Hyundai IONIQ 5 owner Patrick Nadeau recently put his new electric SUV – and the North American charging station networks – to the test by completing a 25,000+ kilometer round trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
On October 4th, this photography enthusiast and creator of virtual reality experiences loaded his vehicle with luggage and gear, then left Disraeli in Chaudière-Appalaches for the American Midwest.
He continued on to Mexico, where his family joined him for a holiday over the holiday season, and then returned home on January 20 after sprinting around 5,500km in just seven days.
Photo: Patrick Nadeau/Facebook
Total cost of fast charging during his four month adventure? Less than $630, says the man, who recently owned two Ford F-150s and has a job that allows him to spend $1,600 a month on gas. “I sold one to get an IONIQ 5 and make it my main car and I don’t regret it at all,” he told us with a big smile.
Patrick Nadeau’s vehicle is a rear-wheel drive model equipped with the largest battery offered by Hyundai (77.4 kWh), whose maximum range is officially 488 km. Was he sometimes afraid to date him?
“The longest distance I’ve traveled between charges was 460 km in the Mexican desert,” he says. I started slowing down to 95 km/h on the Autobahn and following trucks (to reduce drag). When I got to the terminal I had 7% of the battery left. »
Photo: Patrick Nadeau/Facebook
The smooth highways he drove and the hot temperatures that characterized his stay in Mexico (around 27 degrees) even allowed him to reduce the power consumption of his IONIQ 5 enough to show a range of 680 km on the dashboard one of its displayed full charges.
By the way, how did Patrick Nadeau find his experiences with charging on the side? “We’re lucky in Quebec with the Electric Circuit because the charging stations in the US (editor’s note: he mainly used those on the Electrify America network) aren’t as reliable. At least once in two cases it didn’t work and I had to move on to the next terminal, he explains. There are almost no fast terminals in Mexico, apart from those of Tesla, and are generally limited to 24 kW. I therefore had to resort to level 2 terminals, which were slower. »
He also told us that he used his vehicle for camping on a number of occasions and slept inside while his camera gear and luggage were stored outside in a tent. Maintaining a comfortable cabin temperature drained the IONIQ 5’s battery by about 10% per night, which is pretty reasonable. Of course, the ability to power devices like a computer and hob with the V2L (Vehicle to Load) feature has proven to be handy.
Photo: Patrick Nadeau/Facebook
Patrick Nadeau says he only experienced two days of rain and no mechanical problems during his entire trip (the last two!). However, shortly before returning to Quebec, he replaced his all-season tires, which had worn 40,000 km.
With no plans for his next adventure yet, he hopes his trip to Mexico will inspire other EV owners or people thinking about buying an EV. The many comments on his Facebook page make us say, “mission accomplished,” without a doubt.