2024 Kia EV9 Battery Range And Charging

Summary

• The Kia EV9 offers two battery pack options, 76.1-kWh and 99.8-kWh, providing varying ranges and efficiency across different trim levels.
• Despite having slightly less range than its competitors, the EV9 compensates with an attractive starting price of $54,900, making it a more budget-friendly option in the electric SUV market.
• The EV9 supports fast charging and can recharge from 10 to 80 percent in just 24 minutes with a 350 kW charger, providing convenient and quick charging options for drivers.

The Kia EV9 will make a splash in the electric vehicle market with a special range of features and very competitive pricing. The special features start with a choice between two battery packs, a 76.1-kWh, and a 99.8-kWh pack, depending on driving needs. The vehicle will be available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations, and both trims will be offered with the bigger battery in both configurations.

Despite its battery offering slightly less range than its competitors, this electric SUV, with a striking resemblance to the Kia Telluride with up to 300 miles on a full charge, can go the distance while compensating with a more appealing price point. It can charge at home at 11 kW, overnight, in just over an hour with a 50 kW charger, and thanks to support for DC fast charging up to 350 kW, can recharge from 10 to 80 percent in just 24 minutes.

To provide buyers with convenient home charging, Kia has partnered with ChargePoint to provide a powerful Level II home charger. Its starting price of $54,900, will be an attractive option as it offers an excellent alternative to the pricier available options. Kia has released the EV9 to Kia dealerships. This is a limited release because the vehicle is set to be assembled at Kia’s West Point, GA manufacturing facility later in 2024.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Kia’s dedicated EV9 website and other authoritative sources, including the dedicated websites of the other vehicles mentioned, and the EPA.

Two Battery Packs To Choose From

76.1-kWh And 99.8-kWh Packs On Offer

Kia has tried to keep up with the ever-evolving EV battery technology segment with the Kia EV9’s battery, providing adequate range and efficiency options that compete favorably with competitors. The EV9’s drivetrain is designed expertly to cater to long-range as well as performance needs that don’t affect efficiency, ensuring a balance that suits different lifestyles. The EV9 is equipped with either a 76.1-kWh or a 99.8-kWh battery pack, and this provides varying ranges and efficiency across different trim levels.

It Will Be Offered In Rear-wheel Drive And All-wheel Drive Configurations

The 76.1-kWh battery pack is the base battery pack exclusively available in the base Light RWD trim. The electric SUV, offers a range of 230 miles, with an EPA-estimated 88 MPGe combined efficiency. Compared to the over 300-mile range most of its competitors have, this range makes the Light RWD trim a less practical option.

Kia Battery And Range Specs

(Data sourced from Kia)

As buyers climb the higher trim levels of the EV9, they get the bigger 99.8-kWh battery pack to replace the 76.1-kWh base battery pack. The Light Long Range RWD, Wind AWD, Land AWD, and GT-Line AWD trims are equipped with this battery pack. The Light Long Range RWD trim at a 304-mile range and 89 MPGe combined, has the best range and efficiency of the lineup, being the closest to the EV9’s competitors in range and efficiency.

Both the Wind AWD and Land AWD trims get a dip in efficiency to an 83 MPGe efficiency rating, which affects their range also. They get a 280-mile range each, providing all-wheel drive capability while still maintaining respectable efficiency and range. The premium, performance top-of-the-line GT-Line AWD trim drops to 80 MPGe and a 270-mile range.

The EV9 Offers Up To 300 Miles

Less Range Than Competitors But A More Favorable Price

With a length of 197.4 inches, Kia’s eagerly anticipated EV9 competes in a segment with a short list of other EVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, GMC Hummer EV SUV, Tesla Model X, Rivian R1S, and BMW iX. It has a base model with a range of 230 miles, 13 miles more than the xDrive40 trim.

Opting for the extended range rear-wheel drive configuration elevates the EV9’s range to 304 miles, which is less than the substantial driving range of 314 miles from the GMC Hummer EV SUV, the 307 miles of the xDrive50 trim, the 348 miles of the standard configuration of the Tesla Model X, the 352 miles of the second-longest range electric SUV, the Rivian R1S, and the 305 miles of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Rivian claims its Max battery pack will hit 400 miles. That’s almost 100 miles beyond the EV9.

Its all-wheel-drive configuration delivers a 280-mile range, which is also less than the 298-mile range of the GMC Hummer EV SUV with the Extreme Off-road Package, the BMW iX M60 trim that clocks in at 296 miles, the high-performance Tesla Model X Plaid variant that can travel 333 and 311 miles with the 20- or 22-inch wheels respectively, the 289 miles of the standard-range Rivian R1S battery pack, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV 4MATIC version which hits 285 miles. Even the GT-Line trim’s 270-mile range is less than the newer addition to the Rivian R1S lineup that drives for 274 miles.

Range Comparison

(Data was collected from EPA)

But this massive trade-off in terms of range is heavily offset and compensated by an extremely attractive starting price. The Kia EV9 contains high-tech features that compete with the more luxurious industry-established names, yet it is designed to be the more budget-friendly option, and with a base price of $54,900 in the Light RWD trim, it is $23,100 cheaper than the cheapest of the rest, which is the Rivian R1S.

This model may be considerably less powerful than the base model of its illustrious opponents, but providing similar luxury features at $32,200, $41,650, $25,000, and $49,500 cheaper than the BMW iX, GMC Hummer EV SUV, Tesla Model X, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV base trims, makes it a compelling alternative. Even the top-of-the-line GT-Line AWD trim has a starting price that is $4,100 cheaper than the Rivian R1S’s $78,000 base price.

Kia EV9 vs. Competition: Starting Price Comparison

(Data was collected from official auto manufacturers’ websites)

Can Recharge 10-80 Percent In 24 Minutes

Supports DC Fast Charging Up To 350 kW

With the option of either a 76.1-kWh or 99.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the Kia EV9 offers flexibility. This flexibility extends to its charging capabilities. It comes with a standard onboard charger that is rated at 10.9 kW. With a standard 120V charging option, it will take over 64 hours, approximately a lifetime, to recharge.

The 240V at-home charging option brings added convenience. With it, the EV9 facilitates an AC normal charge time of 10-100 percent with an 11-kW Level 2 home charger, which completes the process in approximately six hours and 45 minutes. This allows you to plug and recharge your EV9 at home overnight, having it ready for the road every morning.

Charging Capacity

(Data was collected from Kia)

The 76.1-kWh and 99.8-kWh battery packs are built into the standard 800-volt architecture which helps them achieve DC fast charge times. At certain DC charging stations that charge at 50 kW speeds, the vehicle can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 63 minutes. But when the EV9 is hooked up to any 350 kW DC fast-charging station, it can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 20+ minutes. This charging is extra convenient because it can be done in any of the over 41,000 charging stations across the United States, which ensures that drivers have access to charging even on long trips in remote areas.

ChargePoint To Provide A Powerful Level II Home Charger

Kia has a collaboration with ChargePoint. This is to produce a premium Level 2 home charging system for the EV9. Backed by a three-year limited warranty, the ChargePoint App also makes management of this charger convenient. This charger is an additional option available for purchase, that is seamless to install at home.

The Kia EV9 Will Start At $54,900

The company claims there would be limited availability of all trims of the EV9 in Kia dealerships in early 2024, but the EV9 will be assembled in Kia’s West Point, GA manufacturing facility later in 2024. The five trim options would range from $54,900 for the Light RWD to $73,900 for the GT-Line AWD. The Light Long Range RWD, Land AWD, and GT-Line AWD models would be fitted with captain middle seats, for extra comfort for passengers.

The Light RWD and Wind AWD models will be designed for more practicality, accommodating seven passengers. The Light RWD, Light Long Range RWD, and Wind AWD models will feature luxury features like an eight-way power driver’s seat with a two-way power lumbar adjustment, to make the ride more comfortable.

Kia EV9 Pricing

(Data sourced from Kia)

Higher up the ladder, the Land AWD trim would feature a 10-way power driver’s seat with a four-way power lumbar adjustment and a premium relaxation comfort setting. This model would also offer a two-way power leg extension, better for long journeys.

The top-of-the-line GT-Line AWD variant improves the premium further by adding ERGO motion and a bolster adjustment feature to the ten-way power driver’s seat. All models from the Light RWD to GT-Line AWD will be equipped with a dual 12.3-inch touchscreen and instrument display with a five-inch climate display. The GT-Line AWD would take it one step further, by featuring a 12-inch head-up display.