If I can't have a VW TDI - I'm going full electric

[coolbreeze]

I went from a TDI to a gasser for 5 years (including my 16 GTI) then back to a TDI. I won't do that again. Once you get use to all that lovely low end torque and 500 mile or better per tank, a gasser eats at you over time.
I see electric as the closest thing to aligning with what I like about cars. Torque, low cost per mile, and being a VW, fun to drive. 2017 will see a 125 plus range on the Golf or better.
Read details on 2017 e-Golf :
https://electrek.co/2016/05/23/2017-vw-e-golf-186-miles-range/

I plan on leasing for 24 months since resale values on electric cars right now are not good at all. Too many people misunderstand them, plus they are advancing so fast that a 2 year old EV is out dated.
In late 2018 the EV market will start its Golden Age and great products will hit the market like VW's 300 mile range EV with 15 minute charge time, and Tesla's Model 3, among others.
That when I will purchase my long term EV

 

[k1xv]

I have a Corvette, my frivolous play car. And a diesel SUV for my interstate travels. I would not mind having an electric for my daily driving. The Chevy Bolt is the first all electric that I could afford, and that has the range to not give me range anxiety.

 

[TDIinMA]

I have been thinking about electric, but a few things are holding me back:

1. The range is terrible - they can promise 300 miles, but show me first.

2. The cost of electricity is going up and this doesn't seem like it will stop in the US for some time due to the war of fossil fuels.

3. The overhead of the charging station at your home and they are not very plentiful in the community (i.e. @work) yet.


I think this is a lot like the way diesel technology advanced quite slowly. The initial products were not that good and people still think TDIs need to be plugged in, knock terribly, and produce tons of blue smoke decades after those stereotypes were established. (I recall having these thoughts myself before I test drove and '02 TDI Beetle -- and was blown away.)

That said, EVs are still a ways away, I think.

And what's the advantage or draw? Seriously. Maybe if it's your third vehicle or you live int he city. TDIs make more sense for commuting longer distances, or even hybrids.

 

[Mike91326]

I'm thinking of leasing the Volt as it's the best of both worlds and I will be 100% EV going to and from work. Also, I can use 110 to charge it overnight.

 

[k1xv]

If you are regularly using utility company power to recharge your car overnight, you should investigate if they offer a time of day rate where your recharge can be accomplished during the lower off peak rate period.

 

[yadent]

I'm thinking of leasing the Volt as it's the best of both worlds and I will be 100% EV going to and from work. Also, I can use 110 to charge it overnight.

As EV's/hybrids potentially capture more market share, one can see that in states like California the cost of vehicle registration will include a rate for yearly miles driven. Sacramento has already raised such a possibility by toying with reducing fuel sales tax in lieu of a 'road' usage tax/fee. Have no idea how the state will determine in state driven miles vs out of state miles.....it probably won't care as revenue is revenue.

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

EV range s***s

 

[ChimneyJim]

EV range s***s

Don't you have like 2500 miles in a year? What range do you need?

 

[bubbagumpshrimp]

I went from a TDI to a gasser for 5 years (including my 16 GTI) then back to a TDI. I won't do that again. Once you get use to all that lovely low end torque and 500 mile or better per tank, a gasser eats at you over time.
I see electric as the closest thing to aligning with what I like about cars. Torque, low cost per mile, and being a VW, fun to drive. 2017 will see a 125 plus range on the Golf or better.
Read details on 2017 e-Golf :
https://electrek.co/2016/05/23/2017-vw-e-golf-186-miles-range/

So if you can't have 500+ mile range...you'll take ~125 mile rang? That sounds reasonable.

These are fun/peppy cars to drive, but they aren't THAT special. They're a four wheeled exercise in compromise. I guarantee that there's something out there that would suit your needs better than what is essentially a 3,000lb paper weight (125 mile range, lol).

 

[coolbreeze]

EV range s***s

They did, but 125 mile range and soon 200 I can live with. By 2019 you have plenty of 300 mile range EV's.

 

[rfortson]

To me, EVs will be a hard sell in the US for the majority of the population. I see three issues that will have to be overcome.
1) Range, and it needs to be real range. They are getting better and will get there, but right now, the best they can do it about half the range of an ICE or hybrid.
2) Recharge time. The "fast charge" for a Tesla (current SOA) takes 30 minutes to recharge to 80%. Others take longer. ICE/Hybrids can "recharge" to 100% in about 2 minutes at the pump.
3) And they can recharge at ~170k stations around the country. Unless you're driving out in the remote west or Alaska, you don't have to plan your trip based on refueling. EVs are doing a nice job of building along main corridors, but you still have to plan a trip in an EV to keep from coming home on a flatbed.

As commuter cars, EVs are great, but I think most people will need a second car. I like for my car to cover as many bases as I can, and I don't want to be range-limited. Hybrids work the best for me, in particular plug-in hybrids. To me, the Volt is the best of both worlds in terms of range/fuel efficiency, but I went with the e-tron, because even with it's limited battery range of 15-20 miles, I can commute back and forth each day on electricity alone. Since that's a large part of my driving, I'm getting 60mpg tanks, and that included a somewhat unique road trip. I expect to actually get better.

There are lots of good options out there, and it will only improve. But I think pure EV will take a long time to displace dino-juice.

As for the cost, the comparison I've seen shows $0.12/kWh electricity (which is not that great of a price) is about half the price of $3/gallon gas when comparing equivalent energy. My plan has free weekends, so charging then doesn't cost me anything. During the week, it's around 12 cents/kWh. I can do better though, as this is probably one of the higher rates I've paid. I believe EVs are just cheaper to operate than ICE.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

EV range s***s

If you don't have anything constructive to say, go away. Three-word drive-by snipes are not helpful.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

This is a very well-done article in WIRED magazine covering the new Chevy Bolt.

https://www.wired.com/2016/01/gm-electric-car-chevy-bolt-mary-barra/

I am actually strongly recommending a Chevy Bolt to my father, who is 70 years old and is looking to replace his Lexus RX400h. Jason and I have a deposit on a Tesla Model 3, but depending on Tesla's production schedule, the Bolt may start to look more appealing.

EV torque is a wonderful thing. I took a Chevy Spark EV for a spin, and it was simply ridiculous. The Spark isn't for me, with its short 85 miles of range. If I didn't venture out of the city as much as I do, it would be a strong contender. It would be okay as a run-about, but I'd prefer something with longer legs for the convenience of taking longer drives without having to stop as often.

 

[coolbreeze]

Don't you have like 2500 miles in a year? What range do you need?

Lol.

 

[coolbreeze]

So if you can't have 500+ mile range...you'll take ~125 mile rang? That sounds reasonable.
These are fun/peppy cars to drive, but they aren't THAT special. They're a four wheeled exercise in compromise. I guarantee that there's something out there that would suit your needs better than what is essentially a 3,000lb paper weight (125 mile range, lol).

First off I have changed my mind because you laughed at me, so I decided to not form my own opinion and follow a guy that sits around all day on this site. You have it all figured out. I don't want to drive a 3000 lbs weight. Thanks Gimp. I meant to say Gump. Sorry.
Know back to me forming my own opinion. With a internal combustion engine I need to go to a station to fill up. My EV needs to have enough range to get me back from work to be plugged in. I have a Tiguan for longer drives and trips.

 

[bhtooefr]

And that's the big thing about an EV for daily driving - the range between trips specifically to filling stations is potentially the life of the vehicle, whereas the only way you're avoiding filling station trips in a liquid-fueled vehicle is if you have on-site filling equipment (as at least one TDIClub member does).

 

[LogicBomb]

To me, EVs will be a hard sell in the US for the majority of the population. I see three issues that will have to be overcome.
1) Range, and it needs to be real range. They are getting better and will get there, but right now, the best they can do it about half the range of an ICE or hybrid.
2) Recharge time. The "fast charge" for a Tesla (current SOA) takes 30 minutes to recharge to 80%. Others take longer. ICE/Hybrids can "recharge" to 100% in about 2 minutes at the pump.
3) And they can recharge at ~170k stations around the country. Unless you're driving out in the remote west or Alaska, you don't have to plan your trip based on refueling. EVs are doing a nice job of building along main corridors, but you still have to plan a trip in an EV to keep from coming home on a flatbed.
As commuter cars, EVs are great, but I think most people will need a second car. I like for my car to cover as many bases as I can, and I don't want to be range-limited. Hybrids work the best for me, in particular plug-in hybrids. To me, the Volt is the best of both worlds in terms of range/fuel efficiency, but I went with the e-tron, because even with it's limited battery range of 15-20 miles, I can commute back and forth each day on electricity alone. Since that's a large part of my driving, I'm getting 60mpg tanks, and that included a somewhat unique road trip. I expect to actually get better.
There are lots of good options out there, and it will only improve. But I think pure EV will take a long time to displace dino-juice.
As for the cost, the comparison I've seen shows $0.12/kWh electricity (which is not that great of a price) is about half the price of $3/gallon gas when comparing equivalent energy. My plan has free weekends, so charging then doesn't cost me anything. During the week, it's around 12 cents/kWh. I can do better though, as this is probably one of the higher rates I've paid. I believe EVs are just cheaper to operate than ICE.

And my personal feeling on that is largely due to infrastructure. Some cities here in California, Long Beach for example, have 10-15 charging stations in parking garages, some businesses have 2 or 3 stalls out front, hell even Walmart has some.

Until this becomes the norm, and people can charge their cars while doing their daily functions, it will be awhile before the dino-juice is given a real run for its money.

I've been looking at the E-Golf with the new range increase to low 100's, it could do my weeks worth of commute on a single charge. Where I live now, Carlsbad, doesn't quite have the availability of chargers like I had in Long Beach, but I can only imagine it's a matter of time before businesses start offering them.

 

[Mike91326]

As EV's/hybrids potentially capture more market share, one can see that in states like California the cost of vehicle registration will include a rate for yearly miles driven. Sacramento has already raised such a possibility by toying with reducing fuel sales tax in lieu of a 'road' usage tax/fee. Have no idea how the state will determine in state driven miles vs out of state miles.....it probably won't care as revenue is revenue.

Won't be a problem as we're moving to Henderson (Green Valley) in 15 months when the wife and I retire so we can be near our new grandson. I'll add solar to power the A/C and the level 2 charger.

 

[kuklaki]

To me, the Volt is the best of both worlds in terms of range/fuel efficiency, but I went with the e-tron, because even with it's limited battery range of 15-20 miles, I can commute back and forth each day on electricity alone. Since that's a large part of my driving, I'm getting 60mpg tanks, and that included a somewhat unique road trip. I expect to actually get better.
.

I also bought the e-tron two weeks ago. For me, running a little cleaner, good efficiency, and a nice looking car we all factors. I am not a fan of the Chevy's aesthetics, so that was a no go on my list.
I have no complaints so far and I commute 40 miles 2x per day. So far I am getting an average of 67+ mpg on the way in to work and 80+ on the way home. Most of the commute is highway and a good portion in the morning is sitting in a traffic jams. Learning to balance out running in EV vs. hybrid and when to switch them was key and I think I have the balance figured out now.
I am getting far better mileage than my daily commutes in the A3 TDI.

 

[no-blue-screen]

I went with the Hyundai Sonata Plug-In hybrid. I did this for a number of reasons. All this emissions garbage has turned me off to diesel powered vehicles. Sure they are fun to drive, but my car has many nice features that would cost much more if it were another vehicle. The larger electric motor on the plug-in puts torque at about the same as the latest 2.0L TDI. Add to the mix the nearly 5k federal rebate + 3k rebate from the state and this vehicle equipped with many more features and safety systems will cost less than my golf and it has the room inside comparable to a passat. When running in HEV mode fuel economy is right around 40mpg. I am happy with the choice I made.

I honestly feel like an idiot because I have been a TDI fan for years and actually recommended them to several friends. When I purchased my 15 Golf VW knew the vehicles didn't meet emissions and they still sold me the car anyway and they were trying to cover up the emissions issue with a software update.

Now look at the big rigs riding around now with the extra tank for the DEF. I see many of them on the roads near me and I think its only a matter of time before the increased transportation costs due to all this extra emissions equipment starts to trickle down to everything we buy as the transport companies deal with increased costs and collateral damage due to the emissions equipment.

In short I am at the point now where I just don't want to worry about it. I am patiently waiting for VW to buy mine back.

 

[bhtooefr]

Now look at the big rigs riding around now with the extra tank for the DEF. I see many of them on the roads near me and I think its only a matter of time before the increased transportation costs due to all this extra emissions equipment starts to trickle down to everything we buy as the transport companies deal with increased costs and collateral damage due to the emissions equipment.

Spark ignition engines are being marketed, today, for big rigs, partially on the basis of being able to use natural gas instead of diesel, and partially... well, I'll just copy Cummins Westport's ad copy from the ISX12 G brochure.

Advanced Combustion Technology.
The ISX12 G features Cummins Westport’s Stoichiometric cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (SEGR) combustion technology with spark ignition, leveraging Cummins proven EGR technology to create a high-performance, heavy-duty natural gas engine. The cooled-EGR system takes a measured quantity of exhaust gas and passes it through a cooler to reduce temperatures before mixing it with fuel and the incoming air charge to the cylinder. This results in improved power density and fuel economy versus traditional stoichiometric or lean-burn natural gas engines. This technology also enables the use of a Three-Way Catalyst (TWC) for emissions control.

Maintenance-Free Aftertreatment.
TWCs are effective, simple, passive devices packaged as part of the muffler. They provide consistent emissions-control performance without filter regeneration activity, are maintenance-free and can be mounted vertically or horizontally on the vehicle. The ISX12 G requires no active aftertreatment such as a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) or Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).

 

[Clark Addison]

I also bought an Audi e-tron because of range anxiety. Most of my daily driving is within the 15-20 mile electric range. I'm still figuring out when to switch to hybrid on longer trips, but have been getting 40-70 miles per gallon. With the same kind of driving I was getting 30 to 42 on the TDI VW Sportwagen. The handling and power of the e-tron is on par with the TDI as well.
IMHO, full electric isn't ready for prime time yet, and plug-in hybrid is the way to go.

 

[philip_g]

I'm thinking of leasing the Volt as it's the best of both worlds and I will be 100% EV going to and from work. Also, I can use 110 to charge it overnight.

I have a volt, well 2 actually. I have driven 10k miles on something like 5 gallons of gas.

 

[kjclow]

I went from a TDI to a gasser for 5 years (including my 16 GTI) then back to a TDI. I won't do that again. Once you get use to all that lovely low end torque and 500 mile or better per tank, a gasser eats at you over time.
I see electric as the closest thing to aligning with what I like about cars. Torque, low cost per mile, and being a VW, fun to drive. 2017 will see a 125 plus range on the Golf or better.
Read details on 2017 e-Golf :
https://electrek.co/2016/05/23/2017-vw-e-golf-186-miles-range/

I plan on leasing for 24 months since resale values on electric cars right now are not good at all. Too many people misunderstand them, plus they are advancing so fast that a 2 year old EV is out dated.
In late 2018 the EV market will start its Golden Age and great products will hit the market like VW's 300 mile range EV with 15 minute charge time, and Tesla's Model 3, among others.
That when I will purchase my long term EV

I didn't think the eGolf was available in NC. Is this a recent change?

 

[halfast3]

I didn't think the eGolf was available in NC. Is this a recent change?

They may be more prevalant on the west coast and in New England. Last time I was at a local VW dealer, they had a whole row of them.

 

[rfortson]

They may be more prevalant on the west coast and in New England. Last time I was at a local VW dealer, they had a whole row of them.

It seems VW has flipflopped on this. I looked at the VW site earlier in the summer and was told the eGolf wasn't available in my area (Texas). But then I got an email from VW telling me my local dealers had the eGolf.

 

[kjclow]

From the VW website:
Sorry, the e-Golf will be available only at participating dealers in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, DC.

 

[bhtooefr]

Basically, the e-Golf in the US is a compliance car - a car that is only being sold in "ZEV states", or the states that require that a zero-emissions vehicle be sold to be allowed to sell cars at all.

 

[kjclow]

Looked at the local dealers and didn't see any eGolfs, but I did find an alltrack coming into Keffer.

 

[coolbreeze]

I'll most likely head to Sheehy in Maryland, or Oursman. Don't believe there is an issue buying one out of state other then collecting state tax