First day of EV ownership

"Bryan doesn't drive a 1M" (bryantakespictures)
10/28/2019 at 19:49 • Filed to: None

The Kia dealer’s fast charger was broken (because of course it was) , so we picked up our new Niro EV with 50 miles of battery left. We had to drive straight to Seattle for dinner plans (15 miles away), so we thought we’d find a charger there. There was only one within walking distance of dinner (which we were late to because the dealership neglected to call when the car was “ready”). I’m now learning that this is a common problem, but the charging station was out of order.

We finished dinner and drove home with about 30 miles range left, but my wife needed to drive about 100 miles the following day. We don’t have a level 2 charger yet (no 220V outlet in the garage yet to plug it in to), so we’d have about 10 hours to charge the car on level 1. It takes 60 hours on level 1 to charge, so that wouldn’t be nearly enough.

I volunteered to find a fast charger and hang out a while. It takes 75 minutes to 80% on level 3. The first one I drove to was also out of order! There was another one in the same parking lot, but it was a level 2 which would have taken all night. I found a fast charger 8 miles away at a closed and empty Harley Davidson dealership. I drove there and had to spend 15 minutes downloading an app and putting in my payment and car info. I’d complain, but once that was done the app worked great. I plugged in and it estimated 2 hours to charge to 80%. So I sat there in the dark as the car got colder and colder until it got to 53%. It took about an hour and a half, plus the half hour to find the working charger. Plus it cost $6.33 for the electricity. Cheaper than gas, but not exactly convenient .

That stuff was all undeniably frustrating, but once we have a level 2 charger in the house we’ll be fine. I can even program the car to stop at a certain percentage and only charge during off-peak times. Until then, it’s time for some serious range anxiety.

It’s a testament to the car that I didn’t get any buyer’s remorse through all of this. Driving home from the charging station, my overriding thought was “worth it.”

DISCUSSION (24)

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 19:56

This is first class Oppo. Congratulations on being one of the early adopters.

For Sweden > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 19:57

Just carry some AAs in the back.

Spanfeller is a twat > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 19:59

getting to a charger and finding out it’s out of order is very frustrating it happens to us all the damn time...

Poor_Sh > For Sweden
10/28/2019 at 20:02

Aren’t a lot of EV battery packs just a bunch of AA’s anyway? lol can you just swap them?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:02

Saw a Hyundai Kona EV on the highway earlier today - first one I’ve seen. Not sure what Level 2 chargers cost, but hopefully you can get one put in and sorted out so you don’t run into this kind of issue again!

phenotyp > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:04

After 2.25 years of daily EV driving: I’m not going back until I find the right old 911. Once you have a 220 in the garage, a $100 cable will do the trick.

shop-teacher > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:09

I’m glad you like the car, despite the charging issues . Keep us posted on the ownership experience. I’m very curious.

jimz > Poor_Sh
10/28/2019 at 20:11

No. Tesla uses cylindrical LiIon cells (18650 and 21700 ) in their batteries, which are much larger than AAs. Other companies use prismatic or pouch cells. those can be any size they want.

jminer > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:11

Congrats on the new car! It looks pretty slick and should be pretty fun.

jimz > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:12

I’m really thinking of going EV next year. Hopefully when the car I want comes out this stuff is less of an issue.

Poor_Sh > jimz
10/28/2019 at 20:32

Haha yeah I know. LiIon batteries are somewhat important in my job. Still kinda fun to think you could just pop a cover off and swap some Energizers from Walmart when you’re runnin low.

Mingmar > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:34

Congrats on the new car! I’d probably go with a Niro too if I needed a new car. I’m interested to hear your impressions.

We have an 18 Leaf, and despite some flaws, I can’t imagine buying another daily ICE car.

jimz > Poor_Sh
10/28/2019 at 20:42

His Stigness > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 20:52

Yeah... EV life is mostly planning ahead.

First step is download PlugShare. It’s a community driven app that will list chargers, and a ton of information about them. Detailed location info, cost, parking cost (if any), etc. It also allows people to report on how the charger is working. For instance, I looked up the dealer you went to and see that the last few people reported the CCS charger as broken.

After that you want to sign up with the major providers: ChargePoint, EVgo, Electrify America, Greenlots, Blink, and others that might be unique to the area. But if you check a charger on Plugshare before you’ll know.

Also, technical tip. The charge you used at Harley was a 24 kW charger, which is half the power your Kia can take. Your car can charge up to 50 kW. Most chargers are 50 kW, but there are some ChargePoint ones that are 24 kW and they’re slow as hell, because in reality you’re maybe charging around 15 kW. For reference most Level 2 chargers are 6.6 kW.

Thomas Donohue > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 21:39

I h ad no idea they made a PHEV until you posted today and I checked out the Kia site . Only 26 miles of electric range, but that’s enough for 90% of my driving (I work from home).

T here’s a dealer one town over, so I must go drive one.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > His Stigness
10/28/2019 at 22:46

Thank you, you have saved me much googling. That explains why it took so long.

Downloading PlugShare now.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Thomas Donohue
10/28/2019 at 22:53

That's ok, even the dealership barely knows about them.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
10/28/2019 at 22:55

Not much, but I don't have a 220V outlet in my garage yet. I did not do proper research.

His Stigness > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/28/2019 at 22:56

Please feel free to ask me questions at random. I’ve got over 20k miles on both e-Golfs in the last year and a half, so I’ve seen a lot. I like to geek out on data too. When I go on long trips I’ll bring my laptop and run VCDS so I can see the battery pack temp and charging voltage/amperage so I know when is the best time to unplug.

Quick little lesson on DCFC (DC Fast Charging).

EVgo is probably the most prolific DCFC provider. Almost all of their stations are 50 kW, and they usually only have about two stations per site. Each “charger” has two plugs: one CCS (for your car) and one CHAdeMO (for the Leaf). If one plug is in use the whole station is in use. The same goes for Electrify America stations, but they have two CCS plugs per unit.

Pricing: almost everyone charges per minute, which is bullshit, but it’s the way of life. Some (Electrify America [EA]) also charge a session fee if you don’t have a paid membership. Pricing for EVgo and EA change by region.

I’m trying to think of more tips right now but I’m blanking. I think just download PlugShare (or go on their website) and familiarize yourself with your area. The orange dots are DCFC stations. Green are Level 2. Filter out all the paid stations and see if there are any free ones. But be warned, free ones are usually broken/not maintained.

And I think one more good tip which applies to traveling. If you take your EV and are staying at a hotel, look for Tesla destination chargers. They almost always have at least on J1772 connector (the level 2 connector) and the charging is free.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > phenotyp
10/28/2019 at 22:57

I can see why. If my wife could drive manual, I'd be "borrowing" her car all the time.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > jimz
10/28/2019 at 22:59

There seems to be a learning curve, for sure.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > His Stigness
10/28/2019 at 23:13

Awesome, thank you!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Thomas Donohue
10/29/2019 at 01:23

I think for the next 10-15 years range extended EVs will be the best option. Get the EV benefit for most of your driving and hybrid fuel economy when you are using gas with absolutely no range anxiety. That’s a win- win.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
10/29/2019 at 01:28

I did really like my wife’s next car to be an EV or Plug in hybrid/range extended EV. She’s less keen on it than I am, but it’s 3-5 years off since her Fit has plenty of life left in it. I think it’s a time 85k now, with no sign of rust on it.