Candidate for SE e-Golf

[sejinski]

I am looking for an EV for HOV access and fuel savings. My budget is limited to about $200 per month after Ca state rebate for 3 year lease.

I drive about 60 miles per day for work and I do have access to charging stations at work (need to pay per hour). Although the SE only has the limited 3.6 cripple charger.

I am thinking about the Leaf S QC too and that seems to be more affordable.

Am I candidate for the e-Golf SE?

 

[miimura]

If you routinely have to pay by the hour for charging, I would wait for the "Charging Package" coming soon to the 2016 e-Golf. It's just like the "Charge Package" on the Leaf S in that it adds a faster on-board charger and the Quick Charge capability. Of course, the Leaf has a CHAdeMO connector and the e-Golf has the SAE-Combo extension below the J1772.

That is the cheapest way to get into an e-Golf that has all the charging options.... well, that or find an old 2015 e-Golf LE. Cars.com says that Murrieta and Palm Springs still have them.

 

[ulrichw]

[...]My budget is limited to about $200 per month after Ca state rebate for 3 year lease.[...]

I was lucky to be able to take advantage of the $2000 loyalty bonus on top of other markdowns last month - I got the SE for $1200 out the door and $145 a month (taxes included) *before* the $2500 CA incentive.

[...]I drive about 60 miles per day for work and I do have access to charging stations at work (need to pay per hour).[...]

Did you mean "for" work or "to" work? If the former, that implies that that distance may vary. I wouldn't want to buy any of the current generation of short-range cars (including the pre-2016 Leaf) for anything much longer than 60 miles.
That said, in my experience, I'm getting in the vicinity of 4.3 miles/kWh on a semi-hilly mostly freeway commute - I do keep my speed down to below 65 mph, but other than that am not trying to stretch my efficiency. My range indicator is usually around 100 miles or so when charged.
Somewhat counter-intuitively, your range will be better if you have more traffic keeping your speed down.

Am I candidate for the e-Golf SE?

I would think so, but the extra range of the 2016 Leaf (non-base version) may give you a little more headroom - not sure what kind of deals are available, there, though.

miimura's advice to wait for the Charging Package is good, too. That'll give you some flexibility to charge when "on the road". I see the base SE as primarily a "home charge" vehicle (you'll get screwed on the per-hour charges due to the slower charger)

 

[bingtamers]

The SE can be fine but it depends on your driving needs. Today I'm picking up and dropping off an older relative so she can take part in our Christmas celebration. The round-trip is 60 miles and I'll be doing that twice. It's the most I've had to drive on any one day. The pickup went fine, I'm charging now, and I don't anticipate any trouble bringing her back. So apparently I can put 120 miles on my car in a day, and I don't anticipate needing to drive more than that.

If I were a notary, driving all over without any predictable pattern, then this would not be the right car. But for a commuter with a regular driving pattern, the option to charge at work (which I have) and the occasional need for medium-range trips (like today), it's great.

My lease was only $79 per month, plus tax. Would I rather pay an extra $50 plus tax per month for the SEL? Probably not. I would never use the fast charger, I charge overnight at home (so 3.6 or whatever is fine) and this meets my needs. Just like most things, it's about knowing your requirements and making the appropriate purchase to satisfy those. So many Americans take all the options on any given purchase, only to find later they don't use most of those optional items at all.

(If I were buying, though, it would have to be the SEL because the slow charge of my SE would make resale difficult. Leasing is the way to go with EVs anyway.)

 

[JoulesThief]

If all I could get was the 3.6kwh charger at 240V, and publicly, you are lucky to get 200V, and not have the DC combo quick charge to 80% in 20 minutes feature for rare big trip very infrequent use, I would not have bought an e-Golf. I think VW knew this in 2015 and every 2015 comes with the 7.2kwh and DC fast charge level 3 charger feature. It's expensive, but going forward, and future proofing your car, I feel it's mandatory, and shouldn't be an option. YMMV, you may more time to wait around for a charge than I do. Sometimes, you can't afford to wait that long for a charge. Certainly not when surprises or emergencies or diversions from original miles planned to travel happen... or expecting a public charger to be functional, when in reality, it is down and non operational. Then your remaining range is limited and hope you can make it to a charging station that does work, so you can wait 8 hours for charge.

 

[MLS]

A VW dealer told me it was possible to have the DC quick charge package installed on an SE model at a later date by the service department. Is this true, or does it need to be factory installed?

 

[JoulesThief]

A VW dealer told me it was possible to have the DC quick charge package installed on an SE model at a later date by the service department. Is this true, or does it need to be factory installed?

Get it already installed in the car you buy, from the factory, not retrofit.

 

[RonDawg]

A VW dealer told me it was possible to have the DC quick charge package installed on an SE model at a later date by the service department. Is this true, or does it need to be factory installed?

I seriously doubt it can easily be installed at a dealer. Too many new parts needed.

 

[johnnylingo]

Any salesperson saying it can be upgraded after purchase is full of crap, at least for 2015 and 2016 models.

Here's an official response from VW:

http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=559&start=11