and be more sustainable – to keep your existing cars, rather than ordering two new ones. Yet if you're set on making this change, you could do worse than a C-HR. It's less convincing in plug-in hybrid form than as a full hybrid, as the boot is tiny and there's a bit of bump and shake to the ride, but the interior feels high-quality and it should be reliable. As an alternative, it's hard to ignore the appeal of the latest MG HS. It won't do if you want to avoid buying Chinese, of course, but otherwise, the HS is impressive, with a huge electric-only range, lots of space and equipment, a less incendiary LFP battery and a very welcome seven-year warranty, all for considerably less than the cost of the Toyota. Its interior quality isn't quite as good, but for the price you might not care. Finally, it would be remiss of me not to point out that you could buy your new plug-in hybrid at the same time as your wife's EV2 – from the same dealer. A Kia Sportage is very decent in plug-in form, also with greater space and a more comfortable ride than the C-HR. It's slightly larger, too, though not by much. If you can secure suitably favourable terms on a two-car purchase from your Kia dealer, this might be the best course of action.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Delivering pizza in a 2025 Hyundai Kona EV
"No good deed goes unpunished." We all know that gem, and we all recognize a time in our lives when doing something nice netted our misery. Fortunately, this isn't quite that dramatic, and during my adventure, I was able to test the heck out of the stellar little Hyundai Kona EV. I was to go from Torrance, CA, to Palmdale, CA, to meet some folks in need near Joe Davies Heritage Airpark. They were pet owners who needed assistance, and I was going to lend a hand. That was the actually happened was more along the lines of a 150-mile round-trip pizza run. See, after the L.A. fires, the rains finally came, which led to the event being canceled without my knowledge. The issue was that I was already en route, slogging it out in wet traffic, before I got the call far too late into my journey. At least it was a great way to test out the 2025 Hyundai Kona EV. This was the Kona Limited EV, the top-of-the-line model with the bigger 64.8 kWh battery. According to Hyundai, this means up to 261 miles of range and a more powerful 201-horsepower motor powering the front wheels. It's truly an electric compact hatchback, not an SUV or crossover. There's no all-wheel drive (AWD) option, and it has less than seven inches of ground clearance. Still, it managed to power through water deep enough to nearly submerge the 17-inch performance was outstanding. Braking, accelerating, and handing were all above par. There is no real steering feel, but if you put it in Sport mode, it stiffens up the steering effort nicely. It's also quicker. I left my neighborhood with about 200 miles of range left after a few days of testing. I figured I would power up out there with its 100 kW DC fast charging capability, which would have been a bit slow but the safer bet nonetheless. Once I got there, I opted to turn around and head back, which left me with exactly 50 miles of range and a round trip of over 150 miles. Impressive. The 2025 Hyundai Kona EV Limited is priced at just under $43,000. Sure, the price is a bit steep, but you get heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, a moonroof, and solid performance. Additionally, you get two 12.3-inch screens for the instrumentation and infotainment with wireless charging and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Hyundai's expansive safety suite includes automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and available adaptive cruise control. Excellent parking assist cameras are also available. It even got a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. After navigating a few nasty sections of deep-standing water, diverting to avoid a mudslide area, and navigating through tons of rescue vehicles while still on station, I finally got the phone call: "Sorry, dude, it's canceled." I was only ten minutes away. After finding some colorful words to shout at the faux leather-wrapped steering wheel, I found out that I wasn't the only one in that situation. Thus, I took on the role of good Samaritan and delivered pizza to the other few who made the trip. Using the heated passenger seat, I kept the zah warm as I met up with other lost finished a few slices, bid our farewells, and went our separate ways. I opted to go home through the traffic without any stops for power. As I said before, the Kona EV did even better than I expected, with a total of 50 miles left on the battery after this trip. Remember that much of this was on freeways and highways, which drains EV batteries faster, As I listened to loud music to elevate my sour mood, it dawned on me that this little car was a great companion. It handled well, noise isolation was better than I expected, and overall performance was great. I especially liked the simple yet welcome hard buttons, switches, and dials. Overall, the whole thing was a long drive and a frustrating situation. Despite that, I was able to push a little, somewhat innocuous EV pretty hard. It was a sweet little driver, and I think that the 2025 Hyundai Kona EV is much better than many think. Sure, the upcoming Volvo EX30 and Chevrolet Equinox have greater range and are excellent choices, but the Hyundai Kona EV feels like an old friend, and that makes it all worthwhile.
