2024 Kia EV9 Fast Charging Test: Now That’s Quick

• I put the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line’s fast-charging functionality to the take a look at and got here away impressed. 
• It recharged from 18% to 80% in 22 minutes after I hooked it as much as a 350-kilowatt Electrify America charger. 
• The EV9 piles on the miles extra shortly than many different EVs due to its 800-volt structure. 

“Whoa! It’s charging so quick!” my spouse blurted out only a few minutes after we plugged the Kia EV9 right into a 350-kilowatt charger. It takes rather a lot to wow an individual who does not care a lot EVs, however will get a variety of seat time in them anyway by advantage of their partner’s job. Think about if a baker was married to somebody with a gluten intolerance. It’s type of like that. “Wow, one other kind of bread. Fascinating…”

The EV9’s wickedly quick charging performance was sufficient to impress us each, although. 

I’ll provide the key numbers up entrance, then get into the small print of this specific charging expertise and what I noticed. The underside line is that the EV9 recharged from 18% to 80% in a speedy 22 minutes, letting us get again on the street a lot faster than most rivals will enable. Multiply the 62% gained by 270 miles (the EV9 AWD’s total EPA-estimated range) and also you’re left with 167.4 miles. That’s roughly how a lot driving vary the EV9 gained in that fast cease—loads for at the very least a few hours of freeway driving. 

My expertise tracked properly with Kia’s personal estimate of 10%-80% in 24 minutes. And I feel I may’ve seen even quicker charging efficiency for one key motive I’ll clarify under.

After plugging right into a 350-kW Electrify America unit at a Financial institution of America in Northern California, the EV9 started sucking in roughly 200 kW of charging energy virtually instantly. It stayed at or above that stage for many of the charging session. The extra kilowatts a automotive is designed to deal with, the faster its battery pack might be recharged. And the EV9—together with fellow Hyundai Motor Group autos constructed on the identical platform, just like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5—excels in that regard.

Their massive benefit is that they use an 800-volt class architecture, versus the 400-volt-class architectures that the majority different EVs use. Observe that these are simplifications: EV9s like this with the 99.8-kWh battery choice have an actual nominal voltage of round 552 volts. Smaller-battery HMG vehicles just like the Kia EV6 have voltages nearer to 700 volts, and most “400-volt” vehicles have nominal voltages within the 330-360 vary. However even with “solely” a 552-volt system, the long-range EV9 is a charging champ.

The miles and state of cost piled on shortly. Inside 2.5 minutes, the EV9 displayed 25%. In a hair over 3 minutes, it hit 30%. In round 7 minutes, the EV9 hit 40% whereas chugging alongside at 207 kW. It reached 44% in slightly over 8 minutes whereas pulling 209 kW. Then my superb charging session got here to an abrupt halt. 

It wasn’t the Kia’s fault. One other EV proprietor pulled up on the opposite facet of the stall I used to be utilizing, and tried to stay the charger’s second plug in his personal automotive. The station didn’t like that and killed the ability. 

I acquired going once more fairly shortly, and as soon as once more the ability swiftly shot up above 200 kW. It peaked at 216 kW within the ballpark of 55% and descended step by step from there. At round 60%, the EV9 was pulling 201 kW. At 70%, it learn 180 kW, nonetheless considerably greater than most different EVs peak at. Then issues dropped extra precipitously, to 103 kW at an 80% state of cost. 

Add up the whole time plugged in and charging—in different phrases, excluding the time when the session was interrupted—and we get 22 minutes for 18%-80%. However the pause nonetheless possible had an influence, because the EV9 didn’t ramp again as much as 209 kW the moment it began charging once more. I’d wager a smoother do-over would shave off a minute or so. 

Regardless of the hiccup, the expertise was spectacular. And refreshing. The Cadillac Lyriq I reviewed just lately peaks at 190 kW in idea, however I didn’t see near that in observe. It took a sluggish 40 minutes to recharge from 20%-80%. It’s true that the Lyriq has a bigger battery pack and barely extra vary than the EV9, in order that session added 184 miles. However even whenever you evaluate apples to apples, the EV9 wound up beating that point by an extended shot.

I saved the EV9 plugged in previous 80%, understanding full effectively that charging speeds would drop considerably, as occurs in any EV. After hitting 87% in one other 6 minutes, I known as it. In sum, the EV9 went from 18% to 87%—a achieve of 186.3 EPA-estimated miles—in 28 minutes. 

No, that’s not as fast as getting fuel. And the EV9’s bulk hamstrings its charging functionality barely; it is a massive, three-row SUV that by its very nature goes to require further vitality to go a given distance. However I feel that is the type of easy expertise that’s going to convert Americans to EVs—even these cussed ones who’re principally bored by the entire thought. 

Contact the writer: tim.levin@insideevs.com