Official VW e-Golf thread - $29,815

[jlv]

Still love the car but the locking charger cable seems to have had a mind of its own - not sure if this is just specific to MY 2015 e-Golf or later cars as well, as this was frustrating to say the least thought it was worth sharing

The always-on charge lock is (IMHO) a severe design flaw in the early e-Golfs. As I understand it, it was fixed in the 2016 (or later) variants.

[cwerdna]

As I posted in the Tokyo Motor Show 2017 thread at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.p ... 21#p509821
Was surprised to see a next gen e-Golf (has a full-color LCD for the gauge cluster instead of the physical dials in the previous/current gen). Surprised me that it had 2 charging inlets: J1772 in the nose under the VW logo (you push on the left side of the logo to open the charging flap) and another flap on the rear fender covering..... a CHAdeMO inlet! Hahahaha. I spoke w/the rep there for awhile, but he had to stop a bunch of times due to real potential customers wanting to talk to him.

BTW, the J1772 inlet on the above Japanese-market car I confirmed had no stupid J1772 handle lock. I poked around above the inlet to be sure and the VW rep confirmed no handle lock.

Can post a picture when I get back to the US...

I guess this is another case like the i3, having to support 3 DC FC plugs depending on the market: Combo1, Combo2 and CHAdeMO.

[GRA]

ABG:

Volkswagen pulls the plug on 2020 e-Golf electric hatch
Production allotment goes to Canada as VW preps the ID.4 for the U.S.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/02/vw- ... d-us-2020/

. . . A Volkswagen spokesman confirmed only that Canada will get the production allotment of 2020 models, adding, “You can still buy a MY19.”

The move comes as VW prepares to launch the ID line of dedicated electric vehicles riding atop its MEB platform: the Golf-like ID.3 for Europe, at least, with the U.S. due for the ID.4, the unofficial name for the production version of the ID. Crozz concept crossover, sometime this year. It also comes, CarsDirect notes, after the EPA had already tested the 2020 e-Golf and found that it actually delivered slightly inferior fuel economy, at 122 MPGe in the city and 104 on the highway, than its predecessor, which was rated 126 city/111 highway. . . .

Though VW sold a best-ever 4,863 examples in the U.S. last year, and the e-Golf recently passed 100,000 examples sold, it suffered by comparison to competitors like the Chevrolet Bolt or the Nissan Leaf, with a range of just 125 miles on offer from its 100-kilowatt electric motor and 35.8-kWh lithium-ion battery.

We recently saw spy shots of the ID.4 in near-production guise, suggesting it could be planning a reveal at the New York Auto Show — if it happens at all, given concerns about the Coronavirus. It’s believed to have an 83-kWh battery and two electric motors, with a range of around 250 miles.

VW spokesman Mark Gillies would not say whether the ID.3 will eventually come stateside, but said other ID. models "are under evaluation" for the U.S.

[EddyKilowatt]

We recently saw spy shots of the ID.4 in near-production guise, suggesting it could be planning a reveal at the New York Auto Show — if it happens at all, given concerns about the Coronavirus. It’s believed to have an 83-kWh battery and two electric motors, with a range of around 250 miles..

3 mi/kW-hr would be mediocre, if true... Audi E-Tron territory. Can't the land of Werner von Siemens design a good electric motor anymore?

[jjeff]

We recently saw spy shots of the ID.4 in near-production guise, suggesting it could be planning a reveal at the New York Auto Show — if it happens at all, given concerns about the Coronavirus. It’s believed to have an 83-kWh battery and two electric motors, with a range of around 250 miles..

3 mi/kW-hr would be mediocre, if true... Audi E-Tron territory. Can't the land of Werner von Siemens design a good electric motor anymore?

Why be efficient when you can just keep getting larger(battery)

[GetOffYourGas]

We recently saw spy shots of the ID.4 in near-production guise, suggesting it could be planning a reveal at the New York Auto Show — if it happens at all, given concerns about the Coronavirus. It’s believed to have an 83-kWh battery and two electric motors, with a range of around 250 miles..

3 mi/kW-hr would be mediocre, if true... Audi E-Tron territory. Can't the land of Werner von Siemens design a good electric motor anymore?

I really doubt that motor efficiency is the limiting factor here. Most likely it is aerodynamics. It takes a lot of energy to push a large square box through the air. On the other hand, a large square box has more utility than a boat-tail-like Model Y.

[DougWantsALeaf]

I used to think that, but if you look at tests of the Niro and other cars with a .28 CoD, it does better...on par with the M3, even though the M3 is a .22-.23.

I think both must matter. It could be the M3 has heavier wheels though.

[GetOffYourGas]

Cd is only half the equation. CdA is what matters. The ID.4 has a larger A (frontal area) than the Niro.

And sure, motor efficiency matters. But I don't get the impression that EV motor efficiency varies by all that much.

Oh, and the numbers posted include charging losses, so an inefficient charger can make a huge difference. As well it should - you pay for electricity into the charger, not into the battery.

[johnlocke]

We recently saw spy shots of the ID.4 in near-production guise, suggesting it could be planning a reveal at the New York Auto Show — if it happens at all, given concerns about the Coronavirus. It’s believed to have an 83-kWh battery and two electric motors, with a range of around 250 miles..

3 mi/kW-hr would be mediocre, if true... Audi E-Tron territory. Can't the land of Werner von Siemens design a good electric motor anymore?

I really doubt that motor efficiency is the limiting factor here. Most likely it is aerodynamics. It takes a lot of energy to push a large square box through the air. On the other hand, a large square box has more utility than a boat-tail-like Model Y.

There are a lot of ways to modify that square box to reduce it's drag. Kammback and vortex generators come to mind as well as tapering the back-end even slightly. And there is only so much you can do, even a ideal shape has a Cd of around .12-.13.

[GetOffYourGas]

There are a lot of ways to modify that square box to reduce it's drag. Kammback and vortex generators come to mind as well as tapering the back-end even slightly. And there is only so much you can do, even a ideal shape has a Cd of around .12-.13.

Yes there are. Take a look at pictures of the ID.4 and the Model Y, and tell me which vehicle has applied more of these methods.