Just had a test drive (Hyundai Kona) - a question

nheather

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Just driven my first full EV - a Hyundai Kona.

All nice enough but one thing I didn't like, or would take some time getting used to was how abrupt slowing down is.

For example, would be driving down the road and I see a speed camera up ahead, I notice I am doing 34mph so I ease up on the pedal and rather than a gradual slowing down it is like I have stood on the brakes.

Because of this I found the whole drive was not as smooth as what I would experience in my dirty diesel.

Is this to do with the KERS and can it be toned down?

Cheers,

Nigel
 
It's the re-generative braking, or as you suggest the KERS. Yes it can be toned down or even turned off. I think it has three levels as well as an auto setting, you control it with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.
 
If it's the same as the Ioniq (and I suspect it is) then there are four regen levels that occur when you take your foot right off the loud pedal: 3, 2, 1, 0. I'm guessing your car was set at maybe 3 (max). If it's set at 0 then it will simply coast freely. The level is indicated on the dash.

There are default regen levels for each of the drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport etc).
You can
(a) amend these defults in the menu
(b) or change regen on the fly as you drive using the paddles behind the steering wheel.

Max regen is very different to "normal" cars, but in fact after acclimatising I find myself leaving my Ioniq set exactly like that. It means you can (almost) drive with just one pedal/foot i.e. use the accelerator to modulate your speed without using any other controls (except to come to a complete stop and/or in an emergency situation). I find it way easier, once I got used to it, but your preference (after some use, of course) may differ.

For someone accustomed to the behaviour of an automatic ICE, I'd guess that level 1 is the closest equivalent. For a new user, that's where to start. As you get used to the car, you may trial other levels, learn how to predict behaviour and and see which suits you best.

Aside: the car will light the brake lights when appropriate, regardless of whether you actually use the brake pedal. You can slow the car by
- setting a high level of regen and using the accelerator to modulate speed
- setting a low/zero level of regen and using the brake pedal as necessary
- or changing the regen level with the paddles without using the brake
but importantly - the car will decide for itself how best to react to your demands (i.e. by regen or friction brake) and whether or not brake lights are warranted. For any given degree of slowing in any given set of conditions, regardless of which method you use to command the car, it will actually behave (mechanically/electrically) in exactly the same way.
 
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