electric orange

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by john70t

First, congrats to the new ride.
....
(And now, I'll ante up and serve as the debby-downer/party-pooper to our most-esteemed-and-glorious-mod's new uplifting thread.)


Batteries don't usually like to be fast charged.
Especially at different heat scenarios.
Chemicals are specific to their nature.

Danger. Danger Will Robinson.
Please research charging station networks.
Transportation should be reliable.

No.
There is hardware.
'Errant codex' should never affect a fully purchased product contractually-stated to deliver "X".
Everything else .is negligence/sabotage

Thanks for the info, John. What kind of EV do you have?

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Going to see how the bill changes with the charging then we may switch to the off-peak program. Not going to install a second meter though - that is evidently the cheapest way to go but since we rent and likely will move in a year or so it isn't worth the effort.

I thought as part of the program SCE would install the secondary meter for free. A friend of mine who also lives in Santa Monica takes part for her Volt she uses to commute to Irvine

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by john70t

First, congrats to the new ride.
....
(And now, I'll ante up and serve as the debby-downer/party-pooper to our most-esteemed-and-glorious-mod's new uplifting thread.)


Batteries don't usually like to be fast charged.
Especially at different heat scenarios.
Chemicals are specific to their nature.

Danger. Danger Will Robinson.
Please research charging station networks.
Transportation should be reliable.

No.
There is hardware.
'Errant codex' should never affect a fully purchased product contractually-stated to deliver "X".
Everything else .is negligence/sabotage

The Rex kicks in when it gets down to 6% SOC so it doesn't get that low. That actually is a sticking point though as in the EU the driver can set when the Rex kicks in. In the US it is tied to legislative nonsense. Still, the batteries have a warranty (6 year iirc). There also is a DC fast charge option (which we didn't get) that does a full charge in 20-30min. The latest software update actually slowed down the fast AC charge as there have been some issues with the 12V. There is a separate small 12V that essentially "boots" the car.

We certainly are somewhat beta testers, but that's part of the fun. I don't understand your last comment though. The app is a remote control for certain capabilities. All cars have plenty of software these days - in this case there is a phone app that will communicate with the car. In fact I got an email tonight from the connected drive portal telling me the car should be charged soon.

Different world...but thanks for the chemistry lesson. That science stuff just confuses me

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by kaisen

I thought as part of the program SCE would install the secondary meter for free. A friend of mine who also lives in Santa Monica takes part for her Volt she uses to commute to Irvine

I don't think they do that any more. Some of the rebates and other programs have aged out. If we owned the house I would do it, but since we rent...not so much.

The off-peak may or may not be a good idea. It depends on how much electricity you use 10-6. If you use much, you get hammered for it. I need to look at usage patterns and do some math.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Thanks for the info, John. What kind of EV do you have?

I am a non-contributer.
And a hypocrite.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by jyl

An i3 would be perfect for our usage too. Keep the reports coming. How about some interior shots?

So some more real-world experience. Having the L2 charger at home makes life much simpler - no need to find anything on the road. The wife's commute is now dialed in, and she loves the fact that she can hit a button on her phone then walk out 5 min later to a comfortable car interior when its 105F outside.

The longest trips we've done was a bit over 100 miles which used a bit of the Rex to make the final part of the journey. No change in performance - the 650CC engine just kicks in and you don't really notice.

Last night we took it to a gig, so I transferred my regular gear setup from the back of the X1 to the i3. I always have a cabinet, music stand, small pedal board, backup cables bag, and folding cart in the back of the X1, then from the house I bring my amp/bag and basses in a double gig bag, which I put in the back seat. The cargo area on the i3 is smaller and shorter than the X1. My cabinet just fits, with the cargo cover resting on the top. The cart fits, but the music stand and pedal bag are no-go - too long with the cabinet blocking the entire right side. In the X1 the space is deeper so the music stand can fit in front. I moved the stand and bag to the rear passenger well which has plenty of room and is pretty much flat since there is no transmission hump. Basses just fit snugly in the back seat. The i3 is a bit taller than the X1, but also a bit narrower - I lose a couple of inches of width.

The biggest head scratcher are the suicide door. Definitely style over substance, though it does give a wide opening. Much quicker though to have the traditional rear doors on the X1, and a bit less dangerous especially if you're parked on the street as you have to have front door open to get at the rear door on the i3 (assuming you do things from the driver side - which I do, force of habit). If I had kids I'd look elsewhere. But those days are behind me. For occasional passenger use it is fine, but you need to watch as the rear of the door comes to a point which can bite your leg if you don't pay attention as you open/close.

The one other thing I noticed is that the A-pillar is wider than my X1 - or maybe it is just a different angle but I think it also is a bit bigger. I had to lean around to get what I'd typically have for visibility but that may be me used to a different interior setup. Nothing earth shattering, but I noticed it. I'm pretty picky about driving position/etc though so ymmv.

If we have it out today I'll try to get some interior pics and compare it with the X1.

[nostatic]

An update. The wife has 1350 miles on the car and loves it. Had a flat tire at 600 miles, hoping that was just luck of the draw. Zero issues with range or range anxiety. The car gets a lot of thumbs up and people walk up and ask questions about it. I've driven it a few times around town and continue to be impressed. Kinda hard to describe- much more calming drive than the X1.

If we had it to do over again we'd stick with the 19" wheels but other than that no regrets. If they up the range a bit two years from now I could see swapping too one coming off the X1 lease.