VW e-Golf

[Morris Minor]

I really like the non-shouty style & delivery of this review. Sort of quiet & laid back. The car's interesting too - the EV for people who don't want to proclaim their eco credentials from the rooftops - however I don't think this car would get me to the airport & back.
(Dieselgate may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to VW)

https://youtu.be/ah4lrqWx8E0

[mzziaz]

A bit lacking in range, but except for that it is a very competent vehicle.

[Morris Minor]

I recommend that YouTube channel ('Fully Charged') - lots of stuff about EVs, storage, wind power, & renewables in general. It's run by an actor who used to be in 'Red Dwarf' - Robert Llewelyn  - funny guy.

Seems like we're going full-on to electric cars (note GM's announcement) - so I thought I'd start seeing what the green lobby has to say.

[ifcar]

Some airports do have EV charging stations.

I'm in an e-Golf test car right now and I've been beating the range estimate except in purely city driving.

[Payman]

I recommend that YouTube channel ('Fully Charged') - lots of stuff about EVs, storage, wind power, & renewables in general. It's run by an actor who used to be in 'Red Dwarf' - Robert Llewelyn  - funny guy.

Seems like we're going full-on to electric cars (note GM's announcement) - so I thought I'd start seeing what the green lobby has to say.

Lol, Kryten.

[Morris Minor]

Lol, Kryten.

Exactly my favorite character.

[cawimmer430]

In my world everyone would have three types of cars.

Electric for the city.

Gasoline for performance.

Diesel for long-range driving.

[Raza]

In my world everyone would have three types of cars.

Electric for the city.

Gasoline for performance.

Diesel for long-range driving.

In my world, there would be three types of cars:

• Electric, for people who don't care about driving
• Gasoline, for people who do
• Diesel, for truckers and people who tow shit or whoever the hell uses diesel

[Morris Minor]

Some airports do have EV charging stations.

I'm in an e-Golf test car right now and I've been beating the range estimate except in purely city driving.

I was intrigued when the reviewer said there was an extra-cost option to use waste battery heat to heat the interior. Did not see that in my (cursory) look at the VW USA site,

[Morris Minor]

In my world, there would be three types of cars:

• Electric, for people who don't care about driving
• Gasoline, for people who do
• Diesel, for truckers and people who tow shit or whoever the hell uses diesel

Cars are going to change more over the next five years than they have over the last 50.
Pretty soon we'll all be geeking out about kWh, battery packs, motors, charge rates and the rest. Just like we have been about combustion chamber design, turbos and lubricants.  Tech changes, nerds move with it. I'm not worried.

(But it was fucking good fun blasting my hairy-arsed uncouth G up the highway inclines this afternoon.)

[68_427]

In my world everyone would have three types of cars.

Electric for the city.

Gasoline for performance.

Diesel for long-range driving.

Why not an EV with diesel range extender?

[cawimmer430]

• Diesel, for truckers and people who tow shit or whoever the hell uses diesel

A modern diesel is fun, even in passenger cars. 

[cawimmer430]

Why not an EV with diesel range extender?

Good idea. I wouldn't mind that. 

[Raza]

Cars are going to change more over the next five years than they have over the last 50.
Pretty soon we'll all be geeking out about kWh, battery packs, motors, charge rates and the rest. Just like we have been about combustion chamber design, turbos and lubricants.  Tech changes, nerds move with it. I'm not worried.

(But it was fucking good fun blasting my hairy-arsed uncouth G up the highway inclines this afternoon.)

See, you had fun in an Infiniti G, which isn't even a fun car to drive!

Guns, gasoline, and steak tartare (it's only a matter of time before they come after meat and raw meat specifically)....I'll be clinging on to the very last.

[12,000 RPM]

In my world everyone would have three types of cars.

Electric for the city.

Gasoline for performance.

Diesel for long-range driving.

Why? Hybrids work well for all 3. The Camry Hybrid has a range of 1400km in the city OR on the highway.

[cawimmer430]

Why? Hybrids work well for all 3. The Camry Hybrid has a range of 1400km in the city OR on the highway.

On the Autobahn diesels work best for consistent high-speed cruising/speeding and decent fuel economy. Speeding is fun and I do it all the time. It's addicting. 

[12,000 RPM]

Camry Hybrid is good for 184km/h and is faster than your 118i to that speed (it's governed for tires)

Plus we know the truth about the Autobahn.

[ifcar]

Why? Hybrids work well for all 3. The Camry Hybrid has a range of 1400km in the city OR on the highway.

Hybrids have relatively little advantage over their gas-only equivalents on the highway. There's minimal opportunity for regenerative braking or electric-only operation, and they're up against gas-only cars that are at their *most* efficient at a steady highway cruise.

[CaminoRacer]

There's no reason you can't have electric-only on the highway. Just need a big enough electric motor. As electric car tech progresses, I'm sure the gas engines will get smaller and the cars will rely more and more on the electric motor.

[12,000 RPM]

Hybrids have relatively little advantage over their gas-only equivalents on the highway. There's minimal opportunity for regenerative braking or electric-only operation, and they're up against gas-only cars that are at their *most* efficient at a steady highway cruise.

I don't know where or how you drive, but I have plenty of regenerative braking opportunities

And the hybrid Camry manages 12MPG/29% better than the regular one on the highway. While being faster. It's a win win

[ifcar]

There's no reason you can't have electric-only on the highway. Just need a big enough electric motor. As electric car tech progresses, I'm sure the gas engines will get smaller and the cars will rely more and more on the electric motor.

The engine still needs to be big enough to power the car acceptably when there isn't electric charge, except in the model of something like the BMW i3, where performance is severely limited.

I don't know where or how you drive, but I have plenty of regenerative braking opportunities

And the hybrid Camry manages 12MPG/29% better than the regular one on the highway. While being faster. It's a win win

I'm talking about highway cruising, steady speeds, which was the context of the discussion. The EPA highway test has varying speeds, and even there, most hybrids see a minimal improvement over their gas counterparts. The RAV4 Hybrid, for instance, is up just 2 mpg on the EPA highway cycle compared to the gas RAV4 -- all the gains are in city conditions, where it's up by 12 mpg.

[2o6]

Yeah, the i3 REX is limited to acceleration at which the small gas engine can maintain the rate of charge for the battery. It's borderline dangerously slow.

[Morris Minor]

I had an Uber ride in a Camry hybrid. It was impressive, an almost perfect uberwagen according to the driver.

[12,000 RPM]

The engine still needs to be big enough to power the car acceptably when there isn't electric charge, except in the model of something like the BMW i3, where performance is severely limited.

I'm talking about highway cruising, steady speeds, which was the context of the discussion. The EPA highway test has varying speeds, and even there, most hybrids see a minimal improvement over their gas counterparts. The RAV4 Hybrid, for instance, is up just 2 mpg on the EPA highway cycle compared to the gas RAV4 -- all the gains are in city conditions, where it's up by 12 mpg.

I doubt that if the hybrid Camry bests the regular one on the highway by nearly 30% in tests that it would be worse or even in real life. I have found the EPA estimates to be pretty accurate. I'm talking highway mileage here

There is no rational reason for Wimmer to have any beef with the hybrid Camry; it has everything he claims to want... good high speed performance, good fuel economy and crazy tank range. I'm pretty sure I could drive from NC to NYC on one tank of gas in the hybrid Camry. Where is Wimmer regularly driving that he needs that kind of range???

[Raza]

I doubt that if the hybrid Camry bests the regular one on the highway by nearly 30% in tests that it would be worse or even in real life. I have found the EPA estimates to be pretty accurate. I'm talking highway mileage here

There is no rational reason for Wimmer to have any beef with the hybrid Camry; it has everything he claims to want... good high speed performance, good fuel economy and crazy tank range. I'm pretty sure I could drive from NC to NYC on one tank of gas in the hybrid Camry. Where is Wimmer regularly driving that he needs that kind of range???

Plus, you can put it on coilovers and it's basically the same thing as a McLaren P1.

[cawimmer430]

Camry Hybrid is good for 184km/h and is faster than your 118i to that speed (it's governed for tires)

I require a wagon, and the Camry isn't available as a wagon. I am not opposed to owning a Toyota but they don't build anything I like from a design POV except maybe the Auris Tourer. I could live with that, but going from a 1er to that is a bit of a downgrade in terms of driving feel and enjoyment. 

Plus we know the truth about the Autobahn.

Yeah, traffic has gotten worse lately and there are so many idiots who have to pull out in front of you forcing you to slow down, but you can still speed. Sustained 200 km/h+ cruising is still possible depending where you are and the time of day.

I generally speed between 160-180 km/h given current traffic conditions, but when the situations allow I am pushing 200 km/h+.

[12,000 RPM]

I was just responding to your hybrid hate.... it combines the best of all 3 propulsion types with none of the downsides.

[cawimmer430]

I was just responding to your hybrid hate.... it combines the best of all 3 propulsion types with none of the downsides.

I'm not opposed to hybrids, but with all the extra weight they have to lug around (batteries, electric motors etc.) I don't think they can be as efficient as they are hyped up to be. Hybrids, unless I am missing something, are most efficient in stop-and-go city environments.

[ifcar]

I doubt that if the hybrid Camry bests the regular one on the highway by nearly 30% in tests that it would be worse or even in real life. I have found the EPA estimates to be pretty accurate. I'm talking highway mileage here

There is no rational reason for Wimmer to have any beef with the hybrid Camry; it has everything he claims to want... good high speed performance, good fuel economy and crazy tank range. I'm pretty sure I could drive from NC to NYC on one tank of gas in the hybrid Camry. Where is Wimmer regularly driving that he needs that kind of range???

Hybrids are not great highway cars. That's all there is to it. They're not bad highway cars, it's just not the environment in which they're worth the extra cost. Again, the EPA highway test has variable speeds, not steady interstate cruising — and certainly not steady Autobahn-speed cruising. Hybrids like variable speeds; the engine can turn off, braking recharges the batteries, etc. But just cruise steadily, and you have essentially the same benefits as any other efficient, aerodynamic four-cylinder car.

[AutobahnSHO]

Camry Hybrid is good for 184km/h and is faster than your 118i to that speed (it's governed for tires)

Plus we know the truth about the Autobahn.

He's just a wuss. If you want to survive driving in Germany and get there fast, you have to drive more aggressively. Trucks don't cut over if you're coming up on them fast.

It really does take a while to get used to driving there- the guardrail on the left is disturbingly close to the lane plus you have to pay constant attention to the speed changes- most of them are near curves or intersections with other highways.

I had been driving there about 2 years when some guys got in the car and we drove on the highway about 20miles. Someone said "your driving sucks" and I asked what he meant. I was keeping a short following distance with cars in front of me, he accused me of tailgating. So I said "watch this though" and left what would be a prudent distance (about 2 car lengths).   People kept cutting in front of me.

Also, remember that Germany has 80million+ people in a space the size of Montana. Of course it's more crowded.