Kona EV Hacking | Hacker News Reader

Kona EV Hacking

techno-fandom.org

134 pointsAnnikaL75 comments

I really like both the e-Niro and the Kona EV for their "normal" car look and I did some hacking too. Wanted to play with the Web Bluetooth API and Svelte, so created the open source Niro Spy app (should work with your Kona too), works on iOS through BLE browser. It might be a good template for some OBD2 hacking, you can also check Open Vehicle Monitoring System repo and the evDash project.

The car is somewhat reliable on the battery side (still have SOH over 101% after 90k km / 50k miles), but the gearbox and motor bearings issue can be tricky to fix.

Also the MY2019 vehicles do lack remote climate controls and battery preconditioning (which I'm still trying to fix with the app).

For people who are not aware: this is the same Hobbit as

https://seclists.org/bugtraq/1995/Oct/28

Recently bought a second hand BMW i3 - what a cool car! Not planning to 'hack' it but nice to read about ideas.

I've seen videos of that car... don't they only have like 40 miles of range, and the range extender only holds like 5 gallons of fuel?

For the original version released in 2013, range was a bit of a concern.

Later models, 120ah full electric version, the range is about 250km. In comparison to newer cars, not a lot, but considering you can buy newish used ones for under 15k, its not a bad deal if it fits your needs.

Funny how I'm downvoted for even mentioning an i3. I've also heard several comments insinuating that I must be gay for driving such a car. Are we still there in 2026?

don't read too much into a downvote here or there. as i read this the downvotes are already gone again. some people are just idiots. also some people just misclick.

I get downvoted to hell and gone for saying such controversial things as "AI doesn't really solve any problem I have", so I just assume people who downvote to disagree instead of commenting to explain why they disagree are too lazy or too stupid or too stoned to get enough of a spark across a synapse and not really worth caring about.

If I was in it for the karma I'd be in the billions by now.

Complaining about downvotes is boring, don't do it

You don't want the range extender - it makes it fiddly and potentially unreliable.

As for the range, I'm getting about 110 miles of range. It depends how you drive. This is the 94Ah battery, the later models had more range.

Range extender was definitely a requirement when I got mine in ‘19. But that’s because I did not have reliable charging available in the area.

It also came in handy for a bad road trip (charging stations more than my range apart, so I couldn’t otherwise get there from here, but hold state of charge kept it up at 75% with frequent gas stops)

Glad it worked out for you. I am in South Africa so there still aren't many charging stations but we're getting there. Most people charge from their houses though and that's what I do as well. With solar it's practically free to drive around town, school runs etc.

the thing that makes them unreliable is lack of use. when you leave some gas in there for 6 months because you never travel farther than the grocery store, when you actually use the engine it goes and sucks up a bunch of trash expired gas.

I was shopping for a range extender version and bought a battery only i3 when I saw one for the right price. Then I got a i3 rex for parts and it made me really appreciate the bev. So much more room in the engine bay and simpler overall.

To be eligible for a specific subsidy, the gas engine had to have less range than the better. So they electronically set the amount of gas you were allowed to use from the gas tank even though it held more. Sure the difference was only a half gallon or so but it's stealing your gasoline, and making it staler.

It was either 1.9 or 2.4 gallons depending on the model year, but they physically had the same gas tank.

In an interesting turn of events there is a pack upgrade for the i3 that gives it more range than it started with!

https://mtgbattery.com/

This is the kind of hacking / upgrades I’d love to see. All in cost was about $6k when I last checked probably a little more now. You get a pack teardown, and new CATL cells. Range goes to 400km~.

That is very cool! I can see myself keeping this car for a long time. It's just so well built and the interior is also something to behold (compared to a lot of cars). Range is not an issue at the moment (we have a Land Cruiser for longer trips) but once the batteries get really old this would be a great option.

Their battery upgrade is trash though: https://www.goingelectric.de/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2350326#p...

That kit looks wildly different than what they show on their site. Good to know!

Blog posts without dates on them are super frustrating. If this was written today I would have a litany of complaints about the details around EV charging.

If this was written 5 years ago they might have a little more leeway. Here's one:

> trying to force everyone to download janky apps just to play is disingenuous and short-sighted

The biggest networks do not require apps to use their chargers (excluding Tesla, who built a huge network with no screens and then decided to open it up without hardware retrofits). Some offer memberships which obviously use an app, but that's not surprising or relevant.

In the USA, I've had several charging stations where the CC terminal acts like it works, but it won't actually charge the vehicle.

However if you use the App, the charger works. This is in late 2025 and 2026, so it's better, but the non-app route is not fully fleshed out yet.

My worst experience was a charger near Yosemite ran by the local power utility. They required you use a website to turn the charger on, and the instructions were incomplete and it took me a half-dozen tries to figure out the right set of magic steps to get the dumb charger to work. Had it not been the only charger in like 100+ miles, I'm sure it would never ever get used due to how insanely broken it was.

Yes, that absolutely happens but that's a malfunction and a bad maintenance. They generally do work.

That post first appeared in 2019 and has been updated since then. The last update was sometime between from May 2023 to October 2024. It includes a link to something dated Dec 23, 2023 which further narrows it down.

On Tue, Oct 3, 2023, 1:18 PM, I wrote:

How many apps must people put on their phones, or payment cards people must carry, to pay to charge their vehicles with the convenience of a petrol station?

* https://parking.ubc.ca/are-there-electric-vehicle-ev-chargin...

"Charging fees can be paid through the Honk Mobile App or using a web browser with internet access."

* https://electricvehicles.bchydro.com/bc-hydro-ev-mobile-app

"You can use the BC Hydro EV app to activate stations on other networks across North America."

* https://www.flo.com/en-ca/products/software/flo-mobile-app/

"Download the FLO app for free. Access thousands of chargers on-the-go in our network and start your session with a tap."

* https://www.chargepoint.com/en-ca/drivers/mobile

"Get the ChargePoint App. The easiest way to find available stations, start charging and get updates when your EV is fully charged."

* https://ecocharge.ca/

"Download the AmpUp our mobile app from the Apple or Google Play store to."

* https://www.electrify-canada.ca/mobile-app/

"Use the Electrify Canada mobile app to schedule your home charging and find a public charging station. Sign up for an account to enjoy exclusive, members-only public charging features and pricing."

* https://swtchenergy.com/

"iPhone & Android app. No download required via SWTCH’s in-browser app. Tap-and-go charging with our complimentary RFID card."

I could not charge my Kona at multiple public charging stations around Vancouver:

* "Free" FLO Level 2 charger at New Westminster High School (requires sign up).

* BC Hydro Level 3 charger near a Real Canadian Superstore (requires sign up).

* AddEnergie Level 2 charger at Tsawwassen Mills (requires sign up).

* Honk Level 2 charger at a University of British Columbia parkade (requires sign up).

* Bonus: Most Tesla stations (no adapters available).

From Aging Wheels:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92w5doU68D8 (Oct 15, 2023; bad experience)

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouPiwt5hxXQ (Nov 24, 2024; better experience)

It's steadily improving, though!

> I could not charge my Kona at multiple public charging stations around Vancouver:

You could not, or you did not want to? There is a difference.

I have owned an EV for a few years and a PHEV before that. Public charged primarily for a full year before switching to home charging and I've done multiple 500+ mile road trips. I've charged at EA, Tesla, EVgo, IONNA, MB-HPC, Pilot, Rivian, Red E, Nouria[ChargePoint activated], and those are just the DC Fast Chargers I remember off the top of my head.

Tesla and ChargePoint are the only ones that require an app. For those, my car's app can activate them if I don't want to download them.

Of course, I'm referring to the United States, I have not done a lot of charging in Canada.

Even two years ago the plethora of apps I needed was a frustrating experience. (Daily Driving a Ford E-Transit) I've had it since December 2023 and things have only gotten mildly better. Today in 2026 Having tesla support added and the free adapter helps, but without the app you never know which one you're pulling up to is currently disabled. Ford's plug & charge service seems to rarely work except at tesla spots, so I often still have to either start the charge from from Fords a pp, the Networks app, or rarely pay directly at the terminal with tap to pay.

ChargePoint and Tesla apps alone give you access to most chargers in the country, pair with PlugShare for reviews and charger status.

There are three dates at the bottom of the page, presumably the dates it was published and updated.

But they're certainly not obvious.

At some point later I got around to playing with DC fast charging ... That market still has a long way to go as far as sorting out its business model, as billing based on time vs energy is completely unfair ... An excuse that's offered less and less often is that pricing by kilowatt-hours delivered is prohibited in some states by utility regulatory rules.

I didn't know they were billing for DC charging in the US based on Time instead of kwh. Thats odd. In Europe its just kwh.

In Europe, sometimes it's just kWh, other times it's kWh and time. After charging is done, it's just time.

Arguably it should be both. Sitting and occupying a DC fast charging booth, especially once you're not charging at the full rate, represents an opportunity cost since someone else could be using it.

> especially once you're not charging at the full rate

I don't think you want that as no car will be able to charge at 250kW for very long for example.

And I believe we're starting to see even higher peak charging rates. As always, there's no simple answers

I used a Tesla charger (as a non-Tesla driver) recently. I think their pricing model is pretty good: pay per kWh (varies between peak and off-peak), and if the station is busy they can impose a "congestion charge" for anyone occupying a charger and not charging, or charging above 80% when it's not necessary for their journey (presumably only works for Teslas where the satnav knows about your journey and charge locations).

Idle rates are different than just straight charged by time.

> In Europe its just kwh.

In the EU, yes. When you go to those dark corners of Europe that never achieved the membership, all bets are off.

In Montenegro and Serbia they charge per minute because the only entity allowed to sell kwh's is the national electricity company (in Serbia it's owned by Russia, so it is heavily legally protected).

No need to go further than dead center EU to see chargers where the cost has a time component, and an energy component, and even a (small) one time fee. Sometimes the charger is inside a paid parking, there that comes on top. These aren't shady operators either either, just the way they saw fit to prevent abuse and make more money.

Some have reasonable limits to prevent abuse [0], others just charge the customer as much as they can get away with.

[0] https://www.tanke.io/oeffentliche-ladestationen/

Is abuse here just parking in the charger and leaving for a few hours, assumingly skipping any parking fee if you're only paying for kWh?

Abuse means leaving your car parked while it is not actively charging.

Fine to leave for a few hours if your car needs a few hours to charge fully.

Not fine to leave for a few hours if your car was 15 minutes from full.

In Italy there are enough chargers that charge for both kWh and time connected. kWh for what you use and connected to discourage being connected all the time.

I think fast chargers in rush hour times will also bill for time to discourage long/slow charges on them. Naturally that'll vary on whoever sets the costs, but it does exist in EU as well.

I've never paid by the minute. Tesla Superchargers often deliver less energy per minute when they're busy (sometimes much less!) and it would be frustrating if they charged per-minute.

Other systems I've seen (Chargepoint) also seem to be energy-based.

The Supercharger network is well done. It's a shame that they took this long to open up to other car models because they really do get a lot of things right.

Careful. Some superchargers will now charge you extra per minute as soon as you cross 80% capacity (regardless of your charge limit).

Does this also apply to non-Teslas? I'm guessing there's a bit of two-way communication from car to charger, for authentication/billing purposes but also for congestion fees like charging beyond 80%. Does the app notify you to take your car off the charger?

I understand the reasoning but sympathize with the luddites who shun all this technology. Imagine going on a road trip with your EV, stopping for a bite to eat and refresh while putting your car on the charger. Maybe there was a long line or you needed a long bathroom stop, so your car sits at the charger "too long" and you get a nice penalty.

I’ve charged in 30 states, it’s kwh every single time.

Mowt states have changed the laws in the past 10 years. When nobody (other that lead acid convestions done at home) had an ev it did't matter that the law didn't allow for charging by kwh as nobody other than a utility wanted to do that anyway. When evs changed to mainstream laws changed. There are still some free public chargers near me from before the law change (at 6kw max charge rate they not often used and so don't cost them much to keep it.

Amusingly, the only DCFCs near me that charge by time and not kwh are run by utilities.

It's almost all by the kWh here, but perusing PlugShare I've seen a few level 2 chargers here and there that charge by the minute. Usually that's a sign of a charger that was set up a while ago and is owned by someone who hasn't checked on it since.

Nah, there's plenty of places that will require you pay both kWh and time spent on the charger.

And the app situation is as dire as the author says too.

It's rare to be billed on time, its usually billed by energy delivered.

nope, some places in Belgium and Austria are per minute. I guessimate that the charge speed is frickin’ fast, no way to be sure and I would rather see kW number go up in the dasboard

My understanding is that some US states have regulations against selling power by the kWh unless you are a registered power utility. This is an old regulation meant to be about landlords marking up electric rates to tenants etc.

Most states have updated their laws to account for EV charging providers, and in those states we pay per kWh.

In some states, like Georgia, you are considered an electric company if you bill in kWhs. So some DCFC companies simply billed in the time equivalent. $0.30/min-$0.50/min.

Later on ( https://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/ev/dcfc/app-problem.h... ) he talks about the app problem, and I believe the UK and possibly the EU are mandating that chargers must support contactless payment, so you can just do it with your regular bank card.

I know Electrify America used to, but in recent years, I haven't come across any time-based chargers (but I haven't used a charger outside of Texas since 2022, so may be an issue in only certain states, as other comments have alluded to)

Time based billing is almost completely eliminated. It was always state-by-state, due to local laws not being setup for dispensing of electricity as a business model.

> [...] due to some dipshit blonde not paying attention [...]

Wow, instantly stopped reading after this. I can't comprehend how someone would even remotely have the courage writing such in a public posting.

Maybe a dipshit blonde wasn't paying attention and caused the problem? Sometimes facts really do follow stereotypes.

It's possible, but my anecdata is that the four people who have run into the back of my car in the past ten years have all been middle-aged men distracted by phones.

Two Audis (one of them written off to the point it had to be lifted onto the breakdown truck with a Hiab), one Hyundai of some sort, and one bicycle.

The cyclist was the only one I felt in any way sorry for, because he did actually hurt himself pretty badly and obliterated his carbon wheel and forks, but he shouldn't have been dicking around with his phone while riding down a steep hill at what I can tell from his Strava trail was around 35mph.

At no time did my car suffer any more than a bit of scuffing and damage to the old tennis ball over the tow hitch to stop the grease getting on my trousers.

wow, I can't believe you called the middle age men who hit your car middle aged men instead of just people. Stop adding more detail to your stories!!!

I'm a middle-aged twat with far more bicycle than I really need for what I do. No lycra, though.

So I can slag off others in my demographic all I want. Yeah, male white middle-aged crabbit auld bastard privilege, if you like.

Same, stopped there. One of those odd pieces where the author is completely full of themselves and hostile, yet somehow decries other people’s attitudes (“as attitudes have degenerated, I found the ability to blind people driving behind me to be a critical safety feature”).

Weird bit of self-righteous misanthropy.

me too. It's like it was written in 1980.

Yeah, scrolled down to that and closed the tab, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Elsewhere in the site he publishes her name and address.

Yeah. I thought “dipshit blonde” was in poor taste; posting her name and address genuinely shocked me and I stopped there.

No doubt that driver inattentiveness leads to loss of many lives year on year. But publishing the personal details of someone you got into a car crash with won’t do anything to improve road safely.

If you're talking about the newspaper clipping, isn't the problem the newspaper that published it in the first place?

It’s both

I clicked on the link for the "Yuppie button" and confirmed that the guy is a nut. The amount of effort required to create and install a device that flashes all of your tail lights at a tailgater is not something an average person is going to do.

This guy should get a medal for having the balls to fight ass hole drivers.

There is a way to make the Android Auto work wirelessly

Yeah, I have a $60 dongle that does it in my Kona EV

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