Anyone in the southern US that owns a KONA EV??

rebel4ever

rebel4ever

New Member
Hello All-

I live in Georgia and I am so jealous of the new Kona EV's!! I have always said once they are at least competitive in price to a gas vehicle I would buy one. Unfortunately, they are not sold except in a few states in the US. I am driving 12hrs to New Jersey on Monday the 10th of June to pick up my Kona. All my friends think I am crazy - oh well. I am installing my Chargepoint Level II charger at home, I have already ordered my Chargepoint and EvGo cards. Gonna be an adventure!! So I guess I just wanted to see if I was going to be the only Kona EV owner in Georgia or maybe in the southeast US?? I'll be posting more as my journey progresses.
Thanks!
 
I am so new to this - I'm guessing I am looking for at least a 50A (Level III DC fast charging station?) This should be quite an adventure. I have downloaded Plugshare and Chargepoint and EVGo- but I want to make sure I am choosing the right stations. I'm looking for SAE Combo CCS stations? Any recommendations for a good fast charging station between New Jersey and Georgia?
 
You've got the right apps.
You'll want CCS stations.
Im from Canada but maybe someone familiar there, might know good stations.
Or you can fly by the seat of your pants and use the nav to find charging stations but that is limited.
 
rebel4ever said:
I am so new to this - I'm guessing I am looking for at least a 50A (Level III DC fast charging station?) This should be quite an adventure. I have downloaded Plugshare and Chargepoint and EVGo- but I want to make sure I am choosing the right stations. I'm looking for SAE Combo CCS stations? Any recommendations for a good fast charging station between New Jersey and Georgia?
Click to expand...
Yes, with Plugshare, Chargepoint, and EVGo you'll do fine on the Interstates. Use the filter function of Plugshare to identify sections of freeway that lack Level III DCFC charging stations. Kona has the range to easily jump over these desert regions on the road back to Georgia.
 
So I leave NJ with a full charge - it is about 150 miles to the northside of DC and about 175 to Chantilly VA west of DC. I'll need to charge somewhere there. Hopefully that should be an easy spot to find a good charger. Then I cut over to 81 south-
Almost half the trip, 300 miles, I'll be heading down 81 in Virginia from Winchester to Bristol at the North Carolina line. I'll need to find a charger down that stretch, hopefully two (one near each end of the stretch). Then through the Appalachian mountains to 24 to Asheville, NC. Asheville is only 110 from my home - I should be able to charge there and get home easily.
 

Attachments

  • my_kona_electric_journey.webp
    my_kona_electric_journey.webp
    53.7 KB · Views: 12
What a wonderful adventure! Please let us know how it works out.

I predict that you are going to have the feeling that Kona is always looking out for you and will get you through any dry stretches.
 
davidtm said:
abetterrouteplanner.com
FTW!

Sent from my Zenpad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Third that! That website is amazing! At least check it out to get an idea. Plugshare is great because of the feedback you get from previous drivers charging. So check that to find out if there are chargers en route that don't work.

Make sure to "overplan" in the beginning since you don't have the experience yet. That's what I would do.

Have fun! That's a great Roadtrip! And welcome to the EV community!

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
 
Definitely plan out your trip ahead of time. Dont forget you get worse mileage on the highway then you do on local roads. Have the dealer show you how to work the regen and setup smart regen. If your dealer is like most, they will have no idea what it is.

Loosely plan your routes around the DCFC. The Kona can accept up to 77kW. Check each spot for the feedback on plugshare for reviews. Nothing would ruin your trip more than to find out the spot is broken or routinely over used.
 
popnfrresh said:
Definitely plan out your trip ahead of time. Dont forget you get worse mileage on the highway then you do on local roads. Have the dealer show you how to work the regen and setup smart regen. If your dealer is like most, they will have no idea what it is.

Loosely plan your routes around the DCFC. The Kona can accept up to 77kW. Check each spot for the feedback on plugshare for reviews. Nothing would ruin your trip more than to find out the spot is broken or routinely over used.
Click to expand...
Or that Hyundai products don't actually accept a charge there - see BC Hydro stations thread:
https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/bc-hydro-stations.5252/page-2#post-59257
Some of that has been remedied, but not being a cell phone owner, I depend on RFID and have run into at least one station with an RFID glitch which doesn't always get reported as most use cell apps.
 
rebel4ever said:
Hello All-

I live in Georgia and I am so jealous of the new Kona EV's!! I have always said once they are at least competitive in price to a gas vehicle I would buy one. Unfortunately, they are not sold except in a few states in the US. I am driving 12hrs to New Jersey on Monday the 10th of June to pick up my Kona. All my friends think I am crazy - oh well. I am installing my Chargepoint Level II charger at home, I have already ordered my Chargepoint and EvGo cards. Gonna be an adventure!! So I guess I just wanted to see if I was going to be the only Kona EV owner in Georgia or maybe in the southeast US?? I'll be posting more as my journey progresses.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

It's fun to be crazy! I just bought my Kona EV last week and tomorrow I'm doing a 450-mile roadtrip to the middle of nowhere in northwestern PA where the closest DCFC is ~80 miles away. Thankfully, abetterrouteplanner has my back and has figured out 2 places along the way that I can stop for fast charges. I'll be using Level 1 charging overnight while I'm there and should easily have twice the range I need to get to a proper fast charger on the way back.

How did your Kona fare on the trip back home?! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top