Electric car choices
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We are considering an electric car. It shouldn't be too big, and we don't need a ton of range - we are only using it as a second car, mainly to get to work and back and other local stuff.
It turns out that electric cars right now are very hard to get. For many models, you have to wait 12-18 months.
Ive've considered a Tesla Y - although it's way too big, but there's a complicated financial incentive - but I think I'm not a big fan of the Tesla design philosophy. I don't need 500 hp, but I'd like to have a speed display and a few buttons for the main things I want to use while driving. Also, from what I understand, the product quality, like the precision and choice of materials, isn't all that good.
Right now I'm looking at Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Audi Q4 e-tron. Well - actually "looking" is difficult because it turns out that all the dealerships are out of stock. These are still a bit bigger than what we are ideally looking for, but the smaller ones seem to be mostly older rather cheap-looking models.
Any opinions?
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Buy a Mac.
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As you said, the quality-control issues with Teslas are problematic. There are tons of videos pointing out poor fit & finish, inconsistent paint, things just breaking, etc. It reminds me of General Motors and Ford in the 1960s. Cars have gotten so reliable and good that I would never gamble on something that is so erratic.
The other thing I don't like about Teslas is the awkward controls. TO have to navigate through multiple screens to heat the seats, adjust the temperature in the car, etc is cumbersome and counter-intuitive. Give me a knob and a button and I'm good.
The integration with your phone is another concept with which many things can go wrong. My keyless entry for my A4 is fine, but if the car sits for 3 days, I need to push the button. The car goes "to sleep" to prevent battery drain if not activated for a specific time. Integrate with your phone? No thanks.
Sometimes simpler is better.
The reviews of the Hyundai I've seen are quite good. I'd put that near the top of the list.
Are there others you're considering?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
"I'm so old that I remember when other people's achievements were considered an inspiration rather than a grievance." - Thomas Sowell
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I've been in a Tesla Y and found it very impressive in every way. I have no idea what the incentives are over there, or the availability of rapid chargers. But I would never buy a car I had not test driven.
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@Klaus why not consider
Kia EV6 LR AWD 77-239kW
range 400 km for 54,890€or
Polestar 2AWD 75-300kW
range 410 km for 51,900€or
VW ID.5 GTX AWD 77-220 kW
range 370 km for 57,205€Ranges mentioned are realistic, not the ones mentioned in ads. You could have a look at egear.be; lots of info, probably valid for Germany as well.
Reviews for Hyyndai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and VW ID5 are pretty positive. I'd go for one of these.
Wim
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What's the motivation for an electric car? I'd like one eventually. Have you considered an efficient gas-powered car?
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Do they sell these in Germany?
That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse. - Samuel Clemons
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@89th said in Electric car choices:
What's the motivation for an electric car? I'd like one eventually. Have you considered an efficient gas-powered car?
Gas is currently around 2.10 Euro per liter (I think that would be around $8 per gallon). Electricity is also crazy expensive compared to the US, but we'd still save around 10 Euros per 100km. Also, there are various other financial incentives to buy electric, such as a $5K subsidy, reduced taxes, ... . We are also considering to combine this with photovoltaics, which seems to be an interesting combination - not only can you charge the car, but you can also use the car battery as additional storage for the night.
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@Wim said in Electric car choices:
@Klaus why not consider
Kia EV6 LR AWD 77-239kW
range 400 km for 54,890€or
Polestar 2AWD 75-300kW
range 410 km for 51,900€or
VW ID.5 GTX AWD 77-220 kW
range 370 km for 57,205€Ranges mentioned are realistic, not the ones mentioned in ads. You could have a look at egear.be; lots of info, probably valid for Germany as well.
Reviews for Hyyndai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and VW ID5 are pretty positive. I'd go for one of these.
Wim
These are all a bit too big and too expensive for what we need. I'd also rather not have AWD - it's rather impractical in small spaces (turning radius).
Right now I'm looking at VW ID.3. That would be exactly the size I have in mind.
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@Jolly said in Electric car choices:
Do they sell these in Germany?
I believe this was even for a long time the best-selling electric car here.
I'll check it out. My impression - which may be wrong - is that this is a pretty old and maybe outdated mode.
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@George-K said in Electric car choices:
The other thing I don't like about Teslas is the awkward controls. TO have to navigate through multiple screens to heat the seats, adjust the temperature in the car, etc is cumbersome and counter-intuitive. Give me a knob and a button and I'm good.
Yes, I agree completely. A car is not a smart phone. Using a touch screen while driving is dangerous, whereas you can have the function and position of buttons in muscle memory.
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@mark The Mercedes EQA seems to be a decent vehicle that is way closer to what I'm looking for.
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@Klaus said in Electric car choices:
@mark The Mercedes EQA seems to be a decent vehicle that is way closer to what I'm looking for.
The European version of the front-drive, 188-hp EQA250 that we drove was slowed by its hefty curb weight. While it felt responsive at city speeds, it was considerably more sluggish above 60 mph. Mercedes estimates it'll accelerate from zero to 62 mph in an unimpressive 8.9 seconds, and its top speed is electronically limited to 99 mph. The more powerful EQA should help offset its mass, but we can't say whether it'll change its ride and handling. As it stands, we were unimpressed with the Mercedes's listless body control, intrusive stability-control system, and numb brake-pedal feel.
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@Larry said in Electric car choices:
Link to video
The Bolt was sold over here only until 2018 or so (rebadged as Opel Amera-E).
From what I understand, there was a problem with charging in European homes - the Bolt was optimized for American electricity standards and they didn't adapt it to European ones, so charging was very slow. That's maybe why it was discontinued here.
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What about one of those cars that runs for about 40 miles (65km) on electric and then switches to a gas engine?
Off my head, I don't know specific names, but they are out there.
If you are only going to do short trip around town, you may never get out of electric mode.
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@taiwan_girl said in Electric car choices:
What about one of those cars that runs for about 40 miles (65km) on electric and then switches to a gas engine?
Off my head, I don't know specific names, but they are out there.
If you are only going to do short trip around town, you may never get out of electric mode.
You mean "hybrid plugin". I know about those. The engineer genes in me rebel against the redundancy of the concept.
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OK, I test-drove an electric Hyundai Kona today. It would be the cheapest option, and I could get the car this year, which would be an advantage that is worth 3000 Euro, since there is a subsidy that runs out at the end of the year.
It drives like a pretty normal car. A decent amount of buttons. But the interior feels rather cheap overall. It's also on the border of being too small. It feels like an old design, not like a car that was designed for electricity only.
I also looked at a Ioniq 5. Very futuristic compared to the Kona. Better quality. Very big. It's really more like a full family car. Interesting.
I've also taken a look at an ID.3 today. A different quality level than the Kona. I liked it. Test-drive is next week. Waiting time is about a year.
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@Klaus D3 has a gasoline-powered Kona. She's in her late 30s, single, etc. Perfect car for her.
But, as you say, it is small. And some of the materials do feel a bit on the cheap side.
I wouldn't buy it.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
"I'm so old that I remember when other people's achievements were considered an inspiration rather than a grievance." - Thomas Sowell
