2026 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD Long Range

Mt Juliet, TN ↔ Sagamore Hills, OH

March 11–15, 2026  ·  ~1,060 miles round trip  ·  4 passengers
~1,060
miles
Round Trip
9
stops
Charging Sessions
257
minutes
Total Charge Time
408.6
kWh
Energy Used
$207.52
Total Charging Cost
2.84
mi/kWh
Outbound Efficiency
2.22
mi/kWh
Return Efficiency

The 30-Second Version

We drove a 2026 Kia EV9 from Mt Juliet, TN to Sagamore Hills, OH and back — 1,060 miles — with four people and a full trunk. The outbound trip was a win: we beat our planned 2.6 mi/kWh efficiency target by 9%, cruised into three Supercharger stops with plenty of buffer, and arrived with 32% left. The return trip was a lesson: high headwinds, a battery thermally stressed from 8 DC fast-charge sessions in 5 days, and one charge-to-100% decision turned a planned 9-hour drive into an unplanned 4-stop odyssey. Total charging cost: $207.52 — about $80 more than a comparable gas SUV, though with overnight Level 2 charging at the destination, that gap nearly disappears.

The Route

🏠
Mt Juliet, TN
Start / End
190 mi
3h
⚡
Louisville, KY
Stop 1
88 mi
1.5h
⚡
Florence, KY
Stop 2
110 mi
1.75h
⚡
Columbus, OH
Stop 3
130 mi
2h
🎯
Sagamore Hills, OH
Destination
🔋 Start: 100%🏁 Arrived: 32% (87 mi est.)📍 Twinsburg Sheetz for local charging⚠ Return: Emergency stop added at Smiths Grove
~518 mi
Distance
2.84 mi/kWh
Avg Efficiency
+9.2%
vs. Plan
64 min
Charge Time
$62.10
Charging Cost
10h 48m
Door-to-Door

Efficiency by Leg — Outbound vs. Plan

LegMiles% UsedEfficiencyDrive TimeNotes
Mt Juliet → Louisville190
56%
3.43h 00mBest leg of the trip; Buc-ee's rest stop
Louisville → Florence88
32%
2.761h 35mSolid performance
Florence → Columbus110
47%
2.353h 01mI-75 standstill; rerouted via I-275; Columbus rush hour
Columbus → Sagamore Hills130
48%
2.712h 04mArrived 32% / 87 mi est.

Outbound Charging Stops

Louisville, KY
3/11 12:03p
21 min
Duration
42.01
kWh Added
$18.9
Cost
44% → 81%
Battery
Florence, KY
3/11 2:01p
18 min
Duration
34.51
kWh Added
$15.87
Cost
49% → 80%
Battery
Columbus, OH
3/11 5:23p
25 min
Duration
48.81
kWh Added
$27.33
Cost
33% → 80%
Battery

Lessons Learned

1
Secure Level 2 charging at the destination
The single biggest improvement. It eliminates the $52.88 destination charging cost AND the cumulative DC thermal stress that crippled return-trip efficiency. A portable EVSE + NEMA 14-50 outlet solves this.
2
Stay at 80% on DC fast chargers. No exceptions.
The charge curve above 80% is brutal. Louisville's 100% charge took 51 minutes. Every future stop targets 80% and drives on.
3
Check wind before you leave
A 5 mph reduction (70→65 mph) into a headwind recovers 15–20 miles per leg. The outbound trip may have had a tailwind advantage we didn't account for.
4
After heavy DC charging, allow a full L2 recovery cycle
Multiple rapid charge/discharge cycles without a slow AC interval leave the BMS in a degraded state. One L2 cycle before a long return trip allows recalibration.
5
Avoid Columbus during rush hour
The Florence→Columbus leg was the trip's efficiency low point — traffic rerouting added over an hour and crushed the efficiency number.
Coming Soon

Next Road Trip — Stay Tuned

Another trip is on the books. We'll track it in real-time and post the results here when it's done.

Open Trip Planner →
Password required