Clamps
Active Member
So last week Monday I took a trip from Boston area to NYC. No big deal really, the Kona could have made it there without even a stop for charging. The adventure was on the way back.
When I left on Monday the weather was very pleasant late summer type conditions. As I was arriving to the NYC area I thought it best to charge up so I wouldn't have to stress on my return trip. Found an EVgo DC fast charger at a hotel in a town called Rye just north of the city. When I garaged the car I had about 218 miles of range estimated left on the battery. The car then sat in the garage until Saturday afternoon.
I retrieved my car and was pleasantly surprised to see that I still had 218 miles left. I put my home in google maps (really am not fond of some of the routing or interface of the built in nav). The distance was listed at 217 miles, one less than the claimed range. I knew that I wouldn't get the 218 and had planned to stop along I90 once I reached Massachusetts. Figured I would have plenty of juice, maybe close to 100 miles.
As I started making my way home I noticed my range dropping faster than usual. I found this odd as traffic was not moving that fast 50-55 mph. There were hills, maybe elevation was having an impact. Then I noticed the temperature, it started dropping since I left, from brisk temps to downright cold. I still thought I had plenty of reserve to make it to the I90 corridor in MA, so I kept going.
As time went on temps really started to drop and I started getting range anxiety. I had not been running any HVAC, I didn't even have on my heated seats or wheel. The only accessory I had was the media player, I was listening to a podcast. That was it.
As my concern grew I decided to reduce my speed. I was in a 65mph zone now. First I dropped it to 60, and then 55. I was anxious enough now that I pulled over to a rest stop. Opened up PlugShare to take a look around. I knew I had about twenty miles to I90 but I wasn't sure where the service plaza was located with the charging station. I had somewhere around 65 miles of range left. It was troublesome because the range estimate was dropping close to 2 to 1 versus the actual distance. PlugShare showed me I was in a dead zone for stations. I didn't want to go back so I went forward, just twenty miles to the interchange and then the service plaza was a few miles east. My comfort grew, I think I can make this.
Yes! I arrived and thrilled that the station wasn't occupied as it only has one CCS cable. PlugShare also rated this stop a 10 with no history of problems. I rolled up and looked at my leftover range estimate, 34 miles, 14% of battery left. Not too bad. The next service plaza was 36 miles away. Probably some more chargers off the interstate but this was convenient.
I charged for 45 minutes and for the 70 miles remainder of my ride home I went 65mph with the heat running, seat and steering wheel warmer cooking while playing some of my favorite music.
Learned a good lesson about the Kona and cooler temps. The car is great but cold weather requires more or at least better planning.
When I left on Monday the weather was very pleasant late summer type conditions. As I was arriving to the NYC area I thought it best to charge up so I wouldn't have to stress on my return trip. Found an EVgo DC fast charger at a hotel in a town called Rye just north of the city. When I garaged the car I had about 218 miles of range estimated left on the battery. The car then sat in the garage until Saturday afternoon.
I retrieved my car and was pleasantly surprised to see that I still had 218 miles left. I put my home in google maps (really am not fond of some of the routing or interface of the built in nav). The distance was listed at 217 miles, one less than the claimed range. I knew that I wouldn't get the 218 and had planned to stop along I90 once I reached Massachusetts. Figured I would have plenty of juice, maybe close to 100 miles.
As I started making my way home I noticed my range dropping faster than usual. I found this odd as traffic was not moving that fast 50-55 mph. There were hills, maybe elevation was having an impact. Then I noticed the temperature, it started dropping since I left, from brisk temps to downright cold. I still thought I had plenty of reserve to make it to the I90 corridor in MA, so I kept going.
As time went on temps really started to drop and I started getting range anxiety. I had not been running any HVAC, I didn't even have on my heated seats or wheel. The only accessory I had was the media player, I was listening to a podcast. That was it.
As my concern grew I decided to reduce my speed. I was in a 65mph zone now. First I dropped it to 60, and then 55. I was anxious enough now that I pulled over to a rest stop. Opened up PlugShare to take a look around. I knew I had about twenty miles to I90 but I wasn't sure where the service plaza was located with the charging station. I had somewhere around 65 miles of range left. It was troublesome because the range estimate was dropping close to 2 to 1 versus the actual distance. PlugShare showed me I was in a dead zone for stations. I didn't want to go back so I went forward, just twenty miles to the interchange and then the service plaza was a few miles east. My comfort grew, I think I can make this.
Yes! I arrived and thrilled that the station wasn't occupied as it only has one CCS cable. PlugShare also rated this stop a 10 with no history of problems. I rolled up and looked at my leftover range estimate, 34 miles, 14% of battery left. Not too bad. The next service plaza was 36 miles away. Probably some more chargers off the interstate but this was convenient.
I charged for 45 minutes and for the 70 miles remainder of my ride home I went 65mph with the heat running, seat and steering wheel warmer cooking while playing some of my favorite music.
Learned a good lesson about the Kona and cooler temps. The car is great but cold weather requires more or at least better planning.
