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“Fun drive, a little stressful sometimes, worth it, long, beautiful!”
That was how Reddit user drama_observer summed up a 2,500-mile odyssey from Oregon to Alaska in a 2026 Kia EV9. It was simply a family favor. A relative in Anchorage needed their brand-new EV9 delivered, but shipping was snarled and expensive due to a container ship incident.
So he volunteered, turning a practical delivery into a modern test of North American electric travel. He went to Reddit to talk about it.
“Hello, everyone. I did a lot of poking around on here while researching this trip, so I figured it would be helpful to add my own write-up for people planning in the future, in case it’s useful.
I’m from Anchorage and still have family there. Recently, a family member was interested in getting a new EV, but the shipping up to Anchorage was problematic and/or expensive. I am not an EV owner, and I don’t really follow what’s going on, but it sounds like there was some kind of accident or fire with a container ship recently, which means that shipping up there either isn’t happening or is very pricey.
I needed a break from work and had wanted to do that drive again for a while, so I agreed to drive it up from where they purchased it in Washington to Anchorage through Canada.
We looked at taking the ferry for part of the way from Bellingham to Haines, but it was also costly, and they only sail once a week these days, so the timing was a little awkward. I have done that leg in a car in the past (in an ICE car), and it’s a blast if you don’t mind sleeping on the deck of the ferry. These days, I am not sure my lower back would be too happy with that decision.
So the all-land route it was.
I’ll break this down into sections and a day-by-day quick log. Jump around if you want. I really liked having the detail when I was doing my own research, so I apologize if it’s too nitpicky.
Summary
6 driving days, ranging from 5–10 hours of drive time. The longest charge time was 4–5 hours in a town where the fast charger was broken. Typically charged up above 80% given the unpredictability and distances involved in the more remote areas. I never got stranded, but it was a little dicey in spots. Overall, much better charging support than I expected, especially in BC, where the infrastructure is at the point where you don’t really have to do much pre-planning. No real regrets or big things I’d change.
Even Shorter Summary
Fun drive, a little stressful sometimes, worth it, long, beautiful!
Vehicle
I drove the 2026 Kia EV9. I think they have only been out for a short time. I believe it was the long-range model. Like I said, it’s not my car and I am not an EV guy, so I don’t know too much about this aspect. I know I had to use a CCS charger adapter at almost every stop.
I liked the car a lot. It’s pretty big for someone like me, but for their family with kids, I think it makes sense. It has quite a bit of range, and realistically, it’s only in places like northwestern Canada that you really feel the limitations. I really liked the driving assist features. In my day-to-day, I drive a pretty basic (but still great) Subaru without a lot of bells and whistles. The lane-keeping assist was awesome. Less functional on rougher roads, of course, but on highways, I could set cruise control and lane assist and pretty much let the car drive. Not sure if I’m supposed to say that.
The one downside is that the climate control cuts into the mileage significantly. It took me a couple of days to figure this out. Also, the charging port is on the opposite side of the car from a lot of other EVs, which makes it a little awkward to orient while parking at a charger that other people are at or may arrive at. Not insurmountable, though.
Route
I took I-5 north through Seattle, then cut east at Bellingham to cross the border more near Abbotsford than Vancouver itself. From there, I went through Kamloops, Cache Creek, Prince George, Fort Nelson (skipping Dawson), Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Beaver Creek, Tok, Glennallen, and ended in Anchorage. I stopped in more places than that, obviously, but that should give you something to put into a map.
This was based on a combination of places I wanted to see, charging spots I knew about, avoiding forest fires, staying within some range of services in case of a problem, and drivable distances. I’ll get into it more in the day-by-day.
Lodging
I stayed in a hotel (of some description) every night. If I were to do this again and had more flexibility, I think staying at RV parks and camping would be a good option, because I think a good number of them are starting to or already have chargers that work reasonably well overnight. Because I was only driving one way, I couldn’t bring all my camping gear since I wouldn’t be able to take it on the plane on the way back. Or it would have been a giant hassle. Plus, again, lower back issues. But you could definitely do this a little cheaper and a little more rustic.
The main challenge was that I was often playing it by ear, where I would end up on any given night due to uncertainty around charger availability and charge time. If I showed up and had to wait for someone to finish charging, or if the charger wasn’t available, the longer charging times further north (50 kW if you were lucky) made it hard to reserve hotel rooms ahead of time. Day-of is sometimes cheaper if they need to sell a room, but it can be a real roll of the dice.
Cost
For 6 nights, charging, food, snacks, coffee, etc., my cost as 1 person was about $1,700 USD. Camping would make this a lot cheaper. I like to try restaurants when I’m in new places, so you could lower food costs if you were more frugal.
Since charging in Yukon was free, only about $300 was the charging expense. Cheaper than gas for sure.
Resources
I used A Better Route Planner, which I’m sure you all know about. Further north, I relied more on the official apps of the charging utilities, BC Hydro, and Flo in the Yukon. I also started stopping in at every town’s visitor center and talking to the desk staff. They are often aware of new chargers before the apps update. For example: “They just put in a new charger at Johnson’s Crossing,” or “I think that RV park has a fast charger now,” even if it wasn’t in the apps yet.
One challenge was that the Kia was not linked to ABRP, so ABRP couldn’t access my real-world driving efficiency data and adjust its predictions. A couple of times, ABRP assumed I would arrive in a town with 25% battery left, and I showed up with 6%. Normally, not an issue, but in areas with big stretches between chargers, it was a little nerve-wracking.
I also used the Milepost, which I bought a physical copy of. I would flip through it at charging stops to see if there were points of interest coming up. I recommend it. They have good EV charging info since they update every year.”
I-5 north through Washington, east at Bellingham into Abbotsford, then into the backbone of British Columbia, Kamloops, Prince George, Fort Nelson, before cutting across the Yukon through Watson Lake and Whitehorse, then into Alaska via Beaver Creek, Tok, and Glennallen. The romance was in the details. BC Hydro chargers are tucked behind office buildings and visitor centers.
2026 Kia EV9 Range & Dimensions
- EPA estimates span 230–304 miles depending on trim; the longest is the Light Long Range RWD at 304 miles (99.8-kWh pack).
- On a 350-kW DC fast charger, Kia says 10–80% in about 20–24 minutes (model/pack dependent).
- Big three-row footprint, 197 in L / 78 in W / 70–71 in H / 122 in wheelbase, with a flat-floor EV platform to maximize cabin space.
- Kia invested $200M and began EV9 assembly in West Point, Georgia, in 2024 (first EV built in GA), adding 200 jobs, part of a broader HMG footprint growing across the state.
Five-hour charging sessions in tiny Yukon towns where the charger topped out at 50 kW. Hotel check-ins are dictated not by mood or weather, but by the whims of kilowatt-hours. This was the sort of minutiae a driver used to “fill’er up” might never consider, but in EV territory, it was the difference between a comfortable overnight and a stranded evening.
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The EV9 itself proved an able partner. Long-range battery, roomy interior, and driver-assist features that turned empty highways into easy miles. Lane keeping and adaptive cruise “pretty much let the car drive” on smooth stretches, though rougher roads required hands firmly on the wheel. Quirks included a charging port on the “wrong” side for many stations and a speedometer stubbornly stuck in miles per hour, even when the speed limit display converted to metric.
Climate control was the silent battery thief, shaving range dramatically until he discovered the efficiency boost of simply turning it off.
How The Kia EV9 AC Affects Range
Charging infrastructure was better than expected, particularly in British Columbia, where the network required little preplanning.
“Didn’t ever get stranded,” he reported, “but it was a little dicey in spots.”
The remote north required vigilance and sometimes old-school arithmetic; he kept a handwritten log of actual distances, predicted range, and battery percentage to correct the Kia EV9’s overly optimistic estimates by about 25 percent.
With AC off, he could often beat the numbers, giving him confidence to tackle the longest, charge-less stretches.
Meals ranged from ahi-guacamole plates in Whitehorse to grilled cheese and tomato soup in Glennallen. Nights were spent in motels, some with EV chargers, some without, and always with the quiet satisfaction of forward progress.
2026 Kia EV9 U.S. Recalls & Sales
- 2024 EV9 Land/GT-Line with Remote Smart Parking Assist, 12,400 vehicles, for a software error that could misjudge stopping distance; dealer update available (NHTSA 24V-693 / Kia SC324).
- Certain 2024–2025 EV9 units where the cluster could intermittently go blank at start-up (24V-757); software remedy issued.
- 2024–2025 EV9, potential missing 2nd/3rd-row seat bolts; ~22,883 vehicles affected (24V-962).
- In July 2025, Kia reported 1,737 EV9s sold (YTD 6,675, vs. 11,486 YTD in 2024); May 2025 saw an unusual dip that drew attention.
Reddit users devoured the write-up. Beginning_Key2167 remarked,
“As an EV owner, this is beyond awesome… There have to be a few places in the US we can’t reliably go anymore.”
Mallcop2020 praised the detail and humor, asking if the trip had converted him..
“I’m gonna drive my current car into the dirt… but in the future, sure.”
He liked the EV9, saw the merit in the technology, but was not ready to sign the papers just yet.
By the final plug-in, outside a Subway in Glennallen, drama_observer was an experienced EV traveler. The trip had taken a week, cost about $1,700 including food and lodging, and proved that electric road trips to Alaska are not only possible but practical.
Image Sources: Kia Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
