We are finally getting used to this time zone but still found ourselves awake at 5 AM. Saturdays used to be grocery-shopping days and we continued with that tradition this morning. Our Canadian Superstore isn't far away in the city of Coquitlam. On our way to the store, we had the chance to stop at Lougheed Hyundai, the dealer at which I bought my KONA Electric. It seems someone had neglected to include the SD card containing Hyundai's North American map for my vehicle's GPS. Our salesman, Sid, graciously removed the one from their loaner/test-drive KONA EV. Later, we got food for the week and applied some of our credit card rewards to today's bill.
In the afternoon, after a nap, I took Kimchi up to New Westminster's City Hall. Kimchi may become the nickname for our vehicle. For years, there are been several EV charging stations next to the building's entrance. When I first arrived, a Mitsubishi PHEV was charging and a city Leaf, although not charging, was hoarding the other space. I tried Android Auto and asked for directions to Queen's Park. I didn't need the help but testing under real-world conditions was easy. When I returned to City Hall after 15 minutes, the PHEV was gone. After discovering the charging door unlocks with the key fob, I plugged in the KONA and received some Level-2 power.
This charging is free and open for 24 hours on weekends. It is a pleasant place right next to one of my favourite parks in New Westminster. I noticed there are tables which much be used by staff for good-weather bag lunches. The area has wifi. I can imagine topping up here frequently although I may rely on Level-3 DC fast charging at the Superstore we were at this morning. Even if near empty, I could be 80% charged every week during the time we take inside. By the end of the summer our condo should have some available options for me.
This afternoon, I stayed plugged in a half hour and only moved from 80% to 83% but charging slows after getting over the 80% point to ensure longer battery life. These spots can be utalized for two hours. The extra few kilowatts of electricity will move us around this city for a number of errands. Thank you, New Westminster!