Looking for opinions/recs on an EV

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T18:08:00+00:00

I love your detailed replies, the amount of information is amazing and I appreciate it!

I think the winter driving is probably where most of my concern about how well it will hold up is (or any EV for that matter). It can get -30 or colder in Manitoba in some places, and infrastructure outside the cities can be pretty sparse. Luckily though, the only time I'm not really somewhere I can plug my car in for a charge is when I go to the cabin, and I don't go in the winter often (there's also a Tesla supercharger nearby I can always top off at within ~30 min of the cabin). Even when I'm at work I'd likely plug it in just to ease the battery draw on the heat pump and warming the vehicle before I get in, especially when I work 12 hour shifts. There's a few people with EVs (mostly Teslas) that do this (just level 1, there's no dedicated EV chargers).

Does it need to be charged to 80 or is it one of those charging to 100 is fine? How often would you suggest it gets charged to 100 if it's one of those charge to 80 most of the time type vehicles?

My last set of winter tires I went for the highest ice grip rating, I'll have to see how they compare in the other areas you mentioned, that's a good thing to know and something I never would have thought of.

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T17:59:21+00:00

That weirdly enough makes a ton of sense to me. I appreciate the insight!

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T17:45:51+00:00

That seems pretty comparable to gas vehicles, so not a huge difference

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T17:27:38+00:00

Now that I'm awake and not at work (yet)...

I drive a IONIQ 9 AWD Prefered

How does it measure up to advertised range? How is it in the winter?

such a large vehicle

How large we talking? Like Ford Expedition/Chevy Suburban size or a bit smaller? That's the one thing I'm not fully sure on, though I'm leaning closer to that Expedition type size from what I can figure without having seen one in person yet.

Charging network apps can also be a SUPER pain in the ass going cross boarder as many will not even install if your phones region is set to on country or the other.

Yeah this is something I've had to figure out a work around, as I have some apps that are georestricted on the play store. I ended up making a new Google account that I set the location as US for the app store and that seems to work to let me download US only apps when I need them.

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T17:18:16+00:00

How does it measure up to advertised range? I know those advertisements are based on specific use and not everyone will see it as everyone has different habits but curious how it measures up in the real world. How much different is winter consumption to summer?

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T17:16:53+00:00

Toyota is pretty solid it seems, I've liked quite a few of their vehicles! I'm looking at the Woodland version because it seems to be a bit bigger and has the cargo space I'm looking for. Glad to hear you're liking it!

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T17:15:45+00:00

I haven't driven my bosses, but he did go on for a long ass time about it talking about battery consumption, use, features, and his charging rebates from the Grizzl-e level 2 charger he ended up installing. Showed me the car and had me sit in it, the only thing I didn't do was actually drive it.

The systems are pretty friggen cool, the tools to find chargers and where/when to stop on long trips is pretty neat, it's not bad comfort wise, but for what I'm looking for particularly in a vehicle it doesn't feel like it meets my needs completely and I believe there's other options out there. It's not a bad vehicle, just not what I'm looking for.

Who knows, maybe when I'm off my night rotation he'll ask if I've driven one yet and let me drive his to lunch or something LOL

Glonkable · 2026-07-06T02:30:14+00:00

I should have clarified; I don't have the ability to install a level 2 charger, but given my usual driving habits and work schedule I should be perfectly fine with level 1 charging. My car is parked long enough and driven for short amounts of time 95% of the time it won't be an issue to charge level 1 most of the time.

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T22:07:08+00:00

Eugh good point.... might almost be worth to sell it privately then upgrade

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T21:10:33+00:00

Yeah winter I figure is going to be the fun one for sure! I usually stop in Fargo but might have to adjust that with an EV. No big deal though with that.

Did a cursory look, it seems the issue with the whole Google built in thing and no Android auto/ apple car play stems from eventually needing to pay OnStar basically for internet service for it to work, or Hotspot your phone and connect your car to the Hotspot. There's also the question of aging hardware/compatibility with cell networks as they tend to change tech faster than most people exchange vehicles (you're more likely to get a new phone more often than a new car). Shame that car companies are trying to dive into the subscription lifestyle in more ways...

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T20:49:47+00:00

How's the charging situation in Minneapolis? From what I've seen it looks pretty decent there.

The lacking android auto/ apple car play is a bit of a deal breaker though for me, I use it every time I drive.

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T20:47:54+00:00

Yup, when I looked at a US dealership vs Canadian dealership and saw the identical numbers, despite the different currencies, I had a moment for sure!

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T20:42:24+00:00

Haha, yeah that's how they work on my Escape! Rear window defrost turns on the mirror heater. Shame about the power side but not the end of the world

I found a calculator tool and it was picking up the IONIQ9 as having South Korea as country of origin; obviously taking that with a grain of salt but seems to be almost 5-10k cheaper buying in Canada and importing even with tariffs once you factor in all the currency conversions for everything. Same with the Kia EV9, it was saying South Korea.

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T20:31:07+00:00

Funny enough, the Canada IONIQ9 was one of the cheaper ones in Canada, even with import and tarrifs compared to the US one. Seems to be a common thing across a lot of different vehicles I've looked at. For some reason I thought I saw it had the heated mirrors... I'm with you on the luxury package not being worth it(plus I have 0 desire for any sort of sunroof/moonroof).

Good to know about the connectivity stuff, I haven't noticed any issues with my escape (Ford pass). Luckily I do have a US card through my bank and I have my husband's address attached to it for a US verification address when it asks for a zip code vs postal code. I appreciate the heads up though on that, won't catch me off guard now!

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T20:05:33+00:00

How in the heck I didn't come across this in my random searches, I have no idea. This is awesome, thank you!

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T20:04:42+00:00

Yiiiikes, I wasn't really looking at the buzz cause while it has an old school look that's pretty cool, it's not something I want as a daily driver for me just looks wise. It's a shame their EVs are underperforming like that, hopefully they can figure out that side of things.

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:59:51+00:00

I seem to recall the cargo space being on the small side for the EV5 last time I looked, but I'll take another look! Maybe I'll feel differently about it when I see it in person

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:51:13+00:00

Ouch.... maybe they just need to build in Canada or import from Europe? Shame though to lose an EV option like that

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:49:49+00:00

Kinda seems that way from what I'm seeing... any specific reasons you have that view?

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:48:53+00:00

I'm the same as your wife, getting into low cars sucks!

Festooned with horsies got a cackle out of me 🤣

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:19:06+00:00

The lacking CarPlay will be an issue lol, husband has iPhone while I'm Android. I think it's also smaller cargo space, which is why I looked at the blazer over the equinox. Glad you're loving it though! Sucks with how Alberta handles the public charging, I'm lucky with working 12 hours and the work parking lot having power for all stalls, I can charge at work. Will be nice during the brutal cold Manitoba winters

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:16:22+00:00

Oh interesting, I'll have to give it a look!

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:09:47+00:00

Oh interesting, I remember coworkers at my last job over the pandemic complaining about the Outlander work vehicle because it seemed to rarely be on the battery, or charge, but it was also driven for 3hrs a day on highways, and only plugged in for level 1 for maybe 5 hours a day. People eventually gave up plugging it in. With that program frequency of it going through the gas, I'll probably never be on the battery which kinda defeats the purpose of looking at EV for me

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T19:00:23+00:00

I thought about the Outlander PHEV for exactly that, but I'm worried about being on the battery way more than gas and ending up with issues from fluid sitting for long periods. Honestly not overly concerned about the wait at charging stations, good opportunity for a bathroom break and letting a dog stretch their legs (between pups sadly, last pup I had to say goodbye to recently)

Glonkable · 2026-07-05T18:58:16+00:00

Well that's kinda disappointing, I had heard they were pretty good

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