Looking for recommendations for EV to use as commuter.

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KurtManz

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Feb 22, 2018
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We currently use a Rav4EV as our main commuter. Next month we'll be needing a second commuter which will mean wife gets the RAV4 and I need a new commuter.
I'm sold on EVs and I think the best choice for us is an >200 miles EV SUV that we can hitch a bike rack to... which probably points to a Y. (WA state, Konas are not even an option)

So until that's available I'm thinking of getting a used car to bridge the gap.
I'm thinking somewhere between a 2016 e-Golf (no 2017s available!) an i3 or maybe a b-class.

Does anybody have any experience or recommendations for any?
I'm now familiar with all the quirks of the RAV4, I'm wondering if those cars have a similar learning curve.
Does anybody know of a buying checklist for any of those cars?
 
How long is your commute, and do you have access to charging at work? Will the new commuter be used for anything other than commuting? Or do you have (or rent) an ICE for longer trips?

Worth noting, the price of the newest (2019) e-Golfs can be negotiated down to the point where you're paying practically the same amount for it as for a used first generation e-Golf, if you're eligible for the federal credit and if WA has decent incentives (which I'm guessing they do). I got my 2019 SE for $24,000, so after taxes, etc., and the federal rebate (still $7,500 for VW!) and a check from the state of PA ($1,750!), my all-in cost was something like $16,400 (plus my traded-in 2004 Jetta).

--Chris
 
If you need 200 + miles range, get a 3 or a Y, or wait a few years until VW starts producing a 200 + mile range EV. Maybe by 2020 or 2021 ?
 
Assuming you live along the I-5 corridor, I would consider any EV that has some sort of fast-charging port, whether CHAdeMO or CCS. The density of quick chargers along I-5 makes it possible to drive even a 24 kWH EV from the Canadian border all the way through to southern Oregon, possibly even slightly into California.

Besides eGolf and i3 w/CCS capability, I'd also consider the Leaf and Soul EV with CHADeMO capability. I don't think you can get any sort of fast charging with the B-Electric.
 
KurtManz said:
(WA state, Konas are not even an option)

If you're considering the Kona you might wanna look closely at the Niro, which is a bit larger in size and has room for a spare tire. The plug-in hybrid version has been out for a while; the BEV version is hitting California now and might be available in Washington in a few months. I'm about 80% sure we'll be getting one later this year when the price comes down a bit. My finance is currently using the e-Golf for commuting and her old Subaru for longer trips. Juggling two cars gets to be a headache after a while.

KurtManz said:
I'm thinking somewhere between a 2016 e-Golf (no 2017s available!) an i3 or maybe a b-class.

Having spent 2 years with a 2016 e-Golf and now almost a year with a 2018 i3, I can say I've been happy with both. The e-Golf's largest pros are great value, good handling, efficient ride, and ability to seat 5. The i3 has roomier cabin, absolutely amazing visibility, quicker and smoother acceleration, and a luxury feel that rivals a Tesla. The b-class is extremely rare and it will be tough to find firsthand experience from an owner.

Tips for the e-Golf: The biggest thing to be aware of especially with the 2016s is the feature differences between the SE and SEL trims, and that the base SE only had a 3.6 kW L2 charger and didn't do DC fast charging at all. I have a nice little spreadsheet here: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/yZm8Z/files

Tips for the i3: avoid the 2014 model year, especially the range extender version. And make absolutely sure you have a BMW warranty. It's a luxury car and even minor maintenance work can run in to the thousands. Beyond that it's fairly straightforward as the 2014-2016 models were basically the same. Battery got 50% bigger in 2017, CarPlay added in 2018, and battery bigger again in 2019. I'd recommend the tech and parking packages for sure; harmon kardon speakers are nice but not earth-shattering. Love the giga interior but deka is nice and mega is OK. I'm not a full leather guy but to each their own. I like having CarPlay, but the native BMW iDrive system works pretty well too and is more than adequate for basic navigation and listening to podcasts. Oh, and if you go the i3...be prepared to replace the tires every 20,000 miles if not sooner. Those skinny 5" tires wear like crazy and have a habit of sucking up nails.
 
johnnylingo said:
KurtManz said:
Oh, and if you go the i3...be prepared to replace the tires every 20,000 miles if not sooner. Those skinny 5" tires wear like crazy and have a habit of sucking up nails.

Not just i3s! Guess whose e-Golf with 175mi on the clock is currently sitting in the garage with a nail in its front tyre?

Spoiler: it’s me.
 
Sparklebeard said:
johnnylingo said:
Those skinny 5" tires wear like crazy and have a habit of sucking up nails.

Not just i3s! Guess whose e-Golf with 175mi on the clock is currently sitting in the garage with a nail in its front tyre?


I had thought the lack of a full spare tire was going to be a bigger deal, but I found that one of the upsides of a car with limited range was that I was never far from civilization. The two times I had nails I was able to get to a mechanic.

Come to think of it, I've had a tire blow out only once in my life. The rest have been just slow leaks.

But yeah, if it were ever totally flat and I had to tow the car to the mechanic, I'd be annoyed.
 
Sparklebeard said:
Not just i3s! Guess whose e-Golf with 175mi on the clock is currently sitting in the garage with a nail in its front tyre?

Spoiler: it’s me.

Sorry to hear about the nail. I've always considered a tire patch kit to be a must-have for any vehicle that has no spare tire.
 
2016golfse said:
Sparklebeard said:
Not just i3s! Guess whose e-Golf with 175mi on the clock is currently sitting in the garage with a nail in its front tyre?

Spoiler: it’s me.

Sorry to hear about the nail. I've always considered a tire patch kit to be a must-have for any vehicle that has no spare tire.

Agreed! Or at least a nail plug kit and a bicycle pump, to at least get you slowly to some sort of source for compressed air to really get the air pressure right. 40 PSI on those tires is tough with a bicycle pump, been there, done that.
 
cctop said:
But yeah, if it were ever totally flat and I had to tow the car to the mechanic, I'd be annoyed.

This is exactly what happened to me a few months ago. Was coming down from Bonny Doon, ran over a rock about the size of a baseball, and blew a giant hole in the front tire. Thankfully there was a pullout 100 yards nearby when it happened, but were were completely out of cell range and had to walk about half a mile to the main highway to call a flatbed towtruck out. The tire place near my house was closed by the time we got there but one of the guys was nice enough to order an Ecopia 422 and it got there Monday. All in all, it cost me 2 hours time and $180. Certainly could have been worse.

It's the reason I'm somewhat obsessed with having a spare on my next EV. With 200 miles range, it will be covering 99% of my driving and I can totally picture having this happen again and missing a trip or event because of it.
 
JoulesThief said:
Agreed! Or at least a nail plug kit and a bicycle pump, to at least get you slowly to some sort of source for compressed air to really get the air pressure right. 40 PSI on those tires is tough with a bicycle pump, been there, done that.

I also agree! (And both my e-Golves have tyre plug kits and 12V compressors.) Car is sitting in a detail shop garage getting a paint protection coating done which is where the nail in the tyre was discovered; wheel isn't leaking so I got lucky with the nail plugging the hole. Fingers crossed I'll be able to get it to a tyre repair shop without having to use the tyre plug kit.
 
Hi Chris,
Chris said:
How long is your commute, and do you have access to charging at work? Will the new commuter be used for anything other than commuting? Or do you have (or rent) an ICE for longer trips?
Worth noting, the price of the newest (2019) e-Golfs can be negotiated down to the point where you're paying practically the same amount for it as for a used first generation e-Golf, if you're eligible for the federal credit and if WA has decent incentives (which I'm guessing they do). I got my 2019 SE for $24,000, so after taxes, etc., and the federal rebate (still $7,500 for VW!) and a check from the state of PA ($1,750!), my all-in cost was something like $16,400 (plus my traded-in 2004 Jetta).
My commute is about 30miles round trip. I can charge at work and I do have a L2 at home. We do have an ice for longer trips although after the summer probably we'll sell it and rent when needed.
I like the idea of the new 2019s. They are available in WA state although the best I've seen online is 30K before incentives or talking to the dealer... sounds like in PA and CA there are some pretty good deals going on right now.
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Thank you Johnny,
your insights are very helpful.
johnnylingo said:
If you're considering the Kona you might wanna look closely at the Niro.
I did look at those. My heart is set on a BEV... not really interested in PHEVs or in waiting too long. I'm looking to get something next month... I started looking at used ones, but as Chris mentioned new ones are a good deal too.

johnnylingo said:
Tips for the e-Golf: The biggest thing to be aware of especially with the 2016s is the feature differences between the SE and SEL trims, and that the base SE only had a 3.6 kW L2 charger and didn't do DC fast charging at all. I have a nice little spreadsheet here: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/yZm8Z/files
Wow, that's a great spreadsheet, thank you! I suspected different years had different features, this makes it very clear... interesting surprise the charger size!

Regarding the b-class... There's a specialty shop in Seattle (https://www.paramountmotorsnw.com/) that carries EVs. They have a couple in stock, that's why they caught my eye.

On the i3... sounds like 2017+ are the ones to look for.

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful.
Sounds like either the egolf or the i3 may work for me, now the hunt starts for the best car and deal :cool:
 
KurtManz said:
Wow, that's a great spreadsheet, thank you! I suspected different years had different features, this makes it very clear... interesting surprise the charger size!

Regarding the b-class... There's a specialty shop in Seattle (https://www.paramountmotorsnw.com/) that carries EVs. They have a couple in stock, that's why they caught my eye.

On the i3... sounds like 2017+ are the ones to look for.

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful.
Sounds like either the egolf or the i3 may work for me, now the hunt starts for the best car and deal :cool:

We just picked up a 2019 i3. I typically don't buy cars new, but with the 2019 getting an even bigger battery and over $15K under MSRP, plus the Federal Tax rebate, this was a deal I couldn't pass up. It's my wife's daily driver, but I like it quite a bit - not as much as the eGolf though!
 
KurtManz said:
I like the idea of the new 2019s. They are available in WA state although the best I've seen online is 30K before incentives or talking to the dealer.

Yeah so like Chris said down here in the Bay Area you can get an SE for $25k or even less, or an SEL for about $30k until end of April. I imagine you could have it shipped up the coast for around $800. Or, thanks to that 130 mile range and fast charging, driving it up yourself would be doable with an overnight stop in southern Oregon.

KurtManz said:
On the i3... sounds like 2017+ are the ones to look for.

Completely depends on range. Bear in mind the REx is an option and a 2015 or 2016 gives you about 75 miles electric and then another 75 on gas @ 40 mpg, but the downside with the REx is it's another thing that can cause problems, going back to the need for warranty. REx will run $2-3k more than BEV on the used market.

The BEVs have been a bit less problematic, and a loaded 2015 should be about the same price as a 2016 e-Golf SEL. Between those two it really comes down to personal preference. The i3 has the roomier cabin and smoother acceleration, the e-Golf is more of a "normal" car and has the 5th seat.

While I love my 2018 i3 REx, I'll admit it's an overpriced car even with the $13k I got off MSRP. If I could do it all over again, would have just traded the 2016 SE for a 2019 SEL and got more electric range for a lot less money.
 
johnnylingo said:
It's the reason I'm somewhat obsessed with having a spare on my next EV.

You know you can add a space saver spare to any eGolf? It's the same one used on Golfs and related cars from the MkV platform onward. I'm using the one that came with my Alltrack (which got a full-size spare instead).
 
Sorry I should have said "full sized spare". Pretty sure this is possible on the Niro. I am aware the cargo space on the e-Golf can accommodate a 3-4" space saver spare, but with its limited range and lack of fast charger it stays pretty close to home anyway.
 
johnnylingo said:
Sorry I should have said "full sized spare". Pretty sure this is possible on the Niro. I am aware the cargo space on the e-Golf can accommodate a 3-4" space saver spare, but with its limited range and lack of fast charger it stays pretty close to home anyway.

And that's why I swapped in the spare from the Alltrack. It's likely to go far from civilization/cell phone service, so I wanted a full size spare. But the eGolf has barely left Los Angeles County so a donut spare should suffice.

I didn't check underfloor of the Niro at the auto show, but I do know that the 1st gen Soul EV does NOT have any sort of spare tire storage. Even though the tire well from the ICE version is there, the cooling fan for the batteries resides in that spot.
 
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