Electric Vehicles: General topics

Nycturne said:
I still think the ID.4 is practical and great value, but I've noticed that no matter where I place the seat, I get muscle problems in my right hip. Likely due to pedal placement relative to the seat. After taking time to try to rectify it through seat adjustments, adjusting how I use my feet to hit the pedals, changing the type of pants I wear (cheaper than replacing a car...), I just can't get it to be comfortable to drive for commutes.
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Which is why my wife never wanted an Audi. She just couldn't get comfortable with their pedal placement. Makes sense, same company.
 
It looks like we are going fully electric with one of our cars and the two options shortlisted now are the BMW iX3 M-Sport or the Audi Q4 E-Tron 40 Black Edition. I prefer the Q4 personally out of the two and it will all come down to which comes out as the better deal. We have been considering a plug-in hybrid Volvo XC60, but the monthly cost compared to the EV's and the fact my wifes employer prefers EV's for tax reasons means its likely we will have to go down the EV route. We have the iX3 again this week for a few days to test as this belongs to one of my wifes colleagues, so I will get to have a proper go in it.

We discounted Tesla's early as the boot wasn't big enough and the ride height isn't high enough as we like an SUV. I'm not entirely sold on the interior quality and minimalistic aesthetics with them and the fact everything is on the touchscreen, including fans and the heater too.
 
Herdfan said:
Which is why my wife never wanted an Audi. She just couldn't get comfortable with their pedal placement. Makes sense, same company.
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Which I get, but in my case, it never showed itself during the test drive, or really any drive. Instead it was an after-effect. But it's possible that I've got a mild hip dysplasia, as this is something I've dealt with since being a teen. This is just the first car that's triggered it. With the EV6 now in the driveway and a weekend of driving, my hip is clearly heading in the right direction, but it still needs to heal the muscle injury.

I took this ID.4 on an 8 hour drive to the peninsula in WA, and it was fine during the drive, but boy did I feel it afterwards. It has been like a sports injury that refuses to heal properly, but you don't feel while playing. Weird.

That said, I'm starting to see the upsides of the trade I made. 300mi range with city-style driving versus 260-270. Should be able to get the EPA 280mi range with my mixed commute. Even cheaper per mile because of this (2.5c/mi or so). Some little tech things that VW don't have or removed from the 2023 due to parts issues (360 cameras, ventilated seats).
 
Citysnaps said:
This 2024 BMW 5 Series looks pretty neat. Available in a "mild hybrid," or full electric with a 295 mile range. Nice styling (with a more restrained grill) and tech. I didn't see a price, though.

www.thedrive.com

The 2024 BMW 5 Series Is Here: Gas or Full Electric Power, Complex Tech, and a Normal-ish Face

With an available electric powertrain that can go 295 miles on a charge, the new 5 Series ushers in loads of changes with a more restrained look.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com
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I’m going to take a look at it, but I assume it has a transmission hump in back and I’m not a huge fan of the styling. Probably going to go with the ix. I’ll likely decide in the next couple weeks, after I find out what it will cost to repair my tesla.
 
Yoused said:
$68K for ~280miles, you are buying a label. Not really worth it, I suspect.
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Mileage estimates are likely to go up quite a bit, apparently. BMW seems to always be very conservative before release. (After too, actually)
 
So this is confusing. Tesla and Ford did a deal. Existing ford’s will be able to use superchargers (Tesla now referring to its connector as “NACS”) with some sort of CCS->NACS adapter. Ok, I get that. But Fords are going to start coming with NACS ports. Will that be in addition to CCS ports? Or are we about to end up in a situation where carmakers give in and switch over to the NACS port in america?
 
Cmaier said:
Or are we about to end up in a situation where carmakers give in and switch over to the NACS port in america?
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Ford is still just dicking around with EVs. I cannot imagine that their marketshare is really all that significant at this point, given all the competition out there. If you want to plug into a L2 at the store (and L2 is much kinder to your battery anyway), it will not be "NACS". And so far, when I look at affordable, which a lot of people want, the Chevy Bolt looks like the best deal at a glance.
 
Yoused said:
$68K for ~280miles, you are buying a label. Not really worth it, I suspect.
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I'm starting to see this with a lot of the "luxury" brands. Twenty/thirty years ago for the most part they were built better, they were safer and had more features. But not so much anymore. On a recent trip we rented a Toyota Highlander Limited and it was every bit as nice as our Range Rover. Probably had more technology as well. The playing field has been leveled and it really is "buying the label".
 
Cmaier said:
So this is confusing. Tesla and Ford did a deal. Existing ford’s will be able to use superchargers (Tesla now referring to its connector as “NACS”) with some sort of CCS->NACS adapter. Ok, I get that. But Fords are going to start coming with NACS ports. Will that be in addition to CCS ports? Or are we about to end up in a situation where carmakers give in and switch over to the NACS port in america?
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Imagine pulling up to your favorite Tesla charging location and having it full of other vehicles. That's enough to drive me back to an ICE car, it's frustrating enough when it's just Teslas as it is.
 
Cmaier said:
I’m going to take a look at it, but I assume it has a transmission hump in back and I’m not a huge fan of the styling. Probably going to go with the ix. I’ll likely decide in the next couple weeks, after I find out what it will cost to repair my tesla.
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I've been checking out more "first look" vids of the 2024 i5 over the last two days and am getting somewhat interested. Still need to wait for some full review videos and do a lot more research (would be my first EV), including the dealer (and service), around 5 miles away. A pre-order is $1,500 and refundable. My wife has been looking at various Toyota hybrids and dealers want a non-refundable 10% deposit (with no cars on the lot for a test drive) - don't think that's going to fly.
 
Citysnaps said:
I've been checking out more "first look" vids of the 2024 i5 over the last two days and am getting somewhat interested. Still need to wait for some full review videos and do a lot more research (would be my first EV), including the dealer (and service), around 5 miles away. A pre-order is $1,500 and refundable. My wife has been looking at various Toyota hybrids and dealers want a non-refundable 10% deposit (with no cars on the lot for a test drive) - don't think that's going to fly.
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It’s funny - I actually asked my BMW dealer what the max deposit I could put down was (for an iX). It was a proxy for asking “how much can i put on my credit card so I can get cash back?” They said $2500.
 
Becoming much more disenfranchised with my Tesla, half of the time I can't find what I need in their convoluted menu system and even the new search feature is no help, most of the time I end up googling it. It's utterly ridiculous how confusing they've made it.

The other day it would not let me in and forced me to use my key card, fortunately I was at home because I would've had to call for help if I were away. Also, when my wife and I are in the car, even though I'm the primary with my iPhone tethered, it tries to switch to her profile and pins me against the steering wheel, so I have to jump out and manually change it back on the touchscreen.

I'm wondering if I'm simply not ready for this tech, it certainly doesn't seem ready for me. Though I said I would likely never to back to ICE that option is now back on the table. In any case I'll never buy another Tesla.
 
Eric said:
Becoming much more disenfranchised with my Tesla, half of the time I can't find what I need in their convoluted menu system and even the new search feature is no help, most of the time I end up googling it. It's utterly ridiculous how confusing they've made it.

The other day it would not let me in and forced me to use my key card, fortunately I was at home because I would've had to call for help if I were away. Also, when my wife and I are in the car, even though I'm the primary with my iPhone tethered, it tries to switch to her profile and pins me against the steering wheel, so I have to jump out and manually change it back on the touchscreen.

I'm wondering if I'm simply not ready for this tech, it certainly doesn't seem ready for me. Though I said I would likely never to back to ICE that option is now back on the table. In any case I'll never buy another Tesla.
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Me too. Luckily, after test driving some BMWs, I can say for sure that there are other options now, unlike when I bought my Tesla in 2013. I keep delaying bringing mine into the shop (because they won’t give me a loaner and I keep having unscheduled trips to the physical therapist any time they have a last minute opening), so I haven’t yet pulled the trigger on a new car (waiting to find out how much tesla is going to demand in order to fix the various issues before deciding for sure).
 
My wife finally found the right HEV for her needs, a Toyota Venza. I was not only surprised about how nice the interior is, but the underlying tech kind of blows me away - there's so much of it.

I especially like the overhead top-down camera view of the car and surrounding area in a largish display - great for backing out of our driveway into a somewhat busy street with limited visibility. Best I can tell it takes views from multiple wide angle cameras, "undistorts" the images (from perspective distortion) and projects a constructed image onto surrounding areas around a top image of the car in the display. It's very convincing. It also overlays various warning grids when other cars approach, along with warning sounds.

That alone will likely make me take a look at Toyota's new bZ4X EV, though I'm not wild about its exterior style.
 
Citysnaps said:
My wife finally found the right HEV for her needs, a Toyota Venza. I was not only surprised about how nice the interior is, but the underlying tech kind of blows me away - there's so much of it.

I especially like the overhead top-down camera view of the car and surrounding area in a largish display - great for backing out of our driveway into a somewhat busy street with limited visibility. Best I can tell it takes views from multiple wide angle cameras, "undistorts" the images (from perspective distortion) and projects a constructed image onto surrounding areas around a top image of the car in the display. It's very convincing. It also overlays various warning grids when other cars approach, along with warning sounds.

That alone will likely make me take a look at Toyota's new bZ4X EV, though I'm not wild about its exterior style.
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Stuff like this is showing up everywhere though, and what you describe sounds exactly like what's in the Kia/Hyundai EVs too.

The bZ4X I really can't recommend outside of a short range car. They borked the charging and winter side of things pretty badly.
 
mastodon.social

Ars Technica (@arstechnica@mastodon.social)

Attached: 1 image GM’s EVs will get access to Tesla’s Supercharger network in 2024 GM EV drivers will need a dongle at first; NACS ports will show up in 2025...
mastodon.social mastodon.social

First ford, now GM. I am now thinking twice about buying an EV without Tesla’s port on it…
 
Cmaier said:
mastodon.social

Ars Technica (@arstechnica@mastodon.social)

Attached: 1 image GM’s EVs will get access to Tesla’s Supercharger network in 2024 GM EV drivers will need a dongle at first; NACS ports will show up in 2025...
mastodon.social mastodon.social

First ford, now GM. I am now thinking twice about buying an EV without Tesla’s port on it…
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I'm all about being equitable but this isn't like a gas station, these stops can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and if lines start forming it will hardly be worth it. Last time I went into the city I took my wife's rig and gassing up took all of 2 minutes and I was out of there, had forgotten how easy it was.

It would be one thing if I didn't travel all the time but when I drive to SF the first thing I have to do is charge for 30 minutes and it's become a real bummer. Moving to Sonoma in a couple of weeks so hopefully that will lessen the burden as I'll be able to go there and back without charging and can just do it at home.
 

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