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Charge-Up NJ rebate program Phase 2
- Thread starter rjpjnk
- Start date
veriojon
Member
As poor as dealer availability is on the Bolt, the Kia is even worse. Very few Kia dealers can sell them and NONE want to really sell them which makes me wary of the post-sale support. My other car is a Telluride, so I have a pretty favorable view of the brand in general but the 2 dealers within a 30 mile range that can sell the car were both pretty negative experiences when went in for a test drive.
I don't understand. The Bolt has good range and the Kona does not? I thought the '22 Bolt is 259, the Bolt EV is 250, and the Kona is 258?
The kona and bolt are small cars. The ioniq and SR+ are sedan and only the Tesla has long range (ioniq is not even 200mi). For the price difference, you have to choose between "small car long range", "large car small range" "the Tesla". The later is a no brainer given the price difference.
This is a really good chart. Thanks for putting this together. I did not realize just how many choices there were below 45K. Might be a tough point to argue the limit should be raised to 55.
Last year the credit formula was 25.00 per mile of range up to the limits. Is it the same this year?
If so, that means 6 cars in the green (under 45k) section will also not get 5K rebate.
Agree very few Kia dealers sell Konas. That's because it's a Hyundai
No worries, I know the brands are related, and folks seem to get them confused all the time.But I have to disagree with you on availability. I live very close to you, and one of the Hyundai dealers closest to you (if not the closest, Flemington) alone has 40 Kona EV's on their lot! They "don't want to sell them"? Judging by the discounts being offered, that does not to appear to be the case.
Also, there are more than 2 Hyundai dealers within 30 miles of Hillsborough (Flemington, South Brunswick, North Plainfield, Ewing, Union)
veriojon
Member
Last year most of those same under $45k cars were available and they amounted to 17% of the total EV sales.
This is the key takeaway ^^^ those cars just did not sell for whatever reasons.
Here is my opinion:
I would not consider the BMW i3/mini as they are tiny have have pretty bad range.
The next batch are small cars: Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, Leaf. We had a bolt, decent passenger space, but practically zero cargo if used the back row.
We did not even consider the Ioniq Electric as the range is awful.
The Kona was also too small for my taller than average kids in the 2nd row to have enough legroom.
The brings it (for my family) to a smaller subset: Kia Niro - this one actually was on the short list even with the dealer issues I pointed out in a prior message, the Ford Mach-E, but we would want AWD and the bigger battery which even at 55k limit does not work. The ID.4 have not driven one yet, but seems to be Kona sized from reviews.
We tested both the Tesla 3 and Y and everyone in my family preferred the Y.
There are some interesting cars coming, but pricing and availability is still unknown: Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Subaru Solterra
This is the key takeaway ^^^ those cars just did not sell for whatever reasons.
Here is my opinion:
I would not consider the BMW i3/mini as they are tiny have have pretty bad range.
The next batch are small cars: Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, Leaf. We had a bolt, decent passenger space, but practically zero cargo if used the back row.
We did not even consider the Ioniq Electric as the range is awful.
The Kona was also too small for my taller than average kids in the 2nd row to have enough legroom.
The brings it (for my family) to a smaller subset: Kia Niro - this one actually was on the short list even with the dealer issues I pointed out in a prior message, the Ford Mach-E, but we would want AWD and the bigger battery which even at 55k limit does not work. The ID.4 have not driven one yet, but seems to be Kona sized from reviews.
We tested both the Tesla 3 and Y and everyone in my family preferred the Y.
There are some interesting cars coming, but pricing and availability is still unknown: Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Subaru Solterra
veriojon
Member
Agree very few Kia dealers sell Konas. That's because it's a Hyundai
But I have to disagree with you on availability. I live very close to you, and one of the Hyundai dealers closest to you (if not the closest, Flemington) alone has 40 Kona EV's on their lot! They "don't want to sell them"? Judging by the discounts being offered, that does not to appear to be the case.
Also, there are more than 2 Hyundai dealers within 30 miles of Hillsborough (Flemington, South Brunswick, North Plainfield, Ewing, Union)
Yeah I mixed that up, it is the Kia Niro. Had to go to North Brunswick and Ewing, neither dealer seemed all that interested, the demo cars were parked behind several cars they needed to move to get to them.
We looked at the Kona and the back seat space would not work for my taller than average kids, legroom was pretty bad. They definitely wanted to get rid of them that is for sure
I find it strange that Hyundai clearly has a huge glut of inventory of Kona EV's here in New Jersey, but yet most Kia dealers here have little if any Niro EV inventory. 12 to 18 months ago it was near impossible to procure a Kona EV.Yeah I mixed that up, it is the Kia Niro. Had to go to North Brunswick and Ewing, neither dealer seemed all that interested, the demo cars were parked behind several cars they needed to move to get to them.
We looked at the Kona and the back seat space would not work for my taller than average kids, legroom was pretty bad. They definitely wanted to get rid of them that is for sure
Wonder why the situation with Kona EV's has changed so dramatically.
Also why would so many more Kona EV's be available versus Niro EV's? The cars are more similar than dissimilar.
veriojon
Member
Not all Kia dealers are authorized to sell the Niro EV. My local dealer in Bridgewater is not one of them.
My biggest issue was the size of the Kona, the Niro is quite a bit bigger inside (especially in rear seat legroom).
Kia also seems lower volume in general. You can find a Hyundai Palisade pretty much by showing up at any dealer. Try finding a Kia Telluride in stock and if there is one, get it anywhere near MSRP (all marked way up, and crazy markups on the highest trim levels).
I looked at a MachE yesterday. The sales rep knew nothing about it, and had no interest in really selling it. Told me there is no invoice, so they don't make anything on them.
He had no clue there even was a state rebate coming, and couldn't care anyway. The MachE was 55,100 before destination, so wouldn't qualify anyway.
He had no clue there even was a state rebate coming, and couldn't care anyway. The MachE was 55,100 before destination, so wouldn't qualify anyway.
veriojon
Member
The dealers are going to be the biggest obstacle to BEV. They have almost zero required service beyond filter changes and tire rotations.
Traditional dealers are so hooked on making money via the service department that they have negative incentive to push a BEV at this time.
My local chevy dealer used to have a Bolt on the showroom floor back when I got mine in 2017, not so anymore. Now, lucky to even see one where they keep all of the demo cars.
Traditional dealers are so hooked on making money via the service department that they have negative incentive to push a BEV at this time.
My local chevy dealer used to have a Bolt on the showroom floor back when I got mine in 2017, not so anymore. Now, lucky to even see one where they keep all of the demo cars.
What is it up to now? At this point even if I can get the 2k rebate its not worth it bcs the reorder Id have to pay the $100 again and all the price increases since I ordered in April.. it will just eat away at the rebate. I’m currently saving up 2k in cash to offset the rebate I won’t get, lol
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