Electric vehicle advocate, posting updates on life with an EV and development of the surrounding infrastructure. Primarily driving a 2020 Chevy Bolt EV Premier, formerly a 2017 Bolt Premier, with a Chevy Volt PHEV and Tesla Model 3 LR in the wider family.
From Plug and Play EV. The 2023 Chevy Bolt EV take the most affordable long-range electric car in North America and makes several upgrades for a lower price… what’s not to like?! Having spent six years in the first generation Chevrolet Bolt EV (2017 and 2020 model years), we jumped at the chance to get…
From Plug and Play EV. Run for the hills, Tesla owners, the great unwashed hordes of CCS electric vehicles are heading for your Superchargers! At least a few of us were on the final day of February, as the EV leader launched non-Tesla Supercharging in New York and California. In our Hyundai IONIQ 5, we…
From Plug and Play EV.
From Plug and Play EV.
From Plug and Play EV. Join us for a frozen, sub-zero tour of the big three public EV fast charging providers in Massachusetts. In our latest winter EV charging excursion, we put Electrify America, EVgo, and ChargePoint to the test in the coldest temperatures the state will see this winter. We check out hardware from…
From Plug and Play EV. We had to wait six weeks to return for a sub-zero temperatures (not common across most locations where these stations are located), but we finally got that Arctic blast and, yes, Electrify America’s upgraded SK Signet stations do work in frigid conditions. As did the older Signets, ChargePoint’s paired CPE250s,…
From Plug and Play EV. Coffee + Kilowatts starts up for the year with a look at our expectations for electric vehicles in the USA in 2023. We cover a little on EV charging infrastructure and our own EV choices, then a lot on EV adoption and technology in the USA. What do you expect…
From Plug and Play EV.
From Plug and Play EV. #ChargePoint #IONIQ5 #BoltEV ChargePoint’s paired CPE250 installations boast up to 125kW of fast charging power in a compact, less costly package than some other DCFC hardware out there. However, we’ve never yet come across a dual site with this popular option that delivers the goods. Some fall short of the…
From Plug and Play EV. We don’t often use Eco Mode in our early ’22 Hyundai IONIQ 5, so didn’t initially notice the remapping in this drive mode in our first test after the Battery Conditioning update (full vid here: https://youtu.be/eOeIYiuw5gw). As several viewers have asked if it’s worse, here’s a quick short covering the…
From Plug and Play EV. As happy owners of a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 AWD, the only gap in our experience has been the lack of battery preconditioning en route to fast chargers. As temperatures drop below 60°F / 15.5°C, so do our DC fast charge rates on an EV where a primary selling point…
From Plug and Play EV. With all the fuss about freezing temperatures seizing up Electrify America’s new chargers, most of which have only been in the ground for a month or two, we had to venture out before Christmas shopping to see for ourselves. With temperatures dropping to somewhere between 6 to 10°F (-12 to…
From Plug and Play EV.
From Plug and Play EV. In the market for a home EVSE for your electric car? If ample power and solid build quality are top of your list, the 40 amp Topdon PulseQ charger might just be the option for you. Product Link: https://www.topdon.us/collections/ev-charger/products/pulseq-ac-home Our review of the new home EV charger from Topdon walks…
From Plug and Play EV. Another road trip report covering our quickfire weekend trip over to Ohio from Boston, MA and back again. 1,300+ miles over a couple of days, summarized in the "EV Road Trip Report" format that we’ll be using for all extended trips heading into 2023. This one covers falling temperatures, fast…
From Plug and Play EV. This video reviews the VIOFO A229 DUO 2K Dashcam, from the perspective of both a vehicle owner and in terms of EV/travel content creation. VIOFO provided the complimentary review unit with a few accessories and no stipulations as to content requirements. These are our immediate reflections on the pros and…
From Plug and Play EV. Full juice for our 2022 Hyundai #IONIQ5, even as the temperatures drop and we await battery pre-conditioning firmware in January. See the full Thanksgiving EV road trip report here on the channel: https://youtu.be/j8oIca6MO6s
From Plug and Play EV. Driving thousands of miles in an electric car is par for the @Plug and Play EV course at this point, but doing so during the busiest travel period of the year at a time when complaints about the public charging infrastructure abound? That’s our kind of challenge! This road report…
From Plug and Play EV. What is it like driving an electric car for the first time? Is it twice as difficult when you’re used to driving on the other side of the road? Over the summer, my parents from the UK visited us in the US and took advantage of the current two EV…
From Plug and Play EV. How long does it take to fast charge a Hyundai IONIQ 5 from 1 to 100% state of charge? This video answers that question on a 350 kW Electrify America station in Auburn, MA, with interesting results… some expected, some not so much! Although there are circumstances where fully charging…
From Plug and Play EV. "What happens if you’re low on charge in the middle of nowhere?" More and more, the new electric cars you read about will offer two way charging (aka bidirectional charging or "Vehicle to Load"/V2L). Power a device, work tool, or even home appliances and another EV.
From Plug and Play EV. This catch-up on the Chevy Bolt EV recall takes a slightly different approach, as our 2020 Bolt ticked past 33,000 miles at the time of recording. Rather than linger only on the gray cloud of the recall, we start with the many silver linings of an electric car we’ve enjoyed…
From Plug and Play EV. On this follow-up trip to Electrify America’s first charging station in Chicopee, Massachusetts, we assess the effectiveness of EA’s upgraded 350kW hardware. Throughout a varied visit, we share stalls with another Hyundai IONIQ 5 and a couple of Ford F150 Lightnings, while pondering peak charge rates, cable practicality, and Electrify…
From Plug and Play EV. Attracted to the Kia-Hyundai eGMP EV platform but not sure which 800V electric car will fit your needs? Then this is the video for you! As relatively new owners of a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 AWD Limited, we got together with Ryan from New Hampshire, who picked up a Kia…
From Plug and Play EV. The feeling when a charging spot seems to be blocked by a gasser, then you realize it’s yet another new all-electric model… thanks @Ford Motor Company (and more electric vans, please ⚡⚡)
From Plug and Play EV. Join us for a quick trip up I-95 to Maine, where the first US install of the new ChargePoint Express Plus fast charge stations was recently completed. Coming at the same time as Electrify America’s site upgrades to fourth generation hardware from BTC Power and Signet, we were eager to…
From Plug and Play EV. Walk through a 2022 Chevrolet #BoltEUV Premier (w/ Sun & Sound package) with owner John, who formerly drove a 2020 Chevy Bolt EV. The cars have very similar underpinnings, but the EUV adds more rear legroom, enhanced cabin comforts, and a restyled exterior. This walk through takes a look around…
From Plug and Play EV. The Blink EV Charging network had a busy week, initially planning app updates that would wipe out access for anyone except those with a physical RFID card, before switching approaches at the eleventh hour and giving out electrons for free. This quick charge video looks at when and why this…
From Plug and Play EV. We’ve covered the Bolt EV recall a lot on the channel, but never with a close look at the option of Bolt EV MSRP swap or buyback offers… until now! This video covers the experience of 2022 Bolt EUV owner John, who like us formerly drove a recalled 2020 Chevy…
From Plug and Play EV. As the rise of EV startup @Rivian gathers pace, with stellar reviews of the company’s first all-electric truck and the 7-seater R1S looming on the horizon, join us for a guided tour and first drive of the former, the Rivian R1T. With the gregarious insights of our Rivian Guide, we…
From Plug and Play EV. Join us for a visit to Electrify America’s first ever charging site, which was opened waaaaayy back (!) in May 2018, to look at the upgrades underway… Fourth-generation charging hardware and vividly painted charging spaces are among the key changes, with a nod to pioneer EVs like the Nissan LEAF…
From Plug and Play EV. As a follow-up to our 1,000km Challenge video — watch that one here: https://youtu.be/gOhHqAtlQJU — we return to Coffee + Kilowatts to cover a potentially tasty topic: have EVs already caught gas cars in terms of long-distance travel capabilities? We look at the results of our trip, how much further…
From Plug and Play EV. Take a father-son summer trip with us down to Long Island, where Electrify Expo held the third of four US events in 2022. We got to test several EVs we hadn’t yet driven, zip around a nice, long e-bike course, visit various exhibitors, and try out kid-friendly e-mobility products like…
From Plug and Play EV. Join us for a blitz across the Masspike and NY Thruway (I-90) in a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5! How fast can we get across our usual route to Cleveland, OH from Boston Metrowest, which coincidentally aligns with 621.4 miles of travel? Better known to EV nerds as the "1,000km Challenge",…
From Plug and Play EV. A look at the kind of Electrify America experience (and other charging networks) that we hope to see more often heading into a big year for electric vehicles. #shorts #EVcharging #IONIQ5
From Plug and Play EV. This quick (charge) video takes a look at an Electrify America site on Long Island in New York, where EA has retrofitted old BTC Power hardware with its latest generation of chargers. We test the charge rate on Hyundai Ioniq 5 and look at how the lengthy cable management system…
From Plug and Play EV. This video looks at where we’ve been for the past month! Specifically, it covers almost 4,000 miles traveled in our 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5, across nine states, three national parks, and, crucially, 21 DC fast charging sessions (+ a healthy dose of destination charging). Here we present more of a…
From Plug and Play EV. Our latest entry to the "Inside #IONIQ5" series looks at charging the car in high temperatures and how much energy the car uses to cool the battery pack down, post-DC charging. We also look at the Hyundai "heat cliff" – or perhaps "heat canyon" is more accurate? – that occurs…
From Plug and Play EV. This video takes us up to Manchester, NH to join Tom of @PCs and EVs in his recently acquired 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV. Seeking to compare the two in terms of efficiency, highway range, and other more subjective factors, we hit the road to the New England sea coast for…
From Plug and Play EV. The return leg of our April trip takes a more leisurely drive back to Boston, from the western suburbs of Cleveland, OH. We’ll see if efficiency improves from the 2.6 mi/kWh metric we posted in the wet and windy part one video to Ohio — catch up with that one…
From Plug and Play EV. A quick, unplanned Independence Day jaunt to central Massachusetts from Boston gave us the opportunity to compare the efficiency and charging capabilities of our 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5. We already know from previous comparisons (watch here: https://youtu.be/gWkH8RUfoQc) that the lighter and smaller Bolt uses its…
From Plug and Play EV. In an unexpected move, GM and EVgo have unveiled an automatic charge feature that is backward-compatible with all Bolt EV models. Simultaneously named Autocharge or Plug and Charge*, depending on which app you look at, the beta rollout delivers a more Tesla-esque fast charging experience for Bolt owners and will…
From Plug and Play EV. This video compares fast charging sessions in a Hyundai IONIQ 5 on 150kW and 350kW charging stations… how much longer will HI5 drivers wait when they only have a 150kW unit available? Our sessions comparing the two occurred quite far apart, in March (350kW) and now June (150kW), but both…
From Plug and Play EV. In our latest look at the Chevy Bolt EV fire recall update, we check progress across the two distinct population sets (2017-’19 and 2020-’22) via GM’s Q1 2022 reports to NHTSA*, unpack the good and bad news, and update on where our 2020 Bolt EV currently sits in all of…
From Plug and Play EV. Our "Inside IONIQ 5" series will look at different aspects of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (ours is a Limited AWD trim) to help future and potential owners understand more about the car’s strengths and limitations. This first edition looks at various aspects of driving in the final 10% of the…
From Plug and Play EV. Our first EV road trip in the new 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 (Limited AWD trim) takes us on a familiar route: from Boston, MA to Cleveland, OH via upstate New York and the NY Thruway. As requested by the majority of viewers who voted in our recent poll, this one…
From Plug and Play EV. With a new electric car in the driveway, there’s plenty to enjoy about the upgrade, but what about the areas where the veteran Chevy Bolt EV still holds its own? In this video we’ll cover five (and a bit) ways the Bolt beats out its sculpted new stablemate, the Hyundai…
From Plug and Play EV. In this video, we run through several options available to electric vehicle owners for free EV charging. This includes a walkthrough of how to set up the two-year complimentary charging plan that comes with the Hyundai IONIQ 5 on the Electrify America network. Beyond Electrify America, which often marks occasions…
From Plug and Play EV. In this video, we share and test a couple of handy EV products sent to us by the good folks at Lectron. One is the company’s latest Tesla-to-J1772 adapter that enables non-Tesla electric vehicles to charge at Tesla destination chargers. The second is a wall mount and cable organizer for…
From Plug and Play EV. Hot on the heels of our warm weather DC fast charge test of the new Hyundai IONIQ 5, we had a chance to test the car in freezing conditions… the joys of early spring in Boston! This video contrasts our results at 70°F / 21°C — watch that one here:…