In our Riga to Sofia EV duel, the Kia EV9 beats the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 55 by 143 minutes, completing the 2115km route in 25h 54min. The key advantage? 3 fewer charging stops. Route calculated on August 31, 2026 using real-time charging station data.
The Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 55's 480km range doesn't beat the Kia EV9's 450km here - charging speed and efficiency matter more.
The Kia EV9 needs only 8 charging stops compared to 11 for the slowest vehicle, saving valuable time.
Winner
Kia EV9
- Total time: 25h 54min (143 min faster)
- Charging stops: 8
- Charging time: 2h 25min
- Energy: ~447 kWh
- Distance: 2115km
Quick Comparison
| Metric |
Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 55 |
Kia EV9 |
| Travel time |
28h 17min |
25h 54min |
| Charging time: |
5h 7min |
2h 25min |
| Charging stops: |
11 |
8 |
| Energy used |
~381 kWh |
~379 kWh |
Charging Strategy Breakdown
Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 55 Route
- Start: Riga (100% charge)
-
Stop 1:
Cafe Baltica (15 min, 74% → 89%)
-
Stop 2:
Kaufland (47 min, 10% → 87%)
-
Stop 3:
Factory Annopol (26 min, 10% → 64%)
-
Stop 4:
Shell MOP West (19 min, 10% → 48%)
-
Stop 5:
Centrum Zakupowe Jan (15 min, 10% → 44%)
-
Stop 6:
Tesco Teplická cesta (28 min, 10% → 67%)
-
Stop 7:
Tesco (16 min, 10% → 47%)
-
Stop 8:
IONITY Csalánosi Csárda (34 min, 10% → 75%)
-
Stop 9:
OMV smer Beograd (71 min, 10% → 90%)
-
Stop 10:
Naplatna rampa Nais zapadno (24 min, 10% → 41%)
-
Stop 11:
OMV (12 min, 10% → 27%)
- Arrival: Sofia
Kia EV9 Route
- Start: Riga (100% charge)
-
Stop 1:
Kaufland (23 min, 17% → 72%)
-
Stop 2:
Factory Annopol (10 min, 10% → 45%)
-
Stop 3:
MOP Promna-Kolonia (10 min, 28% → 61%)
-
Stop 4:
HPC Volvo Aleja Powstańców Śląskich (10 min, 10% → 43%)
-
Stop 5:
Tesco Teplická cesta (24 min, 10% → 72%)
-
Stop 6:
Inárcsi pihenőhely Szeged (24 min, 10% → 78%)
-
Stop 7:
Ledi MS (17 min, 10% → 68%)
-
Stop 8:
Naplatna rampa Nais zapadno (27 min, 10% → 48%)
- Arrival: Sofia
Why the Kia EV9 Won
The Kia EV9 achieved a 143-minute advantage over Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron 55 on this 2115km route. Key factors:
- Fewer charging stops: 8 stops vs 11 for the slowest vehicle means less time spent finding and connecting to chargers.
- Faster charging: Total charging time of 2h 25min vs 5h 7min thanks to higher peak charging speeds or better charging curve.
- Better efficiency: Lower energy consumption (~447 kWh vs ~467 kWh) means less time spent charging.
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