Austin Kocher, PhD šSerious question: for those of you that have an electric car, what are the best and worst things about it?
This is all so helpful, thank you! Does anyone drive a VW Golf EV, by chance?
S Aufrecht@austinkocher I passed your questions to a Golf EV driver. They use it daily, love it; but have a Golf TD for long drives because the Golf EV range is only ~100 miles, lower in winter. Apparently VW don't make it anymore?
I drive a plug-in hybrid, with ~40 miles of range, and re-charge overnight at home with a level 1 charger. Most days we are pure electric. On longer trips, we'll charge if convenientāi.e., if there's a charger at our destinationābut don't plan trips around charging.
Best things about a plug-in hybrid: when on electric, all the things people are saying, especially: quiet and lack of vibration, burst power when needed. Even on gas, mileage is about 45 mpg (5.2 L/100km).
Worst things: not enough feedback to minimize energy use.Ā¹ Gas engine is limited enough that, if mountain driving is anticipated, it's important to preserve some charge to help on steep grades, or else the engine labors extremely.
āā
Note 1. I'd like to know when the friction brakes engage, vs the regenerative brakes. I'd like to see how firm braking compares to slow braking. I'd like to see instantaneous power usage, similar to instant mpg.
@lculeena Thanks so much! I learned a lot.
Erin ConroyI used to. I loved it. Actually may try to buy a used one. The range is an issue if you make long trips but if you just need for commute, itās great.
And the best thing? never gassing out & hurting the health of bikers, kids or pedestrians at stop lights, or if stuck in traffic or on the ferry. Also being able to ārefuelā at home. Itās actually great for rural living, too. I would have to drive 10 min to the nearest gas station but I can charge at any house.
@austinkocher happy to answer any questions about the egolf. We leased ours for 3 years from 2015-2018. Since then weāve had a Bolt. Much preferred the golf besides the range issue.
Beanie MacIntosh@austinkocher Iād like to know too
Dr. Ogg 
@austinkocher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itAMIIBnZ-8 might be interesting to you
A long-winded 1-year ownership report on my Hyundai Ioniq 5
Heather McLaughlin@austinkocher i have a polestar. It is all good, really can't think of a complaint
Solid, handles well, great range. No issues with winter.
Solid, handles well, great range. No issues with winter.
Untitled Goose Name@austinkocher the best things are i never have to visit a gas station, i donāt need oil changes, and i rarely need new brake pads
the worst things are that i still need to put air in my tires occasionally, and have to take supercharger breaks when driving long trips (which i donāt actually mind, but some people would)
@austinkocher oh yeah, and itās embarrassing to drive a tesla now, even though i bought it befoee Musk made it so obvious what a nozzle he is
Gary Hyslop@goosname @austinkocher Same about the supercharger stops - I actually look forward to those 15-20in breaks now and arrive feeling much more rested. And yeah about Musk - itās a shame because the car is actually really quite good. Heās a net drag on the company now, I think.
bignose@austinkocher I canāt really think of a negative. Being able to charge at home, I canāt imagine going back to the inconvenience of having to stop for gas all the time. Driving experience far superior. The only thing I can think of is that for many apartment dwellers, charging may not be available or inconvenient.
Fat Leg Ted@Gforce2002 @austinkocher
This is why I had to settle for a hybrid.
My trips around our small town are almost all electric.
I *hate* paying for petrol. Next one will be all electric.
*Edit. Should have explained, because it'll take a few years to get a charger fitted at our block of flats. And we must stop using fossil fuels.
Anne Ominous@austinkocher my SIL loves her new VW ID4.
she says charging didnt even increase her home electric bill enough to notice. so the savings on time, $$$ spent at gas stations is great.
but on road trips, charging is still an issue. some chargers are pretty slow. there were times when she waited an hour or more before moving on.
unsolicited opinion: ecars are great. as a cyclist, i want the US to move away from cars tho.
if we ARE doin ecar, we better push for grid & availability upgrades
Nikolai Riikonen@austinkocher
Best: better for environment, nice to drive, quiet, warms up/cools down fast, no need to visit gas station ever.
Worst: still not good enough enviromentally
.morris@niksu @austinkocher yep. Love the car (esp the smooth responsive handling), just wish the tech was more of a proper solution.
Hasani Hunter@austinkocher Best thing for me is the ability to warm or cool the car in the garage without worrying about carbon monoxide.
We got stuck in the blizzard late last year visiting relatives in Canada, and me, wife and kids slept in the car very comfortably because we happened to stop at a supercharger and plugged in and trickle charged throughout the night and was able to keep the car at a comfortable temp and didnāt need to put gas in every few hours.
@austinkocher The worst thing is the sparse availability of high speed chargers (largely depends on where you live). Oh and the fact that your range can drop dramatically in the winter time
Delta Sierra@austinkocher Disclaimer: sold my EV years ago (2016 Kia Soul EV).
Pros: Charging at home, no power loss at elevation, regenerative braking good substitute for engine braking, excellent acceleration, low service requirements (eg, no oil changes).
Cons: 20%+ range loss in cold temps, battery failed within 40k miles and Kia didn't honor the warranty, not the best option in a rural/remote area (since it can't be "refueled" easily).
I'd love another EV in the future, definitely not a Kia though.
Allen B. Skye@notthatdelta @austinkocher As an aside, my parents had a Kia Soul for a few years. My Dad said āloved the car, hated the crappy servicing issuesā.
@raddude12 @austinkocher that sums up my ownership experience quite accurately!
qwertzalotl@austinkocher
Best thing is you don't have to clean the windows from ice. A defrost timer does it for you and also preheats the car. I loved that. Also they are very fast and have no gears, so big fun to drive. Repair costs are low. Disadvantages can be low reach in winter and insufficient heating.
Best thing is you don't have to clean the windows from ice. A defrost timer does it for you and also preheats the car. I loved that. Also they are very fast and have no gears, so big fun to drive. Repair costs are low. Disadvantages can be low reach in winter and insufficient heating.
Max B #FBPE #FBPRBest: Acceleration, smoothness, being able to charge it at home, no fumes, petrol forecourt signs are purely for decoration, playing the game of making the miles travelled match the predicted range.
Worst: Range anxiety, not being able to get a free charge at Sainsbury's because all the bays are full of Ćber Priuses.
Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.@austinkocher I have a 2019 Chevy Volt, if that counts. I think the aspect of the car I like the least is the rear-side visibility. The mirrors and the cameras really do have it covered, but I'm used to glancing back over my shoulder for some things, and I get very little information from doing that in the Volt.
My favorite thing is seeing how long I can go without using fuel. Of course, the option is nice, since it completely eliminates any range anxiety I might have had otherwise.
Hippieexec@austinkocher the best - itās all good. Audi etron 2019
Chip Stewart@austinkocher weāve got a 2015 Nissan Leaf - love it. No oil changes, no gas, really zips around. Only has about 70 mile range per day is the main drawback.
Arilyn@austinkocher
Best things: not smelling like exhaust, not directly supporting the gas and oil industry, not having to go to a gas station
Worst things: the best NA charging network is proprietary and owned by the destroyer of birdsite
Tasha Sounart š®š°@austinkocher I have a plug-in hybrid bmw that I mostly drive in electric mode. Favorite: acceleration, quiet, smooth drive. Barely ever have to go to a gas station. Least Favorite: I guess it's kind of a hassle to plug it in every night but I'd rather do that than go to the gas station.
Bas Gutwein@austinkocher
Good: No gas stations, have solar so it uses up my unspent net metering credits, quieter, less maintenance, paying for itself through mileage reimbursements.
Bad: long trips with 55kw max charging speed is not fun. Anything over 200 miles adds a 1/2 hour for every 1.5 hrs driven. Winter means 1/3 less range unless you donāt mind being cold then itās 1/4 less range. Touch screens mean more pawing through menus and loss of privacy/autonomy. Doesnāt move society away from cars.
Good: No gas stations, have solar so it uses up my unspent net metering credits, quieter, less maintenance, paying for itself through mileage reimbursements.
Bad: long trips with 55kw max charging speed is not fun. Anything over 200 miles adds a 1/2 hour for every 1.5 hrs driven. Winter means 1/3 less range unless you donāt mind being cold then itās 1/4 less range. Touch screens mean more pawing through menus and loss of privacy/autonomy. Doesnāt move society away from cars.
@austinkocher
Conclusion: my bolt is great for local and commuting trips for people with an easy and reliable charging setup as an alternative to a gas car. Faster charging and a denser more reliable charging network would make it great for everyone. Wish I could just ride my bike and an electric train.
Conclusion: my bolt is great for local and commuting trips for people with an easy and reliable charging setup as an alternative to a gas car. Faster charging and a denser more reliable charging network would make it great for everyone. Wish I could just ride my bike and an electric train.
geoffeg@austinkocher I only have to go to a gas station when I'm on a road trip (I have a plug-in hybrid, a second gen Chevy Volt). When I had a purely gas car it seems like I'd always forget that I needed gas, especially on days when I was running late. (I charge at home and occasionally at work.) Worst thing about it is that they don't make them anymore.
Unplanned Librarian@austinkocher I love how quiet it is, I love the immediate surge of power when I need to merge or pass, I love charging at home, I love being able to park with the climate control on and not feel guilty about fumes.
Worst thing is that there are still states with few high speed charging stations, even along major highways. You have to plan very carefully when traveling across country.
[David Nathanson has moved]@austinkocher I have a 2018 Bolt. Love it. Most of the responses are spot on. Long trips can get annoying but charger availability in the NE US is proliferating noticeably since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Drop in mileage in the winter is the biggest negative. I go from 240 mile range in summer down to 140 in the dead of winter. Of course ICE cars get worse mileage then, too. A pro others havenāt mentioned much: itās so quiet, you can hear your music or conversation much better.
bedast@austinkocher Best: Low maintenance. At least in my area, cheaper āfuelā cost (Iāve spent less than half āfuelingā my Niro EV compared to my previous ICE). Smooth drive. Easily made into home backup power within its limits.
Worst: Battery tech with low energy density. Charging infrastructure.
My driving habits and needs lends well to a low end EV like the Niro EV. Iāve used a public charger like twice. The āworstā isnāt all that horrible to me.
Rosemary McNaughton@austinkocher 2019 Ioniq, love the acceleration, idling w/o exhaust, low maintenance needs. Driving it is a hot knife through butter experience and Iām not even a car person.
Downsides: range esp in winter. Sharing a charger with condo association means I canāt do the fancy pre-warming when I want to, and my 3 year free subscription to the app is up anyway.
J. W. Traphagan@austinkocher We have a Tesla S. It's smooth, quick, quiet, and comfortable. It's a wonderful car. Honestly, the only negative is range. It would be a great road-trip car if it had better range and if it could be recharged quickly. However, it is basically an around-town car. We live far from other cities, so that's perhaps more of an issue for us than others.
Jonathan Fischer@austinkocher Good: never having to go to a gas station, no guilt about running the A/C while waiting to pick up my kids in the school parking lot, and less guilt about driving my kids around everywhere.
Bad: long distance trips are still a pain. Even when planning for stops, chargers can be dodgy.
Jeff Shaffer CBET, ret@jlfischer @austinkocher How much does running the A/C while waiting affect your mileage?
@CivilityFan @austinkocher Not too much. If the meter in the car is right the A/C uses somewhere between 1-2 kW per hour.
Morgan ā§ļø@austinkocher I don't *have* one but I regularly borrow a family member's to avoid using our gas car so I'll rate hers.
Best: using mostly renewable energy bc I live in California, plus it's way cheaper than gas to charge and even free sometimes
Worst: range is Bad. Even when I'm driving it as energy efficiently as possible, it needs to be charged every day and can't even make a full trip to the doctor and home.
Caveat: this is a used car with an old battery. It's certainly not gonna be the best
Best: using mostly renewable energy bc I live in California, plus it's way cheaper than gas to charge and even free sometimes
Worst: range is Bad. Even when I'm driving it as energy efficiently as possible, it needs to be charged every day and can't even make a full trip to the doctor and home.
Caveat: this is a used car with an old battery. It's certainly not gonna be the best
@austinkocher oh and it's also a pain in the ass to know that using the AC etc makes it so we can't go as far without stopping somewhere to charge lol
But in general I love taking the EV and when we next get a car it's probably gonna be electric (especially if we stay in Cali, especially especially if what I've been hearing abt a 1000+ mile battery is even like 20% true and we can ever afford it)
But in general I love taking the EV and when we next get a car it's probably gonna be electric (especially if we stay in Cali, especially especially if what I've been hearing abt a 1000+ mile battery is even like 20% true and we can ever afford it)
Ken Anderson@austinkocher I have a Volt. The best thing is only getting gas to fill up its (small) tank 1-2 times per year. The worst is that during Winter the car turns on its gas engine to prevent the engine from freezing and that is what leads to having to fill up the tank. Otherwise, I would never have to fill it up!
Bionic Beth@austinkocher Fascinating to read through the replies. We're only on day one since my husband brought home a Ford Mach E, and I cannot believe how quiet it is. We definitely need to get a faster charger at home though, but so far the whole family is loving it.
DB Schwein@austinkocher
If you live in an apartment, or a condo, or anything with shared parking the likelihood you won't be able to install your own charger is high - so every trip involves the math of "Do I need to charge before the morning?" "Do I need to charge before I leave for X?"
And shared chargers means sometimes having to wait before something is available. 10 minutes, 2 hours, you just don't know. Every issue you have with public transport, except it's your own car :-/
Janne Moren@austinkocher
I use a Leaf for my commute.
Best: no gas station stops. It's just always ready to go.
Next best: fun to drive! Endless torque from zero and up; always instant response. Low center of gravity. No vibration or engine noise.
Third best: reliable, little maintenance, low driving cost. In our case - flat monthly charging fee - the marginal cost of taking the car is almost zero.
Coffeetest@austinkocher bmw i3. Very affordable used and a brilliant car to drive and own. I've got no downside to share.
Lou Katz@austinkocher Best thing: charged every night, so the 'gas tank' is always full; don''t care about gas price fluctuations, don't wait in line for gas, can run my house off the car for a while, quiet and accellerates like crazy at low speeds. Worst things: limited range (but I knew that when I got the Fiat500e) which only matters very rarely; turning on the cabin heater really kills the range.
Jonathan Groves ā
@austinkocher Nissan Leaf here. My commute used to cost Ā£50 a week in my E Class Merc, the same route (and speeds) in the Leaf just Ā£8.50.
No-one beats me away from traffic lights.
Servicing cost is trivial.
No Congestion Charge nor Road Tax.
Worst thing: Range Anxiety. Itās a bitch.
No-one beats me away from traffic lights.
Servicing cost is trivial.
No Congestion Charge nor Road Tax.
Worst thing: Range Anxiety. Itās a bitch.
Todd Thomas 
@austinkocher Best: never getting in a cold car, quiet, quick, fun to drive
Worst: still not enough chargers in hotels and smaller towns
Worst: still not enough chargers in hotels and smaller towns
Jonathan Gulbrandsen@austinkocher @lisamelton I love everything about it. Have had Tesla, now drive a Volvo fully electric. Love the quiet and simplicity. Worst thing is loaning it to people who never drove electric and explaining everything about charging during handover š
Aaron@austinkocher
Chevrolet Bolt EV
Best: It is quiet and surprisingly speedy with good tech features (CarPlay, 360Āŗ camera view when backing up).
Worst: Small (tiny trunk canāt fit a curling broom), several battery related safety recalls (which led to full battery replacement with extended warranty)
Chevrolet Bolt EV
Best: It is quiet and surprisingly speedy with good tech features (CarPlay, 360Āŗ camera view when backing up).
Worst: Small (tiny trunk canāt fit a curling broom), several battery related safety recalls (which led to full battery replacement with extended warranty)
New to all this@austinkocher haven't got one but my dad has, they are dead easy to drive, the issues are the lack of charge points and the fact that not every charge point charges every car. It can be a long wait at a service station if you have to wait for people in front of you. The range is an issue as the cars recover energy from braking. So if you are on fast straight roads you lose a lot of the range.
J$@austinkocher best: no more fossil fuels burned when driving
Worst: heavy burden in terms or scarce resources and energy use in production, poor reusabity, awful ratio of energy spent per person per km or mile, does not scale to world population usage size
Worst: heavy burden in terms or scarce resources and energy use in production, poor reusabity, awful ratio of energy spent per person per km or mile, does not scale to world population usage size
@austinkocher so bast: itās not a gas guzzling planet killer, worst: itās still a planet killer
Jen Fizzbuzz@austinkocher it's nice not having to fill up with petrol every once in a while.
In the UK I get a bit nervous when I need to public charge if there's any chargers free on motorways since they are quite highly used, I also get a bit paranoid if I've charged enough to get home as the guessometer tends to overestimate.
Not driving a manual(stick) is nicer than I'd have expected
@austinkocher best: all kinds of driving behavior
worst: rear window is laughably small for styling reasons, genuinely hard to back up even with back up camera
worst: rear window is laughably small for styling reasons, genuinely hard to back up even with back up camera
@austinkocher Mustang Mach-E.
Bonus minor expected benefit: wheels always look shiny clean, because the black grime that builds up is actually brake pad material.
Bonus minor expected benefit: wheels always look shiny clean, because the black grime that builds up is actually brake pad material.
Tai xzo@austinkocher Best thing about it: the heat comes on instantly in the winter! Back when I had a gas car, I had to wait several minutes for the engine to warm up before I had heat.
Worst thing about it: itās not a long-range EV (only about 50-60 miles usable range on the highway), so I end up having to take much longer routes on road trips to be able to hop from charger to charger. Traveling between states takes about twice the time it used to.
Worst thing about it: itās not a long-range EV (only about 50-60 miles usable range on the highway), so I end up having to take much longer routes on road trips to be able to hop from charger to charger. Traveling between states takes about twice the time it used to.