As the proud owner of a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, I am very attuned to the concept of range anxiety and dealing with a charging infrastructure that isn't always your friend. Yet despite only having a real-world range of about 40 miles and not being able to use DC fast charging facilities at all, the i-MiEV works well as my primary daily driver.
Only the occasional drive outside of a roughly 20-mile radius sees me using my gas-powered Fiat 500 Abarth instead of my i-MiEV. Otherwise, I drive the i-MiEV wherever I need to go, plugging and charging up at public charging Level 2 stations all over town, or charging at home via a cheap Level 1 EVSE.
I couldn’t DC fast charge if I wanted to, since a CHAdeMO port was optional for i-MiEV,and my example doesn’t even have that. Still, I’ve gotten by for years in a low-range EV without the ability to DC fast charge. My beef with the i-MiEV is its lack of range, not its lack of fast charging abilities.
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And yet most conversations about charging infrastructure tend to revolve around the availability and reliability of DC fast charging stations. Some EV drivers don’t AC charge at all, preferring to do all their charging at a DC fast charger. Maybe they don't have easy access to Level 2; maybe they're ill-informed or just lazy. But DC reliance isn't the way this all needs to go.
Level 2 AC chargers are often left out of the conversation, despite being dramatically cheaper to implement. To me, that is an odd phenomenon. My EV can’t use DC fast chargers, but I’ve never really felt in want of them, either. I’m not saying DC fast charging isn’t important, but I feel like we’ve overemphasized our dependence on DC fast charging while ignoring the utility of slower AC charging. Perhaps if more EV drivers understood the use of AC charging, DC fast chargers might not be so crowded for the people who genuinely need them.
All of this is a long way of saying that I'm driving a 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric on loan, but we’ve put a bit of a twist here.
Of course, we’ll still be doing the typical InsideEVs new car review. However, I am intentionally avoiding DC fast charging stations. Also, I’ll have the Kona Electric for twice as long as our normal tests to ensure I get an accurate picture of what it’s like to live with a modern EV and be at the mercy of the local public charging infrastructure. I have the ability to 110 V Level 1 charge at my home, but Level 2 charging will all be via public stations.
Hyundai has loaned me a Kona Electric in Limited trim. This means I’ve got the larger 64.8 kWh battery good for an EPA rating of 261 miles. The Kona Electric Limited is front-wheel-drive only, powered by a 201 horsepower electric motor. Including carpeted floor mats and the $1,375 destination fee, this car stickers at $42,630.
I’ve driven the gas-powered Hyundai Kona and found it impressive. The new generation model is a bigger, more mature car, in a good way. I’m excited to experience the electric model, since it seems to inherit most of the good qualities of the new Kona, but cuts out the somewhat languid 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, for a quick and responsive electric motor.
Like most EV tests, I am not making any concessions to my driving style or driving needs to make my theory work. I don’t have any plans to do any large road trips that could strand me in rural America next to broken equipment (or car.) But if I find myself needing to DC fast charge to not end up stranded, then of course, I’ll use it.
Otherwise, the Kona Electric will be used as my personal car, it will go with me to the grocery store, friend’s houses, the mall or any other errand that necessitates the use of a car. I want to know: Do we really need DC fast charging as much as we think we do?
So, what would you like to know? It could be about the car, the test, or EV public charging infrastructure. Sound off in the comments, email me at kevin.williams@insideevs.com or find me on Instagram, Twitter (X) or Threads under the unforgettable GaytonaUSA username.
