1,548 km / 962 miles in an IONIQ 5 — Kerala → Karnataka → Goa → Kerala ⚡️🇮🇳

Obligatory ChatGPT for compiling

Just completed a family road trip in my Indian-spec Hyundai IONIQ 5.

Start odo: 10,816 km
End odo: 12,364 km
Distance: 1,548 km / 962 miles

Normal family use throughout — passengers, luggage, A/C, highways, traffic and coastal roads. Not an efficiency run.

🔌 Charging
Total energy added: 261.41 kWh
Total cost: ₹6,895 / ~$72
Cost: ₹4.45/km / ~$0.047 per km / ~7.5¢ per mile

Charge Date / Location Energy. Cost
1 Aug — Thrissur, pre-trip
27.29 kWh
₹660

2 Aug — Mangalore
68.67 kWh
₹2,106

4 Aug — ITC Grand Goa
67.24 kWh
₹1,784

8 Aug — Honnavar
41.94 kWh
₹965

9 Aug — final return leg
56.27 kWh
₹1,379

The biggest session was ITC Grand Goa: 7% → 99%, 67.24 kWh in 53 minutes.

Most of this was public DC charging, often around the 60-kW level. During the final session the car was accepting ~59.2 kW (678 V × 87 A).

💰 The interesting part
Despite relying heavily on expensive public DC charging, the trip worked out to only ₹4–4.5/km.
A petrol SUV doing 10–12 km/L at roughly ₹105/L would be around ₹9–10.5/km.
At home, assuming ₹7–10/kWh and ~5.9 km/kWh, the IONIQ would be roughly ₹1.3–1.9/km after allowing for charging losses.
So even on public fast charging, the running cost was roughly half that of a comparable petrol SUV. Home charging would be dramatically cheaper.

🛣️Final leg
Left the final charger at ~45–46% and deliberately took the last drive easy.

Arrived home in Thrissur with:
30% SOC
110 km / 68 miles indicated range
5.9 km/kWh displayed efficiency
12,364 km on the odometer
No range drama, no charger panic, no desperate 2% arrival.

Overall
The biggest surprise was how quickly charging stopped feeling like a problem.
Drive → plug in → everyone eats/uses the washroom → continue.
India’s DC network definitely needs more high-power chargers, but even with mostly ~60-kW infrastructure, the trip was remarkably uneventful.
1,548 km | 261.4 kWh | ₹6,895 / ~$72 | ₹4.45/km

The IONIQ 5 basically turned what I expected to be an EV road-trip experiment into… just a road trip. ⚡️

Not much to show this time, but plenty going on behind the scenes.

The only visible change is a new headlight setup, but the real work has been happening in my head rather than in the garage. Been mocking up ideas, measuring, and trying to figure out the next big step.

Forward controls. Extended wheelbase. A wider rear tire. A few other ideas I won’t jinx just yet.

Lots of promising concepts… but this is that silent stage of a build where it’s more thinking than wrenching. I’d rather spend extra time getting it right than rush into cutting metal.

The Dubai summer isn’t helping either. Working on a bike in this heat feels like a punishment, so progress has definitely slowed. The few good days there are I’d rather ride..

Still, the vision of @sawn.off.650 is getting clearer with every sketch, measurement, and late-night rabbit hole. Hopefully the next update will have a lot more metal and a lot less imagination.

As always, DIY. Stay tuned. @sawn.off.650

Not much to show this time, but plenty going on behind the scenes.

The only visible change is a new headlight setup, but the real work has been happening in my head rather than in the garage. Been mocking up ideas, measuring, and trying to figure out the next big step.

Forward controls. Extended wheelbase. A wider rear tire. A few other ideas I won’t jinx just yet.

Lots of promising concepts… but this is that silent stage of a build where it’s more thinking than wrenching. I’d rather spend extra time getting it right than rush into cutting metal.

The Dubai summer isn’t helping either. Working on a bike in this heat feels like a punishment, so progress has definitely slowed. The few good days there are I’d rather ride..

Still, the vision of @sawn.off.650 is getting clearer with every sketch, measurement, and late-night rabbit hole. Hopefully the next update will have a lot more metal and a lot less imagination.

As always, DIY. Stay tuned. @sawn.off.650

Not much of a build update this time around. Summer’s rolling into Dubai, so progress has slowed down a bit — more riding, less wrenching.

Managed to fit a few basics: sump guard, fog lights, and a tank raise kit. Nothing wild, mostly just fine-tuning previous mods and dialing the bike in.

Went for a long ride today, and the wifey insisted on joining, so the rear seat made a brief comeback. Honestly, it still looks pretty good with it on. But it’s already back off — the tail lights aren’t quite adequate for daily two-up duty, and the wifey probably isn’t getting back on anytime soon without some serious upgrades to pillion comfort.

Looks like the next round of mods may be for passenger approval rather than rider satisfaction.

Anyway, here are a few cool clicks of @sawn.off.650.

Always DIY. More to come.

Not much of a build update this time around. Summer’s rolling into Dubai, so progress has slowed down a bit — more riding, less wrenching.

Managed to fit a few basics: sump guard, fog lights, and a tank raise kit. Nothing wild, mostly just fine-tuning previous mods and dialing the bike in.

Went for a long ride today, and the wifey insisted on joining, so the rear seat made a brief comeback. Honestly, it still looks pretty good with it on. But it’s already back off — the tail lights aren’t quite adequate for daily two-up duty, and the wifey probably isn’t getting back on anytime soon without some serious upgrades to pillion comfort.

Looks like the next round of mods may be for passenger approval rather than rider satisfaction.

Anyway, here are a few cool clicks of @sawn.off.650.

Always DIY. More to come.

Not really a build update… but it looked way too good not to take some pictures.

This is basically my take on a bobber-chopper hybrid — somewhere between what a 650 Goan Classic could’ve been and what the Shotgun probably should have been from factory.

Still a long way to go. Plenty more planned, plenty more parts and ideas waiting in line. But summer’s in full swing here in Dubai, so progress is probably going to slow down a bit until the weather stops trying to cook us alive.

As always — DIY everything.

If you’ve been following the evolution of this thing, check the previous build updates on my profile.

It’s been a minute… but we’re back. And this one’s got some monkey business 🐒

With everything going on + winter fading out, I’ve been riding way more than wrenching. Just small tweaks here and there… until this weekend.

Apes. 12-inch ape hangers.

And wow — completely changed the bike’s personality.

Somehow more flickable, leans into corners better (still doesn’t make sense to me), and the comfort upgrade is unreal. 100 km feels like nothing now. Bars sit right at shoulder level, no circulation issues — just cruising like you’re fist-bumping the sky the whole ride.

Also… haven’t really seen this done on a shotgun. And yeah, it turns heads.

But fitting them? Whole different story.

This wasn’t just a bolt-on. Almost the entire bike had to come apart — brake lines, clutch, throttle, wiring, headlights… everything. Definitely doable in a day with the right tools, good music, and a couple of bros — but it’s right on the edge of DIY. Got a few stuck RE bolts along the way… bike wears battle scars now.

Other big changes:

- DNA Stage 2 intake — stronger midrange + way throatier sound

- 16/38 sprocket setup — makes highway riding so much better (honestly a must)

Smaller tweaks:

- Signature rider seat

- Deluxe foot pegs

- Swapped to Air Fly Evo guards

- load corrected sequential LED indicators and tail light

Dialed in with a bit more preload and slightly lower tire pressure for the heat — and the whole thing just works now.

This build is slowly becoming what I had in mind from day one.

More coming. Always. Let me know what you guys think.