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Post by empowerrepower on Mar 8, 2019 20:01:01 GMT 11
I've just put down a deposit (subject to satisfactory test drive) for a Hyundai Kona, which I expect to have delivered sometime in the second half of the year. Love the idea of a 400 km + range, but it will be our most expensive car by far, about $60K on road.
I'm awaiting a battery replacement under warranty (April?) and will then need to sell the Leaf when the Kona gets closer to delivery. We'd love to be an all-EV family, but our other vehicle is a people mover, which has the space for carrying my market gear, and my husband's telescopes. We have tossed up the idea of a second-hand Outlander PHEV, but it appears that they have issues with their battery management system resulting in reduced electric-only range. The only other electric option is a Model X, so not really an option.
I do love my Leaf in many ways, so it has been a hard decision. Also hope that selling it when it has a new battery will result in a better price than otherwise.
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Post by brunohill on Mar 8, 2019 22:37:56 GMT 11
Congratulations, I am very tempted to buy one myself but I have to keep reminding myself that it is guaranteed to have a collision with the local wildlife with its first 3 months. A friend in town has a petrol one and I see it has a space saver spare wheel which the overseas ones don't. I am not sure if the Aussie electric ones do also or not.
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Post by Feng on Mar 8, 2019 22:54:58 GMT 11
I'm awaiting a battery replacement under warranty (April?) and will then need to sell the Leaf when the Kona gets closer to delivery. We'd love to be an all-EV family, but our other vehicle is a people mover, which has the space for carrying my market gear, and my husband's telescopes. We have tossed up the idea of a second-hand Outlander PHEV, but it appears that they have issues with their battery management system resulting in reduced electric-only range. The only other electric option is a Model X, so not really an option. Do you have to drive far with the people mover? Is a grey-market e-NV200 an option?
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 8, 2019 22:58:51 GMT 11
When will you have a test drive of the Kona EV? Mine is scheduled for tomorrow, however the dealer hasn’t contacted me yet to confirm the details. She said they were supposed to get them last weekend but they were delayed.
I will be sure to take some pics of the car once I get a test drive.
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Post by empowerrepower on Mar 8, 2019 23:04:55 GMT 11
I'm awaiting a battery replacement under warranty (April?) and will then need to sell the Leaf when the Kona gets closer to delivery. We'd love to be an all-EV family, but our other vehicle is a people mover, which has the space for carrying my market gear, and my husband's telescopes. We have tossed up the idea of a second-hand Outlander PHEV, but it appears that they have issues with their battery management system resulting in reduced electric-only range. The only other electric option is a Model X, so not really an option. Do you have to drive far with the people mover? Is a grey-market e-NV200 an option? Only need to do 60/70 km round trip for the markets, but sometimes the astronomy is further afield, beyond the range of our current Leaf. There is a guy on the Sunshine Coast selling grey import vans who I met last year at my EV display.
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Post by empowerrepower on Mar 8, 2019 23:07:40 GMT 11
When will you have a test drive of the Kona EV? Mine is scheduled for tomorrow, however the dealer hasn’t contacted me yet to confirm the details. She said they were supposed to get them last weekend but they were delayed. I will be sure to take some pics of the car once I get a test drive. I had a phone call yesterday from the salesman saying that the test drive cars had been delayed till the end of the month (Bris) so don't know whether that will be everywhere. I'd also wonder whether they'd offer test drives before the official launch? In December we test drove an Ioniq a few weeks after the launch, and they were still getting the test drive cars into the dealership, so we had to test drive the plugin PHEV.
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 9, 2019 9:37:19 GMT 11
Just got contacted by my local dealer to say the Kona EV has been delayed so she will contact me when they have a car for test drives.
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Post by brunohill on Mar 18, 2019 22:54:25 GMT 11
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T21Tw0lgoqo I wonder if you could get them to throw in a space saver spare? ( @ 09:50) I wonder what the heater is in Australia? One thing I hate about the LEAF is a voice keeps telling you it is very cold (under 3'C), which you are trying to ignore because of the switch you have added to turn the hungry heater off is enabled.
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ThirdRonnie
EV Enthusiast
Reluctantly selling after 3 years.
Posts: 30
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by ThirdRonnie on Mar 20, 2019 16:33:42 GMT 11
I wonder what the heater is in Australia? I've heard it said, but it could be just folklore, that the heater in the "deluxe" model is actually a heat pump. Why it would be anything else in an EV mystifies me. They have an air-conditioner - why not just a reverse cycle version of it?
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 20, 2019 16:45:08 GMT 11
I got sent the specs sheet by my dealer for my information only. I'll have a look tonight and report back if there is a mention of what tech is used for the heater.
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 20, 2019 20:14:35 GMT 11
Had a look at specs sheet for the Elite and Highlander grades and there is no mention of what type of heater is used. There is however a mention of a 'winter package option' which talks about cabin pre-heating etc but still no mention of a heat pump.
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Post by empowerrepower on Mar 20, 2019 23:43:50 GMT 11
Living in Qld, I only use the car heater once or twice a year, so haven't thought about that aspect. Heard that the US Kona gets the less efficient style of heather, and the Canadian Kona gets the heat pump.
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 22, 2019 10:07:28 GMT 11
Just confirmed this morning that the prices for the Kona EV will be:
$60k for Elite spec $65k for Highlander spec
Prices are before on roads costs.
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Post by eburbsleaf on Mar 22, 2019 11:06:58 GMT 11
Thats about original leaf price territory if i remember correctly - but for the step up in range and utility i'd say its good price ...
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 22, 2019 11:27:00 GMT 11
Yes, I agree, it’s a fair price for what it offers given the current market forces i.e. battery pricing and shortage.
The ‘base’ grade Elite spec is pretty loaded with convenience features as well as safety tech.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2019 12:23:03 GMT 11
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Post by empowerrepower on Mar 22, 2019 21:02:50 GMT 11
Yes, the Leaf Gen 1 arrived seven years ago so the lesser range was reasonably impressive given what was around at the time, with only the imiev and extremely pricy Tesla Roadster before it. And we could also allow some price rises for inflation.
I dearly wish that the Kona was a bit cheaper, but it seems consistent with the other EVs on the market.
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Post by EVangelist on Mar 24, 2019 21:55:07 GMT 11
Just confirmed this morning that the prices for the Kona EV will be: $60k for Elite spec $65k for Highlander spec Prices are before on roads costs. That's around what a Tesla Model 3 will cost when it arrives here (SR version) - maybe even a bit more. I know which one I would choose.
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leafmedo
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 38
LEAF OWNER?: No
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Post by leafmedo on Mar 25, 2019 19:42:53 GMT 11
Just confirmed this morning that the prices for the Kona EV will be: $60k for Elite spec $65k for Highlander spec Prices are before on roads costs. That's around what a Tesla Model 3 will cost when it arrives here (SR version) - maybe even a bit more. I know which one I would choose. I choose one which comes with charging network.
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Post by empowerrepower on Apr 3, 2019 20:53:09 GMT 11
I heard today that our Kona will be arriving later this month, so quite exciting. I'm still waiting for the Leaf battery to be replaced under warranty, and won't put it up for sale until that has happened, so we will be likely to have several month worth of overlap and having three cars. Still need to keep our larger Grandis for my market business, otherwise I would have liked to go all electric.
I ended up ordering a red one, as getting the ceramic blue (really a green) one would have meant waiting until the end of the year. I also ended up ordering it without making it subject to test drive, which I'm a little shocked with myself about. However, after four years driving a Leaf and a lot of research, I feel OK with that. Also checked out a petrol Kona to get an idea of the size.
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Post by caroline on Apr 10, 2019 20:13:44 GMT 11
I heard today that our Kona will be arriving later this month, so quite exciting. I'm still waiting for the Leaf battery to be replaced under warranty, and won't put it up for sale until that has happened, so we will be likely to have several month worth of overlap and having three cars. Still need to keep our larger Grandis for my market business, otherwise I would have liked to go all electric. I ended up ordering a red one, as getting the ceramic blue (really a green) one would have meant waiting until the end of the year. I also ended up ordering it without making it subject to test drive, which I'm a little shocked with myself about. However, after four years driving a Leaf and a lot of research, I feel OK with that. Also checked out a petrol Kona to get an idea of the size. I ordered my Leaf without a test drive - sales guy thought I was crazy... tried to talk me out of it 😂😂
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Post by caroline on Apr 10, 2019 20:18:28 GMT 11
I heard today that our Kona will be arriving later this month, so quite exciting. I'm still waiting for the Leaf battery to be replaced under warranty, and won't put it up for sale until that has happened, so we will be likely to have several month worth of overlap and having three cars. Still need to keep our larger Grandis for my market business, otherwise I would have liked to go all electric. I ended up ordering a red one, as getting the ceramic blue (really a green) one would have meant waiting until the end of the year. I also ended up ordering it without making it subject to test drive, which I'm a little shocked with myself about. However, after four years driving a Leaf and a lot of research, I feel OK with that. Also checked out a petrol Kona to get an idea of the size. That’s very exciting - seriously considered ditching the model 3 for a Kona but have decided to wait. December 19 is apparently the date that Tesla will start Australian deliveries so I guess that now means 1st Qtr 2020 for me as they prioritise existing Tesla owners. Will be getting close to 4 years then since I reserved it and hopefully by then my Leaf will have a new battery.
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Post by pharmadave on Apr 11, 2019 21:45:35 GMT 11
I test drove the Kona EV today. It was amazing, like a Leaf on steroids and quite nice inside. I drove the Highlander spec which had all the nice bits and bobs. There are actually 3 specs available. The Elite and Highlander specs will be ongoing models but there is a ‘Launch’ edition which offers the best value in my opinion, the only thing it misses out on is GPS but it does offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which I personally consider more user friendly. The Launch edition has leather seats which is usually exclusive to Highlander spec but is priced similar to the Elite spec. The dealer I went to, Hyundai Doncaster said she has 1 white Highlander spec available due to a cancelled pre-order and 2 Launch Editions in the next couple of weeks, one is silver and one is black. So if anyone is interested, please contact Katze from Doncaster Hyundai. (I am not affiliated, just helping her due to her good customer service).
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Post by caroline on Apr 11, 2019 22:12:03 GMT 11
I heard today that our Kona will be arriving later this month, so quite exciting. I'm still waiting for the Leaf battery to be replaced under warranty, and won't put it up for sale until that has happened, so we will be likely to have several month worth of overlap and having three cars. Still need to keep our larger Grandis for my market business, otherwise I would have liked to go all electric. I ended up ordering a red one, as getting the ceramic blue (really a green) one would have meant waiting until the end of the year. I also ended up ordering it without making it subject to test drive, which I'm a little shocked with myself about. However, after four years driving a Leaf and a lot of research, I feel OK with that. Also checked out a petrol Kona to get an idea of the size. That’s very exciting - seriously considered ditching the model 3 for a Kona but have decided to wait. December 19 is apparently the date that Tesla will start Australian deliveries so I guess that now means 1st Qtr 2020 for me as they prioritise existing Tesla owners. Will be getting close to 4 years then since I reserved it and hopefully by then my Leaf will have a new battery. Sorry above date is incorrect - TM3 Au delivery dates still unconfirmed
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Post by empowerrepower on Apr 12, 2019 23:36:16 GMT 11
I heard today that our Kona will be arriving later this month, so quite exciting. I'm still waiting for the Leaf battery to be replaced under warranty, and won't put it up for sale until that has happened, so we will be likely to have several month worth of overlap and having three cars. Still need to keep our larger Grandis for my market business, otherwise I would have liked to go all electric. I ended up ordering a red one, as getting the ceramic blue (really a green) one would have meant waiting until the end of the year. I also ended up ordering it without making it subject to test drive, which I'm a little shocked with myself about. However, after four years driving a Leaf and a lot of research, I feel OK with that. Also checked out a petrol Kona to get an idea of the size. That’s very exciting - seriously considered ditching the model 3 for a Kona but have decided to wait. December 19 is apparently the date that Tesla will start Australian deliveries so I guess that now means 1st Qtr 2020 for me as they prioritise existing Tesla owners. Will be getting close to 4 years then since I reserved it and hopefully by then my Leaf will have a new battery. All you Model 3 reservation holders have invested serious time waiting, it must be difficult to know how long to continue. It sounds extremely popular in the places where it is available. I've been at the Gold Coast for the last few days, but had to take the petrol car. Once I get the Kona, I'll be able to drive there and back from the Sunshine Coast, and there is the fast charger at the airport right next to where my daughter's just started uni.
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Post by EVangelist on Apr 17, 2019 10:26:39 GMT 11
Sorry above date is incorrect - TM3 Au delivery dates still unconfirmed According to an article in electric cars in the SMH on the weekend, Model 3 will be released in Australia in July. I have no idea if that date was plucked out of the air or the SMH asked Tesla Australia and that’s a more or less official prediction.
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Post by pharmadave on Apr 17, 2019 10:40:22 GMT 11
A poster on whirlpool forum was able to get a response from Tesla regarding the timeline of Model 3. It said the configurator should be going live for RHD markets in the next few weeks. The invitation to configure will be sent out in batches according to reservation holder dates. They anticipate a lag time of approx 3 months between placing an order online and receiving the car due to build time and transportation time from USA. So I assume we would expect the first Model 3s to hit the roads in Australia around September. I would assume the higher end dual motor long range models to be available first and then shortly after the shorter range less premium model. I will be involved with buying a Model 3 regardless as my father is keen to buy a Model 3 becomes available. Even though it won’t be mine per say i should be able to drive it every so often (hopefully ) If anyone is buying a Model 3 when it becomes available and don’t have a referral code to use, please feel free to use mine as it will give you free 1500km of free supercharging credit. Please PM me if you would like to have the referral code. Here is The Driven IO article citing the whirlpool poster: thedriven.io/2019/04/16/tesla-model-3-may-be-60000/
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Post by EVangelist on Apr 17, 2019 23:14:26 GMT 11
A poster on whirlpool forum was able to get a response from Tesla regarding the timeline of Model 3. It said the configurator should be going live for RHD markets in the next few weeks. The invitation to configure will be sent out in batches according to reservation holder dates. They anticipate a lag time of approx 3 months between placing an order online and receiving the car due to build time and transportation time from USA. So I assume we would expect the first Model 3s to hit the roads in Australia around September. I would assume the higher end dual motor long range models to be available first and then shortly after the shorter range less premium model. Thanks for picking this up pharmadave - because I completely missed it! In fact Elon Musk said he expected the first RHD deliveries in June/July. Even if that date is not hit, it’s getting very close!! Still bummed though that RWD LR seems to have been dropped. It’s available “off the menu” in USA, but unclear if that will be offered here.
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Post by caroline on Apr 18, 2019 10:44:21 GMT 11
A poster on whirlpool forum was able to get a response from Tesla regarding the timeline of Model 3. It said the configurator should be going live for RHD markets in the next few weeks. The invitation to configure will be sent out in batches according to reservation holder dates. They anticipate a lag time of approx 3 months between placing an order online and receiving the car due to build time and transportation time from USA. So I assume we would expect the first Model 3s to hit the roads in Australia around September. I would assume the higher end dual motor long range models to be available first and then shortly after the shorter range less premium model. I will be involved with buying a Model 3 regardless as my father is keen to buy a Model 3 becomes available. Even though it won’t be mine per say i should be able to drive it every so often (hopefully ) If anyone is buying a Model 3 when it becomes available and don’t have a referral code to use, please feel free to use mine as it will give you free 1500km of free supercharging credit. Please PM me if you would like to have the referral code. Here is The Driven IO article citing the whirlpool poster: thedriven.io/2019/04/16/tesla-model-3-may-be-60000/Well as the first female reservation holder in Qld I can only hope I’ll be getting mine in spring but more likely summer as they said they will be prioritising existing Tesla customers
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Post by pharmadave on Apr 18, 2019 10:55:06 GMT 11
A poster on whirlpool forum was able to get a response from Tesla regarding the timeline of Model 3. It said the configurator should be going live for RHD markets in the next few weeks. The invitation to configure will be sent out in batches according to reservation holder dates. They anticipate a lag time of approx 3 months between placing an order online and receiving the car due to build time and transportation time from USA. So I assume we would expect the first Model 3s to hit the roads in Australia around September. I would assume the higher end dual motor long range models to be available first and then shortly after the shorter range less premium model. I will be involved with buying a Model 3 regardless as my father is keen to buy a Model 3 becomes available. Even though it won’t be mine per say i should be able to drive it every so often (hopefully ) If anyone is buying a Model 3 when it becomes available and don’t have a referral code to use, please feel free to use mine as it will give you free 1500km of free supercharging credit. Please PM me if you would like to have the referral code. Here is The Driven IO article citing the whirlpool poster: thedriven.io/2019/04/16/tesla-model-3-may-be-60000/Well as the first female reservation holder in Qld I can only hope I’ll be getting mine in spring but more likely summer as they said they will be prioritising existing Tesla customers I think even if they prioritise existing owners and Tesla staff, the pool of potential buyers is still small and I can imagine the ordering process being opened up pretty quickly for non-owners but early reservation holders.
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