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RPowell

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Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
7
New here and trying to work my way around the forum so please bear with me!

I am looking to upgrade to an eGolf within the next few months and I am trying to learn as much about it as I can before I pull the trigger. My landlord really got me introduced me to the efficiency of electric cars when in installed a charging station for his own vehicle. The eGolf works much better for my budget so I would ideally like to learn all about it and see if it really the best deal for me. If there are any particular threads on this site that you think will point me in the right direction please feel free to let me know! Thanks!
 
First thing to be aware of is there will be a new 2017/2018 model being released in the next few months that will have 50% more battery. Even if you don't need the extra range, there should be great pricing on the 2016s at that point.

Pricing does vary by location, so it would be helpful to share yours. In California, you can expect to lease a 2016 SE for under $180/month with all taxes and fees, not including state rebate.
 
Let me share real quick what I've learned since last week when I got my car..

- 2017s will have more range, but cost more and are not even out yet as far as I can tell... 2016s are on fire sale right now, I'm leasing for $140 per month with 2000 down (normally covered by state rebate).. It's pretty cheap... In cal, PGE sends you a $500 check as well, just because...

- The base SE comes with a 3.6 (or optional 7.2) on board charging capability, salesman will explain. If you can swing the 7.2 payments wise, and a 240 charger, do it. Otherwise, you WILL positively absolutely need a 240V charger at home to recharge in time to go to work the next day. I drive 40-45 mi per day and it takes me 11 hours or so to recharge the car, which is damn close to departure time, and would not work if I drove more. The 110V charger that comes with is borderline useless because it takes so long... 20hrs to recharge the car fully...

- Think where it's gonna get parked and how long a reach you need from the charger that you will need to plug in, either way... They sell extensions for the gun side, which is safer than using an extension cord ;-)

- Change your electric plan to something EV friendly that lets you charge overnight for reduced rates, otherwise it's truly not cheaper than driving a good MPG gas car (and to fit in that schedule of cheap electrons, you need a 240V charger, so we're right back to that point)...

- It's fun to drive and feels totally normal, it's a Golf. A quiet Golf. It brakes like a golf, accelerates very well, the only difference vs a normal car is the crappy eco tires that have no grip at all and having to think about recharge and working on your math skills re: KW/h, electric utility plans, etc ;-)

Have fun !
 
Deschodt said:
The base SE comes with a 3.6 and 7.2 on board charging capability, salesman will explain.

Base SE does NOT come with 7.2 kW charging capability; you have to buy the Quick Charge option, or step up to the SEL, to get that.
 
Deschodt said:
If you can swing the 7.2 payments wise, and a 240 charger, do it. Otherwise, you WILL positively absolutely need a 240V charger at home to recharge in time to go to work the next day.

Just a clarification - if you're charging with regular 110/120V, the charger does not matter. Where it does come in to play is at L2 stations, where 7.2 charges twice as fast. It also supports DC Fast Charging; while the base 3.6 kW charger does not.

If you're ever planning to go beyond 80 miles a day, the $1500 or $30/month if leasing for the upgraded charger is worth it. This is really my biggest regret; I'd love to take the e-Golf up to San Francisco but needing 7 hours for a full charge doesn't leave that as an option
 
RonDawg said:
Deschodt said:
The base SE comes with a 3.6 and 7.2 on board charging capability, salesman will explain.

Base SE does NOT come with 7.2 kW charging capability; you have to buy the Quick Charge option, or step up to the SEL, to get that.

That should have been OR. Next sentence made that error obvious - corrected :)
 
johnnylingo said:
Just a clarification - if you're charging with regular 110/120V, the charger does not matter. Where it does come in to play is at L2 stations, where 7.2 charges twice as fast. It also supports DC Fast Charging; while the base 3.6 kW charger does not.

Yup- meant that if you get the 3.6 base car and recharge at home, you really need to install a 240V charger at home or you may not be able to drive to work the next day ;-). ( depends on your commute - 12 hours on that thing buys you 50 miles or so max). I'm going 240 ASAP to halve that. And I wish I had the 7.2 onboard option. But as a cheap lease on a third car, meh...
 
If you think the tires are crappy, you're driving it wrong, or you bought the wrong car. It's not a sports car or a R32, or a GTI. It's a damn limited performance, limited range, designed to be very efficient electric inner city car. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
JoulesThief said:
If you think the tires are crappy, you're driving it wrong, or you bought the wrong car. It's not a sports car or a R32, or a GTI. It's a damn limited performance, limited range, designed to be very efficient electric inner city car. Nothing more, nothing less.

Oh crap I bought the wrong car ! Sorry I'm driving it wrong ;-) Well, I do understand they are low resistance tires. But I've found they'll spin *really* easily on take off and offer very average lateral grip. Yes I do think the tires are crappy from a "normal car standpoint" - I've always believed that a grippy tire, if it saves you from one potential fender bender, has done its job. I don't hypermile, I don't don't do 50 Mph on the freeway either.. You're welcome to, I don't judge (same as you shouldn't judge whether I'm driving it wrong IMO). I use it like a normal car, I accelerate using all the torque when I feel like it, I still get 92 miles... the lower grip to save a few miles here and there might get you in trouble one day. Ultimately low resistance is also lesser grip. But it's all good...
 
JoulesThief said:
It's not a sports car or a R32, or a GTI.

It's all relative. Coming from driving underpowered SUVs (RAV4 and Forester), my e-Golf feels like a Porsche. Yesterday I followed a decked-out WRX up Highway 17, and was able to easily keep pace with him as we took the curves at over 60 mph and did 75 on the straight sections. I was then able to use the instant torque to jump ahead of him at the summit and didn't touch the brake pedal all the way to Los Gatos. Flipping between D1/2/3 does all the slowing for me as I go in to the turns. Fun times.

With wet roads you do want to play it safe, but the tires are not an issue on dry.
 
Deschodt said:
But I've found they'll spin *really* easily on take off and offer very average lateral grip.

The only time I've unintentionally spun my tires is in the wet, when trying to take advantage of a gap in traffic while making a left turn. Otherwise I have to want to spin the tires in order to get them to do so (briefly, before traction control kicks in).

One thing that makes electric motors superior to an internal combustion engine is the fact that you have full torque as soon as the motor starts spinning. There's no need to rev it to the optimum RPM to get it to accelerate decently. You really don't need to floor it to get it up to usual city speeds; I only do it when accelerating onto a freeway, and even then that's brief.
 
johnnylingo said:
First thing to be aware of is there will be a new 2017/2018 model being released in the next few months that will have 50% more battery. Even if you don't need the extra range, there should be great pricing on the 2016s at that point.

Pricing does vary by location, so it would be helpful to share yours. In California, you can expect to lease a 2016 SE for under $180/month with all taxes and fees, not including state rebate.


Thanks for the info johnnylingo! I was actually just reading up on the 2017/2018 models so I'm glad you brought that up. I am contemplating whether I should just wait for the newer model or just stop hesitating and get the 2016? Then again, you made a good point, by the time the newer model is on the market there should be some amazing pricing on the 2016s. I guess I'll continue to shop around and look at the price points, while still doing a little more research on the features the new model brings to the table. thanks again
 
RPowell said:
I am contemplating whether I should just wait for the newer model or just stop hesitating and get the 2016? Then again, you made a good point, by the time the newer model is on the market there should be some amazing pricing on the 2016s.

Exactly, and it's happening now... It totally depends on your use case: If you absolutely need the extra range, it' s a no-brainer to wait for a 17. If you can do without, it' s a no-brainer to take the "free" 2016 car VW is throwing at you... I talked to my sales guy and he confirmed the 2017 will absolutely NOT be given away like the 2016 inventory.... You will be paying substantially more... I mean they have offers right now for a $69/mo lease, which is BS admittedly if you read the fine print (pre tax, qualifying VW discount, graduating kid, your name needs to start with F and your blood type must be O negative ;-).

Real world at $130-140 a month (with possibly $100+ of gas savings on an EV electrical plan, and $40-50 savings on bridge tolls for me, plus use of HOV lane, $500 PGE rebate), the car essentially costs me insurance only... It's not technically free, but it's as free as an extra new car is gonna get. It's a short lease, take it, and by the time you are through with it the 2018s will be cheap and might have more range again, this game is moving fast ;-)
 
Deschodt said:
I talked to my sales guy and he confirmed the 2017 will absolutely NOT be given away like the 2016 inventory.... You will be paying substantially more..

Hmmmmmph. 86 to 130 miles range is an improvement, but I doubt most people would pay substantially more for it. The local Nissan dealer here has several 30 kWh Leafs with an MSRP of $40k that have been sitting on the lot for months. It's anecdotal, but I can't imagine who would jump on one with the Bolt available now and Model 3 on the horizon.
 
Deschodt said:
I talked to my sales guy and he confirmed the 2017 will absolutely NOT be given away like the 2016 inventory.... You will be paying substantially more..

VW will do what ever is necessary, price wise, to move what they have in inventory on their lots. Doubt it will be possible, but I'd love to install a 35.8 kwh battery in my 2015 SEL, if it can be retrofit into my existing chassis. But I know VW, they want to sell new cars, not retrofit more kwh batteries into existing cars.
 
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