[safari]

Hello..
joined the forum to get educated. I am looking to buy a Niro plug-in in the next month or two.
Glad the forum is here to ask questions.

First a funny story. ...went to my local Kia dealer yesterday to look at the Niro plug-in ,all they had was
the hybrid model . I asked the salesman about the plug-version he told me and I quote, " oh we dont sell those here as we have no plug-ins available in town" I said you can plug it in at home..He replied "I dont think so,if you tried a trip to Seattle from here (200 miles) you would run out of juice and be stuck" I proceeded to educate him a bit but I could see he was very skeptical..

I have noticed the plug-in version in blue is a little hard to find in our area.

Glad to be part of the forum!
Mike

 

[jmurphEV]

Welcome and good luck in your search. When we bought our EX Premium PHEV it was the only one in the Mid-Atlantic so we didn't have a lot of choices. I don't know if the supply has improved at all.

We've put ~8000 miles on our so far and are loving it. The Niro was definitely the right choice for us.

Dealer competence is pretty hit and miss, especially on new vehicles with advanced features. Our dealer was fairly knowledgeable, but I know many aren't.

 

[safari]

Thank you

Thanks for the reply sir!
Glad you are still enjoying the Niro.
Mike

Welcome and good luck in your search. When we bought our EX Premium PHEV it was the only one in the Mid-Atlantic so we didn't have a lot of choices. I don't know if the supply has improved at all.

We've put ~8000 miles on our so far and are loving it. The Niro was definitely the right choice for us.

Dealer competence is pretty hit and miss, especially on new vehicles with advanced features. Our dealer was fairly knowledgeable, but I know many aren't.

 

[yticolev]

First a funny story. ...went to my local Kia dealer yesterday to look at the Niro plug-in ,all they had was
the hybrid model . I asked the salesman about the plug-version he told me and I quote, " oh we dont sell those here as we have no plug-ins available in town" I said you can plug it in at home..He replied "I dont think so,if you tried a trip to Seattle from here (200 miles) you would run out of juice and be stuck" I proceeded to educate him a bit but I could see he was very skeptical..

That is funny! I wonder what he thinks that gas tank thingy does?

 

[egmacrae]

We bought the EX Premium PHEV. Dealer had no inventory to speak of. We got Silky Silver. The Cerelean Blue color everyone loves just comes in the Hybrid version. The blue for the PHEV is almost black. Didn't do it for us. Wish PHEV came in better color selection. We love our Niro and you will too. We put around 1300 miles on car before having to fill the tank. I'd opt for the Ex premium if you can. More options.

 

[safari]

Cerelean Blue

We bought the EX Premium PHEV. Dealer had no inventory to speak of. We got Silky Silver. The Cerelean Blue color everyone loves just comes in the Hybrid version. The blue for the PHEV is almost black. Didn't do it for us. Wish PHEV came in better color selection. We love our Niro and you will too. We put around 1300 miles on car before having to fill the tank. I'd opt for the Ex premium if you can. More options.

I did not know that the Cerelean Blue was only on the non-plug-in..too bad..Thanks for the heads up.
The EX Premium PHEV you have ..what type average MPG are you getting ? Appreciate the feedback.

Mike

 

[jmurphEV]

I did not know that the Cerelean Blue was only on the non-plug-in..too bad..Thanks for the heads up.
The EX Premium PHEV you have ..what type average MPG are you getting ? Appreciate the feedback.

Mike

We're averaging ~70mpg combined in our PHEV. Mpg is highly situational, if your typical drive is less than 26 miles you'll go a long way between fillups. For me, with an 80 mile round trip commute, I fill up once a week but could probably stretch it to 2. I can't charge at work, so I only get 26 miles / day on electric, which still makes a big difference. On long trips I've still averaged >50mpg, which puts it in the range of a normal hybrid, so evidently the extra weight of the larger battery doesn't take a huge toll on the gasoline efficiency.

 

[yticolev]

It appears they are getting 100 plus mpg. That works out to using plug in energy for over half of all miles driven.

 

[Jwbj]

Yep that was the idea when I bought my lx plugin. Have driven over 1300 miles including 4 trips over 200 miles and am ave. 57 mpg per fuelly. Recharging nitely and short trips and you can do much better.

 

[egmacrae]

Like some members have said, mpg is relative to the distance you drive daily. I usually stay within the 26 miles that the EV gives you per day so I can get 130-150 mpg

 

[safari]

We're averaging ~70mpg combined in our PHEV. Mpg is highly situational, if your typical drive is less than 26 miles you'll go a long way between fillups. For me, with an 80 mile round trip commute, I fill up once a week but could probably stretch it to 2. I can't charge at work, so I only get 26 miles / day on electric, which still makes a big difference. On long trips I've still averaged >50mpg, which puts it in the range of a normal hybrid, so evidently the extra weight of the larger battery doesn't take a huge toll on the gasoline efficiency.

Thanks Jim !
70mpg combined ..that is amazing,we are retired so most of our trips will be in town in the 20-30 mile range.
Do you plug in at home with a 120v charger or have you purchased the fast 240 volt version?
Sure appreciate your and others input.
Mike

 

[jmurphEV]

Do you plug in at home with a 120v charger or have you purchased the fast 240 volt version?

I'm using the included 120V trickle charger. It charges the battery in about 7 hours so it's fully charged in the morning. I don't need the fast charge capability at home so I haven't bothered.

 

[charlesH]

Thanks Jim !
70mpg combined ..that is amazing,we are retired so most of our trips will be in town in the 20-30 mile range.
Do you plug in at home with a 120v charger or have you purchased the fast 240 volt version?
Sure appreciate your and others input.
Mike

the included 120v charger can charge at H ~12a, M ~10a, L ~8a, depending on the sensed quality of your power outlet. H, M, or L shows on the charger.

Charge times

12a. ~ 6hrs
10a ~ 7.5hrs
8a ~ 9hrs

In my case, I see no need for a $200 240v charger.

 

[safari]

the included 120v charger can charge at H ~12a, M ~10a, L ~8a, depending on the sensed quality of your power outlet. H, M, or L shows on the charger.

Charge times

12a. ~ 6hrs
10a ~ 7.5hrs
8a ~ 9hrs

In my case, I see no need for a $200 240v charger.

Thank you..interesting ..so with at least a 12 amp outlet/breaker (dedicated) the full charge can be done in about 6 hours?
In that case I could see that in most uses the quick charge would not be needed and it would probably shorten the life of the battey as is the case most high rate charger systems.

 

[charlesH]

Thank you..interesting ..so with at least a 12 amp outlet/breaker (dedicated) the full charge can be done in about 6 hours?
In that case I could see that in most uses the quick charge would not be needed and it would probably shorten the life of the battey as is the case most high rate charger systems.

Yes. At the H 12a rate, the measured charge power is 1380 Watts. 6hrs x 1380W = ~8.3 KWhrs. Battery max, including reserve, is 8.9 KWhrs.

FWIW, Today I traveled 22 mi in EV mode and recharged in 4-5 hrs using 5.95 KWhrs (3.7mi / KWhr , spec is 3mi/KWhr ).

 

[safari]

Thank you ! ..we picked up our PHEV yesterday ...looking forward to learning all I can about it....sure is fun to drive,