Had my Kona electric Ultimate a couple of weeks, here are my thoughts.
Firstly, it’s a very well built, well specced car. Has every gadget going, except maybe a motorised boot. Very quiet, very comfortable, very quick. The intelligent cruise control & lane assist actually control the cars speed and steering whilst on the motorway, which feels weird.
Turning the Aircon on whilst still in bed is just so lazily convenient! Getting in the car, it’s fully heated, defrosted & ready to go. Amazing luxury, and doing so whilst plugged in doesn’t use any battery.
The BP Pulse charger works fine, just plug it into the car and off it goes. However, the BP Pulse app is a steaming pile of garbage, and to be avoided!
Range – when it’s cold, the range noticeably suffers. I drove on Sunday down the M4 & back, and it was very, very wet & very, very cold, and I managed 230 miles. I had the heating on continuously, and I was driving at 70mph, or maybe a bit more! But I had the sat-nav on, so I knew where the charging points were, so it was easy to drive into Leigh Delamere service and top up to 100 miles or so in about half an hour. 65p per kWh, not cheap, but OK. I think if I’d driven slower, with Aircon off, I’d not have needed to charge at all.
Generally, I’m getting 4 miles per kWh, on normal driving mode. Cold weather & Aircon definitely affects range, but unless you’re driving over 200-240 miles, it’s really not an issue. 99% of my journeys start & end at home, so I just charge the car when I get home each day. Takes literally 10 seconds, so much easier & quicker than the petrol station.
I parked the car last week whilst I walked the dogs, and a few minutes into my walk the car messaged me to say I hadn’t locked it!! So I opened the app and locked it whilst half a mile away & out of sight, again an amazingly convenient gadget.
All in all, a great car that I’m really delighted with. Boot is maybe just a little bit on the small side, but it still fits my wife’s mobility scooter, albeit not much space for anything else. So I’ve invested in a roof box, for those times we travel for breaks & take the scooter with us.
I can’t recommend this car enough. Electric cars are the future, and the Kona is a great option for anybody considering one.