Rocinante’s 2nd Year Anniversary! January 19, 2026

Peak Experience (Click to enlarge)

Two years ago this very day we took delivery of our Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD, “Rocinante.” I am delighted to report that we are more enthralled with it than ever. It has proven to be a very reliable, versatile, practical, comfortable, inexpensive, nimble, downright fun car to drive —without a doubt the best vehicle we have ever owned.

Over these two years, we have chalked up this many miles on Rocinante’s odometer:

You might note that, since our 1st year report, the car’s level of efficiency has dropped very slightly from 3.5 to 3.4 miles-per-kWh. I would attribute that decrease to all the roadtrips we’ve taken this past year, since driving at freeway speeds inevitably takes a toll on energy efficiency. It is true that we previously achieved higher averages with our LEAF (5.18) and Deplorian swasticar (4.14), but 3.4 miles-per-kWh is nonetheless higher than the official EPA rating of 2.94 for our 2024 Ioniq 5 Limited AWD.

The EPA states that the energy in a gallon of gasoline is equivalent to 33.7 kWh:

3.4 miles-per-kWh x 33.7 kWh-per-gallon = 115 MPG equivalent

No gasoline car could match such efficiency!

This table sumarizes the stats after two years of ownership:

Just the other day I saw a report that, despite all the improvements achieved over the last few years, consumers are still worried about EV range and charging times. In other words, people still resist transitioning to much better cars because of purely imaginary fears. They literally don’t know what they’re missing!

Allow me to share the reality according to our experience. After our numerous long distance roadtrips in Rocinante to date (11,892 miles!), we can attest that, after driving two hours straight, most travelers need to take a break to stretch their legs, clean the kamikaze bugs off the windshield, get some snacks, visit the restrooms. In the amount of time that takes, our Ioniq 5 has already recharged to our preferred setting of 80% and is ready to get back on the road. Indeed, according to my records, we’ve plugged Rocinante into Level 3 fast chargers 117 times, and the average amount of time to charge in all those sessions was only… 14 minutes! Easy peasy!

Since I have pointed out that we almost always charge to 80%, one might ask how much range that charge gives us. The answer depends on several variables. Like in our previous LEAF, Rocinante’s system displays only a “guess’timate” of range according to our previous driving patterns before plugging in. The EPA states that the full range for an 2024 Ioniq 5 Limited AWD is 260 miles, so 260 x 80% = 208 miles —but we rarely see that range predicted on the display. I have recorded all the range “guess’timates” over the last two years, and this graph shows the result, with a green light indicating the EPA’s 80% rating:

As you can see, the predicted range from an 80% charge can vary wildly. If we’ve been driving locally, the guess’timates climb to extremely high levels —often over 300 miles! But when we’re on long distance roadtrips driving at freeway speeds, in blistering or freezing temperatures, facing headwinds, in inclement weather, the predicted range can dip very low —on a rare occasion even below 200 miles! Indeed, you can tell from the peaks and valleys in the graph how many roadtrips we’ve taken during the last two years. Regardless, you can clearly see that the vast majority of Rocinante’s “guessed” ranges from an 80% charge are notably higher than the EPA’s estimate 0f 208 miles: over the last two years they’ve averaged 268 miles. I purport that, to drive that far without stopping, one would have to be some sort of new Marvel Superhero: “Bladderman”!

Naysayers often claim that EVs pollute as much as gas cars. That’s a barefaced lie, as anyone can see by using this online tool to compare the emissions from my Ioniq 5 with those from their gasoline vehicle. As a matter of fact, I’ve carefully recorded how many greenhouse gases Rocinante has emitted since we took delivery, as well as its “fuel” costs. These graphs show that there is no comparison:

These graphs also clarify that at home I charge Rocinante with clean, green, free sunshine from my rooftop solar array. Moreover, because the Ioniq 5 came with two years of free 30-minute charges from Electrify America, which only uses renewable energy, even our roadtrips have been pollution free.

The small fuel costs in the above graph are from the few times when our free charging agreement didn’t apply. For example, once we exceeded the 30-minute window because the charger was faulty and too slow. On our roadtrip to Moab, the Rocky Mountain Power site imposed a $1.09 fee each time we plugged in. Finally, Electrify America sold its chargers to Costco in Rocklin without letting us know that said sale invalidated the agreement with Hyundai. Yes, I let both Electrify America and Hyundai know that I was very unhappy to have discovered this shady way of sidestepping the agreement.

Unfortunately, that agreement expires… today! Consequently, we will now have to pay to charge at DCFC stations on roadtrips in the future. In that regard I must say, however, that I am very discouraged by the prices that most sites are now charging. When we first started taking roadtrips years ago, a 1,847-mile roadtrip to Sacramento cost us only $82.94. Since that time, DCFC providers have raised their prices so high that on our last 1,793-mile roadtrip, again to Sacramento, without our free charging agreement we would have ended up paying $333.84 —over 4 times higher! In other words, charging an EV now costs as much, if not more, than paying for gasoline at the pump. I opine that DCFC providers are making a big mistake with such pricing, as they will only discourage consumers from making the necessary transition to a greener, cleaner, healthier EV. Of course, what most folks do not understand is that the real “fuel” savings with an EV comes from charging at home —especially with solar panels like we have.

Another false accusation from pe’trolls is that owners will need to replace their EV’s battery pack for a hefty price after only 5 years. That’s another a barefaced lie! I use a CarScan app via Rocinante’s OBD port to measure its battery capacity every month and here is the latest readout that shows the pack’s State-of-Health (SOH) highlighted in green:

As you can see, after two years the battery’s SOH remains at 100% capacity. In fact, I maintain a graph with all the monthly readouts so far to plot when and if the capacity starts to drop during the battery’s full 10-year warranty:

We’ll just have to wait and see when the percentage starts to drop. As a comparison, I can tell you that, after two years with our Deplorian swasticar, it’s battery capacity had dropped to 99%, and after nearly 6 years to 94.35%.

So far, Rocinante’s maintenance costs have been nil. The Ioniq 5 comes with 3 years of free maintenance, and this year I had our local dealer perform both the scheduled 16K and 24K checkups. The service costs were… zero zip, zilch, nada.

I should state that I myself have replaced the cabin filter twice, which cost me $13.87 each. I did so because I prefer to install HEPA filters with activated charcoal beads and sturdier frames instead of the “standard” filter that came with the car. Also, it is an amazingly simple do-it-yourself task to change the Ioniq 5’s filter —unlike in my previous LEAF or Deplorian swasticar.

The last service checkup indicated that Rocinante’s tires are still in good shape, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the treads will measure too thin during the next checkup at 32K miles. If so, I will likely go to Big O Tire to have them replaced, like I have done with both the LEAF and the Deplorian swasticar. I might need to also replace the 12V battery, as EVs are notoriously hard on them. I had to do so after 5 years with my LEAF, and also after 4 years in the Deplorian swasticar.

This year we received a couple over-the-air downloads to Rocinante’s system, with alerts that appeared on the car’s touchscreen like this one:

Most of the changes were simply to update the navigation map. The only real change in the entertainment system was the ability to turn on and adjust the heated and ventilated seats, as well as the heated steering wheel, via a new dedicated window that opens by touching the “Warmer” button on the dashboard. Nice!

There is hardly anything I can complain about with Rociante, but I do still wish Hyundai would update the system to allow owners to set the regenerative braking to “i-Pedal” and have it stay set. I have to engage that setting every time I start the car —which is frankly irksome. Putting the car in ‘R’everse automatically cancels i-Pedal, so I have to set it yet again when I put it back into ‘D’rive. Engaging cruise-control likewise disables i-Pedal, but at least in those instances the car reverts to the i-Pedal setting when turning off cruise-control. I am no computer programmer, but it seems to me that the engineers at Hyundai could certainly alter the system’s code to allow owners to permanently set i-Pedal as their preferred level of regen, even if it is temporarily suspended when backing up or setting cruise-control on the highway.

I also wish Hyundai would issue an update to make it easier to engage a dedicated “Pet Mode” in the car. Yes, I can accomplish such a function via Rocinante’s “Utility Mode,” as I demonstrate in this video, but it should be much easier to keep a pet comfortable in a locked car.

I have posted below a slide show of our adventures in Rocinante since the 1st year report. I have included in the video photos from our two trips to California, my trip to Texas, our short visit to Salt Lake City, as well as my participation in the Zion Earth Day Festival last spring and the National Drive Electric event in Las Vegas last fall. Enjoy the whirlwind tour!

We’ll see what new adventures await us in Rocinante during the 3rd year of ownership. I am planning to drive to the Brian Head ski resort next week to do some snowboarding, something that I haven’t done for years while waiting to finally have an EV with AWD to handle the snow. I’ll probably post a report on that visit in the near future.

We also already know that we’ll be taking another roadtrip to the Sacramento area at the end of March to attend a baby shower for Tamara’s second niece. I predict that, on that trip, I will sorely miss the two-years of free charging and grumble about the prices at DCFC stations. I also hope to do some camping by towing our tiny camp trailer to the mountains over the summer, and I would really like to visit my sister again in Telluride, Colorado.

Rocinante is ready to take a third orbit around our fusion power plant!