I Delivered A 2026 Kia EV9 2,500 Miles From Oregon To Alaska By Canada And By no means Obtained Stranded, Regardless of Some Dicey Charging Conditions

“Enjoyable drive, somewhat annoying typically, price it, lengthy, lovely!” 

That was how Reddit person drama_observer summed up a 2,500-mile odyssey from Oregon to Alaska in a 2026 Kia EV9. It was merely a household favor. A relative in Anchorage wanted their brand-new EV9 delivered, however transport was snarled and costly because of a container ship incident. 

So he volunteered, turning a sensible supply into a contemporary check of North American electrical journey. He went to Reddit to speak about it. 

“Howdy, everybody. I did a whole lot of poking round on right here whereas researching this journey, so I figured it could be useful so as to add my very own write-up for individuals planning sooner or later, in case it’s helpful.

I’m from Anchorage and nonetheless have household there. Lately, a member of the family was excited by getting a brand new EV, however the transport as much as Anchorage was problematic and/or costly. I’m not an EV proprietor, and I don’t actually observe what’s occurring, nevertheless it feels like there was some sort of accident or fireplace with a container ship not too long ago, which signifies that transport up there both isn’t taking place or could be very dear.

I wanted a break from work and had wished to do this drive once more for some time, so I agreed to drive it up from the place they bought it in Washington to Anchorage by way of Canada.

We checked out taking the ferry for a part of the way in which from Bellingham to Haines, nevertheless it was additionally pricey, they usually solely sail as soon as per week as of late, so the timing was somewhat awkward. I’ve finished that leg in a automobile prior to now (in an ICE automobile), and it’s a blast for those who don’t thoughts sleeping on the deck of the ferry. Nowadays, I’m not certain my decrease again can be too proud of that call.

So the all-land route it was.

I’ll break this down into sections and a day-by-day fast log. Bounce round if you need. I actually preferred having the element after I was doing my very own analysis, so I apologize if it’s too nitpicky.

Abstract

6 driving days, starting from 5–10 hours of drive time. The longest cost time was 4–5 hours in a city the place the quick charger was damaged. Usually charged up above 80% given the unpredictability and distances concerned within the extra distant areas. I by no means obtained stranded, nevertheless it was somewhat dicey in spots. Total, significantly better charging assist than I anticipated, particularly in BC, the place the infrastructure is on the level the place you don’t actually should do a lot pre-planning. No actual regrets or massive issues I’d change.

Even Shorter Abstract

Enjoyable drive, somewhat annoying typically, price it, lengthy, lovely!

Automobile

I drove the 2026 Kia EV9. I feel they’ve solely been out for a short while. I imagine it was the long-range mannequin. Like I mentioned, it’s not my automobile and I’m not an EV man, so I don’t know an excessive amount of about this side. I do know I had to make use of a CCS charger adapter at virtually each cease.

I preferred the automobile loads. It’s fairly massive for somebody like me, however for his or her household with youngsters, I feel it is sensible. It has fairly a little bit of vary, and realistically, it’s solely in locations like northwestern Canada that you just actually really feel the constraints. I actually preferred the driving help options. In my day-to-day, I drive a reasonably fundamental (however nonetheless nice) Subaru with out a whole lot of bells and whistles. The lane-keeping help was superior. Much less practical on rougher roads, after all, however on highways, I may set cruise management and lane help and just about let the automobile drive. Unsure if I’m speculated to say that.

The one draw back is that the local weather management cuts into the mileage considerably. It took me a few days to determine this out. Additionally, the charging port is on the other aspect of the automobile from a whole lot of different EVs, which makes it somewhat awkward to orient whereas parking at a charger that different persons are at or might arrive at. Not insurmountable, although.

Route

I took I-5 north by way of Seattle, then reduce east at Bellingham to cross the border extra close to Abbotsford than Vancouver itself. From there, I went by way of Kamloops, Cache Creek, Prince George, Fort Nelson (skipping Dawson), Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Beaver Creek, Tok, Glennallen, and led to Anchorage. I ended in additional locations than that, clearly, however that ought to provide you with one thing to place right into a map.

This was based mostly on a mix of locations I wished to see, charging spots I knew about, avoiding forest fires, staying inside some vary of companies in case of an issue, and drivable distances. I’ll get into it extra within the day-by-day.

Lodging

I stayed in a resort (of some description) each night time. If I had been to do that once more and had extra flexibility, I feel staying at RV parks and tenting can be a superb possibility, as a result of I feel a superb variety of them are beginning to or have already got chargers that work moderately properly in a single day. As a result of I used to be solely driving a technique, I couldn’t deliver all my tenting gear since I wouldn’t be capable of take it on the aircraft on the way in which again. Or it could have been an enormous trouble. Plus, once more, decrease again points. However you would undoubtedly do that somewhat cheaper and somewhat extra rustic.

The principle problem was that I used to be usually taking part in it by ear, the place I might find yourself on any given night time because of uncertainty round charger availability and cost time. If I confirmed up and needed to wait for somebody to complete charging, or if the charger wasn’t out there, the longer charging instances additional north (50 kW for those who had been fortunate) made it laborious to order resort rooms forward of time. Day-of is usually cheaper if they should promote a room, however it may be an actual roll of the cube.

Price

For six nights, charging, meals, snacks, espresso, and so forth., my value as 1 particular person was about $1,700 USD. Tenting would make this loads cheaper. I prefer to strive eating places after I’m in new locations, so you would decrease meals prices for those who had been extra frugal.

Since charging in Yukon was free, solely about $300 was the charging expense. Cheaper than fuel for certain.

Assets

I used A Higher Route Planner, which I’m certain you all find out about. Additional north, I relied extra on the official apps of the charging utilities, BC Hydro, and Flo within the Yukon. I additionally began stopping in at each city’s customer heart and speaking to the desk employees. They’re usually conscious of recent chargers earlier than the apps replace. For instance: “They only put in a brand new charger at Johnson’s Crossing,” or “I feel that RV park has a quick charger now,” even when it wasn’t within the apps but.

One problem was that the Kia was not linked to ABRP, so ABRP couldn’t entry my real-world driving effectivity knowledge and modify its predictions. A few instances, ABRP assumed I might arrive in a city with 25% battery left, and I confirmed up with 6%. Usually, not a problem, however in areas with massive stretches between chargers, it was somewhat nerve-wracking.

I additionally used the Milepost, which I purchased a bodily copy of. I might flip by way of it at charging stops to see if there have been factors of curiosity developing. I like to recommend it. They’ve good EV charging information since they replace yearly.”

I-5 north by way of Washington, east at Bellingham into Abbotsford, then into the spine of British Columbia, Kamloops, Prince George, Fort Nelson, earlier than reducing throughout the Yukon by way of Watson Lake and Whitehorse, then into Alaska by way of Beaver Creek, Tok, and Glennallen. The romance was within the particulars. BC Hydro chargers are tucked behind workplace buildings and customer facilities. 

2026 Kia EV9 Vary & Dimensions 

• EPA estimates span 230–304 miles relying on trim; the longest is the Gentle Lengthy Vary RWD at 304 miles (99.8-kWh pack). 
• On a 350-kW DC quick charger, Kia says 10–80% in about 20–24 minutes (mannequin/pack dependent). 
• Huge three-row footprint, 197 in L / 78 in W / 70–71 in H / 122 in wheelbase, with a flat-floor EV platform to maximise cabin area. 
• Kia invested $200M and started EV9 meeting in West Level, Georgia, in 2024 (first EV inbuilt GA), including 200 jobs, a part of a broader HMG footprint rising throughout the state.

5-hour charging periods in tiny Yukon cities the place the charger topped out at 50 kW. Resort check-ins are dictated not by temper or climate, however by the whims of kilowatt-hours. This was the kind of trivia a driver used to “fill’er up” would possibly by no means take into account, however in EV territory, it was the distinction between a snug in a single day and a stranded night.

The EV9 itself proved an in a position accomplice. Lengthy-range battery, roomy inside, and driver-assist options that turned empty highways into straightforward miles. Lane preserving and adaptive cruise “just about let the automobile drive” on clean stretches, although rougher roads required arms firmly on the wheel. Quirks included a charging port on the “mistaken” aspect for a lot of stations and a speedometer stubbornly caught in miles per hour, even when the velocity restrict show transformed to metric. 

Local weather management was the silent battery thief, shaving vary dramatically till he found the effectivity enhance of merely turning it off.

How The Kia EV9 AC Impacts Vary 

Charging infrastructure was higher than anticipated, significantly in British Columbia, the place the community required little preplanning. 

“Didn’t ever get stranded,” he reported, “nevertheless it was somewhat dicey in spots.” 

The distant north required vigilance and typically old-school arithmetic; he stored a handwritten log of precise distances, predicted vary, and battery proportion to right the Kia EV9’s overly optimistic estimates by about 25 %. 

With AC off, he may usually beat the numbers, giving him confidence to deal with the longest, charge-less stretches.

Meals ranged from ahi-guacamole plates in Whitehorse to grilled cheese and tomato soup in Glennallen. Nights had been spent in motels, some with EV chargers, some with out, and all the time with the quiet satisfaction of ahead progress.

2026 Kia EV9 U.S. Recollects & Gross sales

• 2024 EV9 Land/GT-Line with Distant Sensible Parking Help, 12,400 automobiles, for a software program error that might misjudge stopping distance; supplier replace out there (NHTSA 24V-693 / Kia SC324). 
• Sure 2024–2025 EV9 items the place the cluster may intermittently go clean at start-up (24V-757); software program treatment issued. 
• 2024–2025 EV9, potential lacking 2nd/Third-row seat bolts; ~22,883 automobiles affected (24V-962). 
• In July 2025, Kia reported 1,737 EV9s offered (YTD 6,675, vs. 11,486 YTD in 2024); Might 2025 noticed an uncommon dip that drew consideration.

Reddit customers devoured the write-up. Beginning_Key2167 remarked, 

“As an EV proprietor, that is past superior… There should be a number of locations within the US we will’t reliably go anymore.” 

Mallcop2020 praised the element and humor, asking if the journey had transformed him.. 

“I’m gonna drive my present automobile into the filth… however sooner or later, certain.” 

He preferred the EV9, noticed the benefit within the expertise, however was not able to signal the papers simply but.

By the ultimate plug-in, exterior a Subway in Glennallen, drama_observer was an skilled EV traveler. The journey had taken per week, value about $1,700 together with meals and lodging, and proved that electrical street journeys to Alaska aren’t solely doable however sensible.

Picture Sources: Kia Media Heart

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys overlaying the newest information within the automotive trade and conducting critiques on the newest automobiles. He has been within the automotive trade since 15 years previous and has been featured in outstanding automotive information websites. You possibly can attain him on X and LinkedIn for ideas and to observe his automotive protection.