I read an article on the new VW ID4 electric vehicle. Any thoughts, concerns or ideas about it would be appreciated as I plan to purchase a new car this summer.
VWs in general, tend to have a LOT more mechanical and electronic problems in their newer models. Most of these issues are lessened by the 3rd or 4th year of their product cycle.
I would be wary of any new VW in its first couple of years of production and–in particular–something totally new like this one would make me very wary.
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At the price they are going to be and the lack of confidence I have in Volkswagen I will pass . Also it appears you have to order one and wait for delivery . Plus will your current household electric handle a charging station . One of my neighbors just spent 3000.00 to upgrade so he could charge their Tesla . I also would be concerned about dealer support on this new vehicle.
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I agree with the cautions mentioned above.
Will a car with limited range really fit your needs? A hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid, is a more versatile vehicle than an electric.
In that realm, Toyota is the brand to equal or surpass.
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I’m seeing them on dealers’ lots near me. I’d also take a look at the Mustang Mach-E, about the same money. No Rav4 Prime plug ins near me, that’d be my choice of the 3.
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VW has just put this on the lot around here, the trims on the local dealer’s lot are the 250mi range which might be enough for you, my ev fanatic friend bought the Kia Niro Ev in November and he’s in love with it. There’s probably a charging station close enough that you don’t need to charge at home every night. Another friend has a Chevy Bolt which has been a very good commuter car for his needs.
Any new vehicle to market can have some glitches pop up, the Ford Mach E has had a few cases where the center screen just goes black, at least one happened when the new owner started to leave the lot. Ford took care of it and sounds like it was a one off but not a great start. Could happen to just about any brand these days.
I’m concerned about anything that can’t be test driven first. If you can wait and care to, test drive one when they arrive a the dealership. Any new model, especially one based on new engine technology is likely to experience a higher rate of problems than after a year or two. Wait for the 2024 if you must have an ID.4, or take your chances. Most of them will be OK, but a lot will need TLC.
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The car includes 3yrs of fast charging from electrify america, and charging for only 10mi would add back enough range to do their monthly road-trip to see the grandkids. Fairly sure he’ll want to wait another year to see what else is on the market. Electrify America has a charging station close enough to where they live to not even worry about plugging in at home.
That is because they are wealthy, money to purchase an expensive car and a charging station. A Tesla can be charged with a 120 volt circuit, slowly but during a weekend a 300 mile range can be charged leaving no need to charge during the week.
95% don’t need 250 mile range if you drive from home-work.
If Tesla would give me. $15,000 rebate for buying 100 mile battery pack I might think about it. And free station too.
My car had better have 200+ range, for the occasional time I need it, even if 95% of the time I don’t. And I’m not buying a 300 mile range car (Telsa S) if I only get that range once a week.
Will that be your only car. Think about putting all your eggs in one basket.
You can keep it charged however high you want it to be. Nothing saying you have to wait for he charge to get down to almost empty before you can charge it back to full- most recommend keeping the battery about 80% to prolong the life of the battery.
The home charger I have recommended using a 40amp circuit. The draw my car makes is about 8 amps, but I can use up to 12amps- car will pop up a message saying it’s an increase in fire risks, etc and I notice no change in charge time between using 8 or 12 amps, so I keep it at 8. I also had it put on its own breaker so I can turn the charger on and off when not in use to save on the possibility of the charger drawing extra electricity when idle
What was the cost of the new electrical connection? Since this may be useful for several replacement vehicles in the future the cost may be insignificant.
No thanks, I’ve had a lot of problems with the VW’s I’ve had and they were all junk. Also, you have to get a charger installed and I just don’t feel comfortable charging a battery powered car in my garage. I don’t think the infrastructure is ready yet.
VW’s doing the Norra 1000 in Mexico with an ID4 and VW’s going to find out how long it can go under a charge under these conditions. The team does have a support truck with a way to charge the VW. Stock battery and drivetrain.
I wish them luck with that endeavor.
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The part was $600 from Chevy directly and I paid someone to install it on my house. So, not too bad in terms of overall cost. With the 220V I can get about 14 miles per minute charging up- about 8 hours charge time from 70 miles to 200. With the 110V I think it said I would get about 40 miles on an 8 hour charge. If I could find a DC fast charge location it says 100 miles in about half an hour
Autoweek’s report on the Volkswagen ID4 in the NORRA Mexican 1000 driven by Tanner Foust;
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The new Bronco was also in the race, came in 37th, the ID4 came in at the back, and then went on display at a nearby VW dealer.