Tracky wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:10 am
I have to say not looked at the vw in detail other than I had some plonker shoved up my backside on the way to work the other day and that light bar across the front is hideous (it was dark).
I was quite interested in it at first. But the more you look into it, the more disappointing it looks. It’s like they’ve tried to emulate mid range diesel Golf performance in an EV that could have been so much more exciting.
The UI also looks to be a total disaster. If you are going to go to a touchscreen interface it needs to be very slick. This looks more like a toddler’s “My FIrst Tablet” and wobbles around when you press on it. Cheap looking plastic everywhere too. Very disappointing. Apparently VW shafted early adopters by releasing the car before the software was ready so the bean counters could claim their green tax credits or whatever.
At least the BMW is now well proven and seems reliable. Just seems like a higher quality car all round if you can live with the limited space.
JurassicMacan wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:43 am
I am also interested in the BMW i3 as a run around, golf and dog carrier.
I would be looking second hand as it would replace the CX3.
The problem I have is, that we normally depart for warmer climes for 4 months over the winter, how would an EV battery cope with being left for that period or would it be a no no?
I know our golf cart batteries and electric bike batteries have issues with being unused for long periods, but chatting to OPCs they cannot advise.
It would be as flat as a pancake on return if you left it unplugged for 4 months. They lose about 2-3% charge sitting overnight.
On second thought, if it has a hibernation mode you can probably leave it for much longer, but you will risk degrading the battery if you leave it close to fully charged or let it drop below 20% charge for any length of time. I think 4 months is really pushing your luck.
That was/is my concern.
Will look into the hibernation mode to see if the i3 has this.
Maybe after Brexit and the 90 day limit our whole regime will have to change anyway
2018 Macan GTS Carmine Red
2023 Boxster GTS 4.0 Arctic Grey
2023 Cupra Born V2 77kWh Glacier White
^ I would've thought the batteries in most ICE cars would struggle after being left unused for 4 months! Easier cured with a set of jump leads though, or push the car to the exit ramps and bump start whilst rolling downhill
JurassicMacan wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:43 am
I am also interested in the BMW i3 as a run around, golf and dog carrier.
I would be looking second hand as it would replace the CX3.
The problem I have is, that we normally depart for warmer climes for 4 months over the winter, how would an EV battery cope with being left for that period or would it be a no no?
I know our golf cart batteries and electric bike batteries have issues with being unused for long periods, but chatting to OPCs they cannot advise.
It would be as flat as a pancake on return if you left it unplugged for 4 months. They lose about 2-3% charge sitting overnight.
On second thought, if it has a hibernation mode you can probably leave it for much longer, but you will risk degrading the battery if you leave it close to fully charged or let it drop below 20% charge for any length of time. I think 4 months is really pushing your luck.
That was/is my concern.
Will look into the hibernation mode to see if the i3 has this.
Maybe after Brexit and the 90 day limit our whole regime will have to change anyway
I think the i3 is one of the better EVs in terms of retaining its charge level when parked up, but it’s not clear whether or not its true state of charge is accurately reported when parked up long term.
By nature lithium batteries slowly lose their charge even when there is no load on them. 4 months is a long time to leave an EV sitting off charge and very few owners would ever take that kind of risk.
There’s also the 12v battery to think about. This charges from the main pack, but only when driving or plugged in. So after 4 months you could potentially come back to a flat 12v battery and then it won’t power up anyway.
MCDK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:39 am
I think I worked out a long time ago he is a Tesla fan boy and also that he and his wife drive everywhere like Lewis Hamilton lol.
It’s actually the instant bottomless torque I really enjoy. Our Model X is the slowest version you could buy at the time (0-60 4.9s) and I didn’t bother with the Performance Model 3 either. The LR AWD is plenty quick enough (0-60 4.2s) and can upgrade it for £1500 (+100 hp 0-60 3.5s) if I got bored. Almost certainly won’t bother with that.
For me, massive effortless torque was a big factor in my switch to EVs and Tesla in particular. The days of making do with a boring TDi daily hack are finally over and now no need to buy a dedicated sportscar.
Response from the Real World!....Our i3-REX was left in the garage disconnected from the beginning of September until 10th December. Apart from a rude message from the Range Extender (which carries out a maintenance cycle when not used for a certain time) everything was fine and I had left the car with a full battery. The range extender won't cut in until the battery charge has fallen to 75%, so I had to drive around for awhile to discharge the battery sufficiently for it to cut in - and all was well.
I simply don't recognise a significant fall in charge over the laid up period. In addition, the car was left at Heathrow last Spring for 2 months with no issues at all.
A bigger worry is my Macan, which has been in my garage in France since 10th June 2020. God knows when I can get to rescue that and what state the electrics will be in!
oldpilot wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:36 pm
Response from the Real World!....Our i3-REX was left in the garage disconnected from the beginning of September until 10th December. Apart from a rude message from the Range Extender (which carries out a maintenance cycle when not used for a certain time) everything was fine and I had left the car with a full battery. The range extender won't cut in until the battery charge has fallen to 75%, so I had to drive around for awhile to discharge the battery sufficiently for it to cut in - and all was well.
I simply don't recognise a significant fall in charge over the laid up period. In addition, the car was left at Heathrow last Spring for 2 months with no issues at all.
A bigger worry is my Macan, which has been in my garage in France since 10th June 2020. God knows when I can get to rescue that and what state the electrics will be in!
Leaving it sat with a full battery charge for that length of time without use is bad for the long term battery health. Although I know BMW don’t allow you to use the full battery capacity to provide some protection against this. Regardless I would not store any EV for months on end at full charge.
oldpilot wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:36 pm
Response from the Real World!....Our i3-REX was left in the garage disconnected from the beginning of September until 10th December. Apart from a rude message from the Range Extender (which carries out a maintenance cycle when not used for a certain time) everything was fine and I had left the car with a full battery. The range extender won't cut in until the battery charge has fallen to 75%, so I had to drive around for awhile to discharge the battery sufficiently for it to cut in - and all was well.
I simply don't recognise a significant fall in charge over the laid up period. In addition, the car was left at Heathrow last Spring for 2 months with no issues at all.
A bigger worry is my Macan, which has been in my garage in France since 10th June 2020. God knows when I can get to rescue that and what state the electrics will be in!
Really interesting post from someone who has actually done what I am describing, thanks
I feel for you re your Macan in France. My SL500 has been sitting in Spain since April. Forgot to leave a set of keys for friends and neighbours to start it up, but I did disconnect the batteries, but flat tyres have been an issue, even though they have never lost pressure before and I am dreading the start up when I finally get down there. It maybe a year since it's been started...fuel degradation one of the many concerns.
All the cars I don't feel comfortable disconnecting the battery on are on CTEKs at least.
Hope you can get to France in the not too distant future.
2018 Macan GTS Carmine Red
2023 Boxster GTS 4.0 Arctic Grey
2023 Cupra Born V2 77kWh Glacier White
