[Deschodt]

I just leased an E-golf because VW essentially gives them away for free right now. I started another thread on cost, won't go into that, but the lease is net free for me with gas savings / bridge savings/charging. I'm only on the hook for auto insurance. I also own 4 other cars so this is a beater, not a primary, and its limited range works for me and maybe not for you (that's not the point of this thread)..

Just wanted to share the E-car experience from a 911 guy standpoint. If interested, cool, otherwise I'll stop talking to myself quickly ;-)

Day #1: Charged it last night on no-frills supplied charger, electric plug in the garage, 110V, slow as it gets. Woke up to a 92 mi range. Drove to the doctor's on my way to work to pull some stitches (yum). The first mile is odd, completely silent, but once you go faster the tire noise restores familiarity and you forget you're driving on electrons.

Sound wise I did catch a super high pitched whine a few times, which might drive a dog crazy, but I'm going deaf so no biggie, went away... The car is a Golf, the paragon of normalcy and utility. I've had a GTI before, it's all the same with good gadgets and Carplay which is awesome... Siri for your car, voice command, your own nav maps.

The initial 2 mi drive to the doc - no need to warm it up - actually ate 4 miles of range (more on this later, it gave them back).

Back in the car minus a few stitches, this is my first day and I wanna get home, so I'm driving like grandma. Yesterdayon the test drive I was beating up on it and using all its instant 200 lb/ft or torque, like a maniac ;-) Today, I need to get to work and back, so I'm not slow per se, but smoother...

Braking seems to recharge very strongly, makes you wonder why all cars don't have this as an assist, reusable as a booster like F1 cars. Such a waste of speed into heat on conventional cars!! Back on the road, the kicker is the range indicator is complete BS. It's basically an instant consumption gauge old gasoline cars used to have - how far you'd go if you drove like "right now", which you don't, ever, except "right now". My commute is 10 miles of freeway at 70-75mph, steep uphill, downhill, then 8 more miles of Golden gate bridge, city speed, SFO uphill & downhill. Return is reverse plus school pickup in a suburb. Call it 40 hard miles on uneven roads.

So you need to watch the gas tank gauge instead: It's odd because you will see this gas gauge drop faster than a gas car, obviously with 90 mi range, so it freaks you out a little. But less than the $%#$% range estimator...

I'm climbing the freeway hill at 75 mph and the car is like "72 mi- 71 - 68 mi" and I'm thinking if this keeps up, I'm not getting back from work today. Then we get down the hill and I let it coast a bit to stay maintain my gap, goign up, 71-72-73-74 mi... Ok, I get it... Range is useless...

It seems to eat most of its juice at freeway speeds too. In the city, at 0-25 it's not moving the needle at all. Going up those SFO hills, it loses a little, going down, regains most of it...

I left home with 92 mi in the tank, drove 18 miles of steep stuff, got to work with 74 mi range. Perfect math. Amazing ! That was radio on, no seat warmers or AC (nice weather).

Other things? Recovery on brakes is amazing and you find yourself playing with smooth braking to not max it out (it pegs quickly) and waste it, so you try braking softer and longer to max the recharge - if you care - remember it's my first day, I'm playing. You drive smoother overall...I felt like Jackie Stewart ;-)

It actually goes: once my range anxiety calms down after 2 test days, I will beat the **** out of this car...I bet it still takes me home. it's not slow at all in everyday use... 0-60 is slow but 0-40 is 911SC quick, butt-0-meter wise.

Brake feel is great. I mean it, I have no idea it's in recovery mode. Feels hydraulic. The car has 3 scavenging modes, 1 drives like a gas car, 2 brakes more when you lift (they recommend this). 3 scavenges to the max so it brakes a lot when you lift from the gas. Supposedly. I drove in mode 3 and don't feel it braking all that hard. I am used to high compression gas engines, I guess, so this it feels normal to me.. it does not slow down THAT much off the gas.

Got to work and it reminded me to grab my cell phone... Love it...

That's this morning... Let's see about my return commute in traffic with A/C tonight.
So far - loving it. I will try it for 2 days in a row to see if the charge cycles can catch up of if i need to buy a faster charger, and then I'll use my 991 again to let my testicles redescend a little ;-)