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

“Enjoyable drive, a little bit irritating generally, 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 on account of a container ship incident. 

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

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

I’m from Anchorage and nonetheless have household there. Just lately, a member of the family was excited about 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 happening, however it appears like there was some form of accident or fireplace with a container ship lately, which signifies that transport up there both isn’t occurring or may be very dear.

I wanted a break from work and had needed 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 best way from Bellingham to Haines, however it was additionally expensive, they usually solely sail as soon as every week as of late, so the timing was a little bit awkward. I’ve completed that leg in a automobile up to now (in an ICE automobile), and it’s a blast in the event you don’t thoughts sleeping on the deck of the ferry. Nowadays, I’m not certain my decrease again could 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. Leap round in order for you. I actually appreciated 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. Sometimes charged up above 80% given the unpredictability and distances concerned within the extra distant areas. I by no means obtained stranded, however it was a little bit dicey in spots. Total, a lot better charging assist than I anticipated, particularly in BC, the place the infrastructure is on the level the place you don’t actually need to do a lot pre-planning. No actual regrets or massive issues I’d change.

Even Shorter Abstract

Enjoyable drive, a little bit irritating generally, price it, lengthy, lovely!

Automobile

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

I appreciated the automobile so much. It’s fairly massive for somebody like me, however for his or her household with youngsters, I believe 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 restrictions. I actually appreciated the driving help options. In my day-to-day, I drive a fairly primary (however nonetheless nice) Subaru with out quite a lot of bells and whistles. The lane-keeping help was superior. Much less useful on rougher roads, in fact, however on highways, I may set cruise management and lane help and just about let the automobile drive. Undecided if I’m presupposed 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 alternative facet of the automobile from quite a lot of different EVs, which makes it a little bit awkward to orient whereas parking at a charger that different individuals are at or might arrive at. Not insurmountable, although.

Route

I took I-5 north by way of Seattle, then minimize 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 resulted in Anchorage. I ended in additional locations than that, clearly, however that ought to offer you one thing to place right into a map.

This was based mostly on a mixture of locations I needed to see, charging spots I knew about, avoiding forest fires, staying inside some vary of providers 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 have been to do that once more and had extra flexibility, I believe staying at RV parks and tenting could be an excellent choice, as a result of I believe an excellent 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 to take it on the aircraft on the best way again. Or it will have been a large problem. Plus, once more, decrease again points. However you could possibly undoubtedly do that a little bit cheaper and a little bit extra rustic.

The primary problem was that I used to be usually taking part in it by ear, the place I’d find yourself on any given night time on account 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 in the event you have 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 so much cheaper. I prefer to strive eating places after I’m in new locations, so you could possibly decrease meals prices in the event you have 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 workers. They’re usually conscious of latest chargers earlier than the apps replace. For instance: “They only put in a brand new charger at Johnson’s Crossing,” or “I believe 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 information and regulate its predictions. A few instances, ABRP assumed I’d arrive in a city with 25% battery left, and I confirmed up with 6%. Usually, not a difficulty, however in areas with massive stretches between chargers, it was a little bit nerve-wracking.

I additionally used the Milepost, which I purchased a bodily copy of. I’d flip by way of it at charging stops to see if there have been factors of curiosity arising. 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 through 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 commenced 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 type of trivialities 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 ready companion. Lengthy-range battery, roomy inside, and driver-assist options that turned empty highways into simple miles. Lane maintaining 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 “improper” facet 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 increase of merely turning it off.

How The Kia EV9 AC Impacts Vary 

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

“Didn’t ever get stranded,” he reported, “however it was a little bit dicey in spots.” 

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

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

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

2026 Kia EV9 U.S. Remembers & Gross sales

• 2024 EV9 Land/GT-Line with Distant Sensible Parking Help, 12,400 automobiles, for a software program error that would 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 need to be just a few 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 dust… however sooner or later, certain.” 

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

By the ultimate plug-in, outdoors a Subway in Glennallen, drama_observer was an skilled EV traveler. The journey had taken every week, value about $1,700 together with meals and lodging, and proved that electrical highway journeys to Alaska usually are not solely potential however sensible.

Picture Sources: Kia Media Heart

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys overlaying the most recent information within the automotive trade and conducting opinions on the most recent vehicles. He has been within the automotive trade since 15 years outdated and has been featured in distinguished automotive information websites. You’ll be able to attain him on X and LinkedIn for suggestions and to observe his automotive protection.