At home charging Hyundai Sonatam PHEV

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james e Hunt

New Member
Notwithstanding manufacturers warnings to the contrary, I need to extend the reach of the Level 1 charger supplied by the OEM. In need a short run (10-15 ft) from a 120V common receptical located near the garage door opener. What is the minimum gauge extension I should use noting that it would have to be standard 3-wire grounded plug? I am thinking 12-3 as most 10-3 are twist plugs.
 
james e Hunt -- how are you liking your Sonata Plug-in Hybrid. I'm looking at a "new" 2019 but have been hesitant because of the mixed owner reviews and reports of mediocre reliability (hybrid system, especially).
 
I have a 2016 model and it's the wrong car for me. I'm not a big fan of Hyundai Plug-in hybrids since they don't come with an electric heater, are more complicated then necessary, don't use liquid cooling for the traction battery, and have a very limited electric range.

Frankly, I'm not a big fan of PHEVs in general.

I have lost 2 miles out of 27 mile of range. That's not bad, but when you have just a limited amount of range to begin with, it hurts. As far as repairs, I had to replace one engine sensor and had one ignition coil go bad. I got them replace all 4 ignition coils under a tech bulletin

If your heart is set on a PHEV, then buy or lease a Honda Clarity or wait for the Toyota Rav4 Prime.
 
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your input. In the meantime, I did buy a new 2019 base model, since it includes five-year bumper to bumper, etc, and lifetime warranty on the battery; I pick it up later this week. In addition, I seldom drive more than 20 miles/day except when traveling once or twice a month to see family three or four hours away. In that regard, how do/did you find it on the highway? (Give me your most honest answer.) Thanks.
 
I'm sorry, not trying to educate anybody, but trying to understand why you went with a phev? If you drive 20m per day and an occasional 3-4 hour drive. Why buy a car that has a super complicated, expensive to maintain and fuel combustion engine in it? A BEV would have been a better choice IMHO. No maintenance and cheap to fuel. And your driving pattern would be easily covered.
 
Here was my thinking. On most days (300 out of 365), I'm using only electric. When I need to go 280 miles to St. Louis (with NO charging stations between my hometown and there), I can get there without buying a long-range $50,000 Tesla, which does not have a dealership in my city. Moreover, I bought the Hyundai for $23,000 ($11,000 off MSRP) which after the tax credit, is $18,000, plus the longest warranty in the business. Does that make sense?
 
Irissam said:
In that regard, how do/did you find it on the highway?
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I have no complaints as to driving the car on the freeway. However, over 95% of my driving is under 20 miles in town round trip so I don't drive on the freeway much.

Like I said, this is the wrong car for me and I will probably trade it in for a BEV in a couple of years.
 
I asked about the highway experience because I tried a Prius Prime and it just felt loud and uncomfortable on the highway. I'm old and creaky and I just needed a bigger car with a softer ride.
 
Irissam said:
I asked about the highway experience because I tried a Prius Prime and it just felt loud and uncomfortable on the highway. I'm old and creaky and I just needed a bigger car with a softer ride.
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I think you will be happy with the ride on the freeway.
 
Thanks. Not that I have any kind of expertise, I bought a 2012 Nissan Leaf years ago for a song and used the heck out of it with almost no repair expense. Depending on the outer limits of your driving needs, I think you have lots of good options, including inexpensive ones, if that's a consideration. The Leaf was a war horse.
 
Irissam said:
Here was my thinking. On most days (300 out of 365), I'm using only electric. When I need to go 280 miles to St. Louis (with NO charging stations between my hometown and there), I can get there without buying a long-range $50,000 Tesla, which does not have a dealership in my city. Moreover, I bought the Hyundai for $23,000 ($11,000 off MSRP) which after the tax credit, is $18,000, plus the longest warranty in the business. Does that make sense?
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Ok, makes sense. Definitely not saying you're wrong, especially since I don't know your route. There seems to be a lot of chargers around St. Louis, though.

I'm managing pretty good, and I live in Roswell, NM. There is literally nothing around here. But I understand not everybody is as adventurous as I am. [emoji1787]

And sorry, I'm not trying to be argumentative. Just trying to understand where people are coming from.
 
No, I like the challenge of a different perspective. I could not figure out how to get to my kids in St. Louis with an electric car that I could afford. By the way, noticing your photo, I have been piloting a project called "YardForest," encouraging people with yards to dedicate part of their yard to the growing of a forest (which is different than just planting trees.) It's been great fun both planting & tending as well as educating people on the 10 good reasons for giving it a try.
 
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