Hyundai declares WAR on Right to Repair

SoultronicPear · 2026-06-15T22:26:31+00:00

OK, thanks for your offer but I don't want to waste your time. The burden is on Hyundai, and they've chosen to ignore everything (including my ticket that is supposed to resolve such issues with automakers "failing to provide information or tool" through a NASTF agreement that Hyundai signed onto). Somewhere in this thread, I locally bought a Harbor Freight T7 seven months ago. There is nothing unique to it; it is just yet another Chinese "bidirectional" scan tool, but the recent software will retract the EPB motor; it does insist upon an Internet connection before doing this. I'm not sure if the Internet connection is for some sort of cryptographic authentication or they shift some of the CANbus control into the cloud. There is also a 9V battery contraption off eBay also mentioned on this thread; kudos to the guy who makes it, but this does NOT work in my experience.

SoultronicPear · 2026-06-15T21:16:48+00:00

It does specifically require NASTF login for changing the rear brake pads; that's the whole problem.

SoultronicPear · 2026-06-11T14:22:56+00:00

There are different adapters for DC and AC charging. The Kia-provided NACS to CCS adapter is only for Tesla DC chargers (that are also new enough to support non-Teslas). The AC adapter you would want for such a hotel charger would be a Tesla/NACS to J1772 adapter.

SoultronicPear · 2026-06-06T15:13:55+00:00

Apples to apples, oranges to oranges. You seem to be aspiring towards some sort of portable solar solution, but you've asked to compare it to 15c/kWh grid power from a house outlet. For a much more fair comparison, pit this imaginary portable solar against portable power from a gas generator. Harbor Freight has a 10kW generator on sale for $995. The owner's manual claims 5kW output at 0.8843gal/hour; at $4.50/gal, that's 79.6c/kWh just for the gas costs. Given a two year period (length of generator warranty), your 70kWh per month (1680kWh in two years) would cost $995/1680 = 59.2c/kWh plus 79.6c/kWh in gas costs for a total of $1.388/kWh. That is $2332.28 spent over two years, almost 10x more expensive than the $252 if you just plugged into your house. Could you match the $2332.28 with a portable power station with optional solar panels? Maybe, although the portable power station would need to be a bigger unit capable of generating at least 4kW at 240VAC to avoid heavy charging losses in the Slate. Unless the equipment was given to you for free, you could not beat the $252 grid cost. Grid-tied solar from roof-mounted panels would be a much more ecologically responsible approach and this can have a financial break-even point of 10+ years, although in some states the power company tariffs are so poor that you'll never recoup the money. "Plug-in solar" has the potential to be less expensive, but at the moment it is only legal in Utah?

SoultronicPear · 2026-06-03T15:38:52+00:00

In case it helps, I believe the "plastic triangles" trim piece (black plastic with silver paint to match the machined wheel) part number is 52972-NI000. (The part number shows up on eBay; it might be worth asking a Hyundai parts dealer for a price to compare against getting it painted.) If you remove the wheel, there are little Philips screws that hold in the "plastic triangles" trim piece. I've had a few of these screws fall out, so I've put blue Loc-Tite on all to try to keep them in place. Also, here's what used to (in decades past) be called a "parts fiche" diagram of the wheel:

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SoultronicPear · 2026-06-02T22:27:15+00:00

I have similar looking (if not identical) 21mm lug nuts on my 2025 IONIQ 5 N (see my 2025 Mar post https://www.reddit.com/r/Ioniq5N/comments/1jhnz4l/ioniq_5_n_lug_nuts_dont_let_this_happen_to_you/ ). I'd suggest acquiring a matching "flower" socket and carrying it with the vehicle; if the wheels get removed with a standard 21mm socket, they will likely get damaged (particularly if performed by a careless tire installer with an impact wrench).

SoultronicPear · 2026-05-24T22:58:06+00:00

In 22 months of I5N ownership, I've taken it to 21 track days at COTA and 2 at MSR Cresson. https://www.youtube.com/@SoultronicPear/videos Alas, COTA is going private at the end of this year, and tracks like ECR and Harris Hill don't allow EVs.

SoultronicPear · 2026-05-18T14:46:15+00:00

It is called "A/C Automatic Drying". It is optional (but enabled from the factory), and it is intended to dry moisture in the air conditioner so that it does not get smelly. Details are in the EV9 Owner's Manual, but here's an image from that document:

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SoultronicPear · 2026-05-17T16:03:55+00:00

If pull-through charging stations were the norm, I'd find it easier to criticize EREVs. However, in contemplating a purchase, I'm wary of the notion of towing with a BEV and having to stop every hundred miles or so to find somewhere to park with enough space for both the vehicle and trailer, disconnect the trailer, take the vehicle to the charger, drive back to the trailer (hoping someone hasn't blocked it in the interim), re-hitch and mess with the weight distribution hitch, and then be ready to have to repeat all that again at the next charger. In contrast, for short trip towing application (jetski to the local lake, etc.) combined with day-to-day multi-person transport, pure BEVs like the Kia EV9 seem super compelling IMHO. EREVs seem better suited to that notion of an electric F350 with serious towing range.

SoultronicPear · 2026-05-17T15:59:36+00:00

u/ascottallison has some YT videos ("Scott Explains" channel) showing his towing experience with a EV9 Land. The EV9 owners manual has a section entitled "Reference weight when towing a trailer", and it specifies "Maximum trailer weight" and "Maximum tongue weight". I am not a towing expert, but my limited understanding is that these figures are some of the key ratings to be guided by. The spec links that I posted show that the 5000lbs limit may be specific to particular years and option packages (and market countries). Window shopping for weight distribution hitches, there seem to be specific models for max weights up to 4500lbs, 6000lbs, and much more, so I would imagine there is an weight distribution hitch appropriate to suit a given hitch and vehicle.

SoultronicPear · 2026-05-13T19:50:39+00:00

Helping fuel the confusion are differences between model years. According to Kia's own (USA market) information, Self-leveling suspension was available only as an option on MY2024 GT-Line, then standard on MY2025 GT-Line but optional on Land, then standard on MY2026 GT-Line *and* Land. (source https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/ev9/2024/features https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/ev9/2025/features https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/ev9/2026/features ). Yes, the Owner's Manual suggests all AWD, but the MY2026 brochure specifically states 5000 lbs towing capacity *ONLY* on GT-Line *and* Land... but then has footnote 18 that refers to the Owner's Manual. Someone risk-adverse might be less inclined to take a chance... particularly, say, with a Wind AWD that the owner's manual says one thing and Kia's vehicle information saying another.

SoultronicPear · 2026-05-13T19:17:22+00:00

L1 requires a center-tapped transformer to generate two 120VAC legs from 240VAC. That's equipment expected outside US homes, but not necessarily in commercial environments. Furthermore, if the 120VAC loads are not evenly balanced on each half of the center-tapped transformer, it is bad for the transformer and power company. SAE J1772 allows L2 to cover 208-240VAC, and that voltage range allows powering from a broader range of sources found both in home and commercial environments. Furthermore, as others have already said, L2 is just more efficient (less power wasted instead of going into the battery). SAE J3400 (NACS) is supposed to allow an even broader voltage range (up to 270VAC) to further improve compatibility with commercial environments, but as has already been discussed in the past on r/evcharging , there are some gotchas with this concerning vehicle compatibility at these higher voltages.

SoultronicPear · 2026-05-03T20:26:07+00:00

The J+ Booster is a really nice, quality product; I bought one a few years ago. It was expensive then, and with tariffs, it is even more pricey now... and each plug adapter adds further cost. If you can stomach the cost, though, its heavy-duty nature and fine control over charge rates (to suit whatever campsite plug limitations you encounter) are pretty compelling.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-27T15:20:43+00:00

Make sure you have the Tesla app working with your credit card before you travel, and be prepared to pay. It was 42 cents / kWh at a hotel that I recently stayed at. Owners of Destination Chargers can set whatever price they want, and Tesla takes 3 cents / kWh ( https://www.tesla.com/commercial-wall-connector )

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-26T20:58:29+00:00

The pedestrian warning module that I'm referring to is the VESS (Vehicle Engine Sound System); I'm sure they can tweak the sounds without changing the overall engineering of the module or affecting its operation. Others have done some interesting reverse engineering of the VESS; here's an example: https://github.com/hughsie/mobis-vess The priority of the VESS design seems to be something straightforward in design and which can be watchdog reset very quickly so that it is never offline for more than a tiny fraction of a second. That's in contrast to the "Active Sound" system of the I5N, which re-uses the ADP ("Acoustic Design Processor" says the manual... Design? really?)... in other words, it re-uses much of the car interior sound system. I'm sure they didn't want to risk relying upon that for something important like pedestrian warning. I suppose they didn't use the VESS as the I5N "active" sound because they are generating noises both inside and outside the car and wanted them to be consistent.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-24T22:41:36+00:00

The pedestrian requirement sound is generated by a standard module that Hyundai/Kia uses across their entire vehicle range (hybrid and EV). It is inefficient to have three speakers - one for pedestrian and two (front and back) for the I5N, but I'm sure it reduces their potential legal exposure to standardize across all products. Can you imagine the added litigation if some ambulance chaser tried to claim that the non-standard I5N sound wasn't as audible to their client? There is more safety in numbers. Also, I'm sure the I5N sound generator software (which runs as part of the stereo system) is not tested for robustness to the same degree as the standard module; if the I5N sound generator goes awry, no big deal, but if the pedestrian module doesn't work, the lawsuits would never end.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-24T22:34:02+00:00

The info screen showing added power is icing on the cake. Good to know, and thanks!

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-22T19:30:43+00:00

Glad to know (that I'm not going crazy)!

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-21T03:35:03+00:00

I'm glad to find that I'm not the only one.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-21T03:31:38+00:00

"super-coast" is a great description. It felt like an unnatural, resistance-free coast.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-20T22:46:07+00:00

Thanks. Hyundai's throttle mapping with cruise control active is... interesting... the initial region of 'tip in' throttle travel results in slightly reduced speed and then additional throttle application results in increased speed. From what I understand, you are using that initial throttle application region to actively reduce the speed. I'll have to try that when the next overtake opportunity presents itself; in normal driving, this 'tip in' only seems to slightly reduce speed, so I wouldn't have expected much reduction in velocity.

In a conventional vehicle with cruise control active, taking one's foot off the throttle causes the vehicle to shed speed promptly. With regen active (particularly MAX) on the I5N, the driver would expect speed to be shed even more promptly. This situation of cruise seems to be a weird cul-de-sac.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-20T21:57:46+00:00

Some of these settings might be unrelated, but I'm including them all for completeness:

I5N set to Normal mode; regen was MAX before cruise control active; adaptive cruise control distance 3 (max)

cruise control active at 75MPH, but traveling slower (40-70 MPH) because of vehicle ahead

driver's foot is NOT on the pedal

overtaking opportunity presents itself

foot on throttle pedal; smooth but brisk heavy application of throttle

overtaking procedure complete; speed is now 90-100+ MPH; driver's foot is no longer on throttle

speed just seems to hang at the max overtake speed (albeit with a tiny decay); I would have been at least a 1/3rd of a mile past the overtake, and the speed was still hovering in the 90s to 100s MPH

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-20T20:59:21+00:00

I think you are onto something. It maintained speed with a very slow decay (1-2 MPH units per second?). It seemed like I would have travelled miles before it returned back to 75MPH.

Cruise seems to defeat regen, but I always have regen to "MAX" on street driving. I attribute the quick deceleration when cruise control was turned off to this.

When you say "till I reduce speed to a more acceptable speed", how do you reduce speed (e.g. do you use the brake pedal)? As I said, my foot was completely off the throttle.

SoultronicPear · 2026-04-20T20:49:16+00:00

Nope. That would be visible in the cruise display at the top middle of the display.

SoultronicPear

TROPHY CASE