I'm shocked! Life with a VW e Golf

I posted last week on the main GRM forum that I was buying the car but today we actually picked it up.  I'll share observations and data as time moves on.

The car is a 2017 VW e Golf SE.  It is a one-owner car with just over 73k miles.  It has a perfect service history (all of the visits and work to a VW dealer) and zero accidents.  Both the exterior and interior are in excellent shape.  The car has recent front brakes and Michelin tires, and the dealership installed new rear brakes.   It has some great features like heated seats, heated windshield, XM radio and a fabulous leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Thankfully the dealership certified the car, which provides a two year, 24,000 mile warranty for the car (essentially the "new car" warranty, sometimes inaccurately referred to as "bumper to bumper").  Of particular note to me was that the car was actually sold new in July of 2018, and originally had an eight year or 100,000 mile battery warranty.  Because it was imported and sold late, I still have over 3 years of coverage on that item specifically.

While it isn't a fast car, power delivery is a curiosity to me as it has so much torque down low.  This model year has 134hp and 214 lbs of tq, so it absolutely feels faster than it is.

This car was assembled in Germany and the build quality us superb.  It goes down the road very quietly, and I love the weight of the doors and the controls.  I also enjoy the handling as a result of that battery pack bringing the center of gravity down low and truly into the middle of the wheelbase.

We managed to time our pickup as the snow popped up here in CT.  It is around 20 degrees which means the range has been truncated.  From what I've read this model is particularly affected by the cold, but thankfully we don't often get sustained cold here nor insane heat.

The car joins a two driver household where we already own a 1966 F100, a 99 Volvo V70 (which this car is replacing), a 2005 Ram 2500 diesel, a 2008 Mustang GT, and finally our 2021 Wrangler Unlimited.  I also have a company car, but the Golf will provide local transport to get kids to activities, to the grocery store, etc.

We added solar power to our home last year which is overproducing so we will power the car nearly for free.  With the discovery that there is now up to a $4000 Federal tax credit PLUS that our local electric company will rebate $500 towards the purchase of a level 2 charger, it really made the car a no brainer. 

So...this was something of a rambling post because I'm so excited about the car.  I've owned plenty of fast cars, big trucks, etc but never a hybrid or full EV.  I'm immersing myself into learning all I can about how to maintain it and at the same time squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of this car that I can!

Stay tuned for minor mods and general experiences with it.  In about two weeks it heads in to have all the windows except the windshield tinted (lightly, to keep the interior cooler in summer) and who knows what comes next!

Congrats!

Can you precondition the interior on these? Turn on the heat/AC while it's still plugged in? That's a great way to make the car more comfortable and also conserve some range.

congrats. They used to be all over LA. Now never see them

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yes!  Considering this is a "compliance car" it has a lot of handy features.   I need to spend some time digging into the many, many menus to understand all I can do with it but I know preconditioning is present.

I'm in it right now waiting for my daughter to emerge from a singing engagement and I'm actually sweating a bit haha.  This thing belts the heat out when you want it.

Looks to me like I can set up preconditioning here:

Congrats again on the new-to-you e-Golf! I think you'll really enjoy the game of getting the most efficiency out of it and your solar array.

Yep, you found the right menu (e-manager) to precondition the interior. Unfortunately all of the e-Golfs were built with a 3G cell phone modem, so the VW connectivity app no longer works. Thankfully the e-manager menu allows some capability, as long as your schedule is predictable. You only get the three presets to play with. Be sure to check the box to activate the "scheduled departure time". The charging locations that you set in a menu below (click the right arrows at the right of each row) allow you to set the conditions for each time.

• Do or don't target a battery charge level
• Do or don't run the HVAC to condition the interior
• Allow to run the above only while plugged in or use battery power
• Overnight, "off-peak" charging times
• etc.

Also, be sure to click through the Settings button at the top. You can preset a minium charge level for the battery pack. This allows you to guarantee say, a 50% charge, as long as the car is plugged in and getting power. Note, if you have a departure time scheduled and plug in the car, it will not charge beyond that minimum level until just before the departure time, even if it's days away. So if you need the car to charge immediately before then, be sure to press the charge now button after plugging it. It is the top button under the "fuel door" to the left of the connector. I made that mistake early on and couldn't understand why the car wasn't charging.

- Sean

In reply to ShawneeCreek :

Sean,

Thank you so much for the guidance.  I'm learning new things about the car every day but didn't fully understand the menu you described.

Also, I'm starting to understand how significantly battery performance is affected by the cold.  Today is was all the way up to 38 degrees (woo hoo!) and I was able to crack 3 miles per kWh.  It appears to me that if I drive carefully and the ambient temperature is significantly higher I should be able to get between 4-5 miles per kWh.  

It's odd to be so used to wringing everything possible out of a car but now to be coasting, looking for downhill stretches to regen, etc lol.  I'm treating it like a game.

It's like driving a classic Mini, momentum is hard won and is to be preserved at all costs :)

Is this the same drivetrain and electronics as the Audi a3 etron??

In reply to jfryjfry :

I don't believe so.  It appears that the Audi has a small gas engine combined with electric motor.  My Golf is 100% EV.

Ah of course.  

One week ownership update:  so far, so good!!

While I don't plan to drive this car a lot, it will see nearly daily use as a short-distance commuter taking kids to various local activities and for shopping.  I've spent the past week trying to get to know the car better and to understand how to get all I can out of it from an efficiency standpoint.

The first thing I have learned (that I didn't fully understand going in), is just how impacted electric cars are by cold weather and by sitting outside in cold weather.

Last week I had the car nearly fully charged and left here on what ultimately was about a 46 mile round trip (ironically to go pick up my new level 2 charger!).  According to the gauge I used approximately 2/3 of the battery capacity to travel that distance.  The warmest it got that day was 29 degrees and it started in the high teens.

I was floored!  Did I do something wrong?  Is there a real material issue with the battery and or the car?  I now believe the answers are no and no.

First off, I've now learned that these things like to remain plugged in when not in use with "preconditioning" set up for the times you'll likely use it.  Thanks to Sean's input and watching a few YouTube videos I've learned how to set those up.  Apparently this keeps the battery up to the level of charge you predetermined (I've currently set it for 90% though I may lower that to 80% soon) but it also warms the battery which offers better performance.

It also warms the interior so you have to run the heat less.  Apparently operating the heat is a huge charge killer, so I'm learning to preheat plus modulate my use of climate controls.  I personally like a HOT car so this is something of an adjustment.  I find it comical that many of the EV forums have posters sharing that they "wear layers" to drive their cars. 

Thankfully my distance traveled between fill ups will be relatively short so I can heat the car as I wish to.

Anyway, armed with the above Intel and the fact that temperatures have warmed up a bit my performance has improved significantly.  Yesterday I started with the battery at 90% and showed an indicated range of 94 miles.  The car was originally rated for 125 miles, but again the Temps most of the day were still in the 30s with a peak of around 41 degrees when I drove it.  Also, this range was shown with the HVAC on low at 72 degrees.  Turning that off will extend the range.

One thing I've been unable to do so far is to get a diagnostic reading showing the total capacity the battery still offers.  I'm sure it has degraded some.  The selling dealer's OBD scanner was unable to glean this information as they were not an e Golf dealer when these were sold new and therefore don't have passwords to access this info.  I've been reading that there is a scan tool called OBDEleven that can get this info but I've also seen that for some odd reason it doesn't seem to play well specifically with 2017 e Golfs and I don't want to waste money if it will not work.

A huge dowside to e Golfs and the reason for my eagerness to monitor battery health is because of the cost of a replacement battery.  I have 3 years remaining of warranty on that battery and it's guaranteed to remain at or above 70% capacity.  My hope is to maintain this one to keep it well above that or to identify when it falls below so VW will pick up the $20k plus tab to replace it on their dime.  Yes, youre reading that correctly.  From what I've gathered a new battery pack installed at the dealer is something between $20-$25k, more than I paid for the whole car.

I drove the car about 20 miles in the 41 degree ambient temps, all local, in "Normal" mode with cycling the heat on and off as needed.  Once I returned home my estimated range had dropped by 16 miles.  

This was also my first drive where I cracked 4 miles per kWh.  I've been reading that very efficient drivers get between 4 and 5 miles per kWh.

 My initial math which encouraged the purchase of this car went like this:  if a gas Golf offers 30 mpg in town, it would cost me about $3.00 currently in fuel to cover that distance.  In this car at 4 miles per kWh, if I paid the full retail rate for electricity (I don't because solar), then it costs me about $1.27 to cover the same distance.  When you add in the fact that this vehicle requires far less maintenance than the gas version (no oil changes!) It truly becomes a bargain to operate.

An early on observation from me is that I am really pleased I bought the 2017 rather than the 2016 I considered.  The 2016 models have roughly 40 miles less range due to a smaller capacity battery and less power and torque, so for my use and our potential for cold winter temperatures I think I made the right choice for my family.  However either is a really great choice for a relatively short distance commuter as they absolutely punch above their weight class in build quality.

Another note that sort of surprises me is how relatively few electric car chargers there are in the state of CT.  I've looked at the various networks and they are sporadic at best.  Considering the number of electric cars in use here I find that very surprising.

All in all, I am feeling zero buyer's remorse.  This car feels heavy (in a good way) and clearly was very well maintained by the previous owner.  For our local-use purposes I think it's going to be a great addition to the family and I hope to get many trouble free years out of it.

Heat is definitely expensive, and I think the VW struggles a bit there. That's why preconditioning is a good idea - and it's comfortable too so it's not exactly a hardship :) Heated seats are more efficient than heating the air as well, so use them as much as you can.

The one advantage that EVs have in cold weather is that their heaters work immediately. You don't have to heat up the engine and the coolant with waste combustion heat before the heater starts working :)

In reply to Keith Tanner :

You sir are 100% correct.  If the car is in "normal" mode it can make it frying hot inside as I'm rolling out of the driveway which is a very positive attribute.

So while I was out this morning running errands I got to take advantage of a free state of CT charging station at the grocery store which is a minor win.  Admittedly it's only a level 2 and when I grocery shop i tend to haul arse...so it was for a short period.  However free is free.

Also, I noticed on one of my stops what an odd pattern melted into the ice on my hood.  It appears that aliens may have landed on the car while I was at the vet picking up the dog's meds haha.

There's big news at our house!  The electrician will be here tomorrow morning to install this little nugget;  it's an enel-x 32a with 23' cord.  I grabbed it on a flash sale from Best Buy @ $549.  After my local utility kicks in my $500 rebate, I'll be out $50 but will be able to charge the car roughly 7x faster than on 120v.

Nice!

The last two days have been productive here at EV headquarters.  Yesterday our electrician put in a new external 240v outlet for the new charger which I tried out and works great.  However I haven't had time to mount the charger yet so I'm still on 120v until I get it solidly mounted on Sunday.

Today I sent the car out for window tinting.  There is a reason I've used the same guy for the last five vehicles;  they come back so neatly done it takes a really critical look to even know they are tinted.

I had the side and rear windows done in 50% carbon tint.  I wanted to ward off summer heat from this black on black car but I didn't want the windows to look painted black (I can't stand that look).  As usual he killed it and the car looks fantastic.

Today I got the Juicebox mounted, connected to the internet and to the app on my phone, and gave the Golf a top-off.

On a related note, it occurred to me that passers-by might find my collection a little eclectic.  Not pictured is the soon to depart V70.

Nice. That level of window tinting looks way more reasonable than the super dark stuff I removed from my e-Golf. We'll see how this summer goes. I may end up installing a similar level of tinting as yours if the interior gets too hot.

Pro tip with the charging cable: take some time now to wrap it neatly on the hanger so the cable is where you want it. Not touching the ground, not tightly wound, nice loose bend to the plug, etc. Then find your brightest electrical tape and wrap it around the 12 o'clock position of each loop. Just like that racing stripe on fancy steering wheels. This makes it super easy to put the cable back in the same position every time, especially on dark mornings.

Edit for picture. I used blue. I really need to replace it with white or yellow.

In reply to ShawneeCreek :

That is a fantastic idea.  Thanks!

On my charger, I have the cable anchored partway through the length so I only have to wrangle the part needed to reach the car. The rest of it stays in place and out of the way. This is made easier by the fact that the placement of the car is very consistent in the garage, might be less so in an outdoor parking spot.

My situation will improve once I jockey the fleet around a bit.  Ultimately the Golf will live more or less right by where the charger is.  When I had the driveway paved last year I had a parking area added that holds 5 cars next to each other (where the 66 F100 currently is).

In the coming months I'm intending to sell at least one, give another one a more permanent place to park and to shuffle the rest offering the spot to the Golf.

I love the idea about tethering the unused portion of the cord.   Mine is 23' long but I should truly only be using the last 8' or less.

Today was a good day.  It's the first day when I was really able to investigate the range of the car, and along with that to get a glimpse into the battery's health.

My family (2 adults and 2 kids) traveled 61 miles round trip.   When we left, the car indicated 122 miles of range remaining.  

The trip includes stop and go (30% or so of the total distance, and highway (about 70%).  Its very hilly and has many stoplights.   It was 49 degrees when we left, and 37 degrees when we returned.

We ran the defrost/heat intermittently throughout the trip.  The car was run in "nornal" mode most of way, but with its most recuperstive mode engaged .

The car displayed 56 miles of range left when we stopped in our driveway.

This tells me that the battery is somewhere around 90-95% of its original capacity..  When the car goes in for its 80k service, my local dealer will look in via the OBD port and will share what they find as it pertains to remaining battery capacity.

I am absolutely enamored with this car right now.   The driving experience is wonderful.

Nice! I'm still jealous of the extra range you get with the upgraded battery pack. In similar temperatures my max indicated range is just 60-70 miles. It's ok though. I've got enough range to do what I need to with my car. And I honestly enjoy the game/challenge/interaction of ensuring that I have enough range to get to where I need to go. But my next EV will definitely have more than 200 miles of range if I can help it.

Which max regen mode are you talking about? Drive +3 or Braking (B)? Because braking mode has the highest level of regeneration on the accelerator pedal. It's the mode I do all of my driving in. I just wish I didn't have pull the shifter into drive twice to engage it. It feels like a redundant step to me. But these cars were designed to be as "normal" as possible to people used to driving ICE cars.

I'm glad that you are loving the e-Golf. They really are good little cars.

- Sean