Total noob question

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miked

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Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
3
Sorry in advance, I’m sure this question can be answered with the right search query, but unfortunately I’m not sure exactly what to search for.

My main question is in regards to charging. There’s an outside chance that there’s access to Level 2 at either my apartment or workplace, but it’s not likely. Conversely, I am confident about Level 1 charging at both home and work.

My daily commute is likely to be roughly 50 miles, round-trip. Would I be ok with this setup?

Thanks, everyone! Excited to hopefully join the e-Golf fam.

EDIT: I should mention I’m targeting a 2017, in case that makes a difference.
 
Assuming you get 4 miles per kWh and can charge at 120V at max amperage, you'll need to be plugged in 10.5 hours per day for that 50 mile round trip. This is a slightly conservative number, since obviously the amount of charging time can drop quite a bit if you drive more efficiently than 4 miles per kWh.

Also, this number is the same for all model years since you're limited by the charge rate. That said, the 2017 will of course give you more flexibility on your trips given the larger battery.
 
Thanks for the quick response!

Ok, so conservatively assuming I’m charging for 8 hours at home and 8 hours at work, I should consistently have enough charge to make that daily commute. Then if I find the occasional Level 2 charger on a grocery or other trip/errand, I shouldn’t run into too much battery anxiety?

Just preparing for worst case scenario before I fall in love too hard with this car :lol:

Thanks again!
 
Keep in mind you, if you get low, you can always look for a nearby (free or paid) L2 charger. Hang out there for a couple hours and you will add about 12 kW good for 50-60 miles.
 
I have round commute in 61 mile. And mostly I'm charging at work from 120 outlet. My average consumption is about 4,8-5,1 mi/kwt. I don't have a place for charging at home. You should be more than Ok with charger at home. I need to charge sometimes till 60-70% in order to have a some spare power for weekdays.
 
Before relying on charging at work, make sure that it's OK with your workplace. Some folks have gotten in trouble with plugging in at work, particularly if breakers start tripping, or G-d forbid a fire starts due to the poor quality of the outlet/circuit.

There is a thread over at MyNissanLeaf where an owner, and another plug-in car owner and fellow employee, have gotten into a situation at work where if they charge their cars at the same time, the breaker trips, and the maintenance staff are now refusing to reset it. And that was on a dedicated L2 charging station that simply wasn't wired properly (two of them on a circuit only large enough for one).

And if you live in a apartment/condo complex (I suspect that's why you can't put L2 at home), make sure that plugging in is also OK with the management/HOA particularly if it's a common-use outlet.
 
Wow, thanks everyone. This is all awesome info and context to have for a first-time (potential) EV buyer.

I’ve already given my work a heads up, and they’re looking into the L2 possibilities, or barring that, then L1 availability/approval.

The apartment bit is a only murky because haven’t really started looking (Nov 1 move-in date, so it’s a little soon), so I don’t 100% know what kind of building I’ll be in. But I’ve told my Realtor that having access to an outlet for car-charging is a factor in my search.

Thanks again for all the help, looking forward to hopefully becoming a contributor here at some point! :D
 
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