EV Life: 2 week update

"Bryan doesn't drive a 1M" (bryantakespictures)
11/13/2019 at 11:39 • Filed to: None

Even though we were delivered our Niro EV with barely above 10% charge, after using a DC fast charger once there were no further range issues. Even on 110V charging (which takes 59 hours to 100%) and normal commuting, my wife had no problems at all with keeping the car charged. Her commute varies wildly between 40 - 100 miles per day.

After installing a 220V outlet and a (removable) charger it looks like we’ll be charging her car about once a week, which is about how often she filled up with gas in her Versa. The car is set to only charge to 80% and only during off-peak hours.

My wife loves the car and her only complaint is the reduced visibility compared to her Versa. (This is where a dumber version of myself might make a joke about the state of the hubcaps on her Versa from constantly hitting curbs, but I’m clearly much smarter than that) We had to switch sides in the garage due to the location of the charger and we’re both still adjusting to that after about 10 years of parking on the opposite side.

Due to the adjustable regen (no one-pedal driving like the Leaf, unfortunately), the difference between Eco, Normal, and Sport driving modes is large. You can set what each mode does with options for climate control and regen strength. I’m partial to Sport mode with no climate and max regen because I’m weird and I like how different it makes the car feel from what I’m used to. My wife leaves the car in normal mode all the time with regen set to 1 out of 3. You can get a level 4 regen temporarily by holding the left steering wheel paddle and that will bring you to a complete stop. It’s interesting, but it’s an on/off switch so it’s nearly impossible to use smoothly. If it was my car and I drove it more often, I’d try to master it. The Leaf’s “e-pedal” mode is a superior implementation, though. There are also “auto” settings for regen, but they’re terrible because you never know how the car will behave when you lift off the gas.

Driving it fast with low regen is fun and easy. Good balance and instant torque makes for a nice (sporty? kind of.) daily driving experience. However, I’m having fun cranking up the regen and attempting to drive fast. It feels like you’re driving around in 1st gear except that there’s no redline. It’s challenging but rewarding to lift off going into a corner and letting the regen slow you down then easing back onto the power as you approach the apex. FWD and instant torque means you better not get on the power too early. If my wife ever lets me take her car to an autocross, you’ll be the first to hear about it!

When I tell people that we bought an EV, everyone here in the PNW assumes it’s a Tesla and gets pretty excited to hear more. Then I tell them that it’s a Kia and they don’t seem to have any followup questions. That’s for the best because most of my conversations about cars with Normal People are pretty awful. The last one was “what’s the point of washing your car in the winter? It’s just going to get dirty again.” Sigh.

Sorry this got a little long, but it’s been fun having an entirely new car experience. This weekend we’re taking the car on a 150 mile (one way) trip to Portland and back. I usually drive my STI for that trip and it’s pretty miserable in traffic, so I’m looking forward to it.

DISCUSSION (11)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/13/2019 at 12:37

what’s the point of washing your car in the winter? It’s just going to get dirty again.”

My least favorite question.

My least favorite “joke”: “you’re gonna wash the paint off!”

Yeah Linda, hows the paint on your corolla? That’s right..peeling off.

Chariotoflove > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/13/2019 at 13:28

An EV could fit nicely into my commuter life. I’ m glad it’s working for you.

His Stigness > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/13/2019 at 15:02

Just wait for the inevitable follow up questions from idiotic people who have zero understanding of how BEVs work.

“Where’s the engine?”
“Does it use gas?”
“Really, there’s no engine at all?”

It doesn’t help that I have e-Golfs which look 90% like a normal Golf, and people can NOT wrap their heads around a Golf not having a regular engine.

avalonian > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/13/2019 at 18:01

I felt the sass of " Linda"

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > His Stigness
11/13/2019 at 20:28

Haven't gotten that yet, but I'll be on the lookout.

sn4cktimes > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/14/2019 at 00:52

I’m enjoying this line of real world posts with a more realistic electric vehicle. Keep em coming.

phenotyp > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/15/2019 at 11:08

I now have about 2.5 years driving EV (i3). I still get questions, though not as many as I see more and more i3s around town. But we do often do the wave to each other one the road (the Miata wave, the Jeep wave, the MR2 wave, the MG wave...), which is pretty cool.

The Kia has a WAY better range than the i3, I’m pretty jealous of the once-a-week charging. But thankfully I do have the ReX if I need it. But, still, in those 2.5 years, I’ve bought 7.5 gallons of gas. Fully half of it I didn’t need to use, in the end, but I didn’t want to get stuck somewhere and played it safe.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > phenotyp
11/15/2019 at 11:14

Do you have to worry about the gas in the tank going bad?

phenotyp > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/15/2019 at 11:24

It’ll do a maintenance cycle if I haven’t run the ReX motor (rarely do) , and throw an alarming “WE’RE GOING TO RUN THE MOTOR DON’T FREAK OUT YOU CAN STILL DRIVE THE CAR LIKE NORMAL ” message, and it’s no big deal. It’ll start the motor and run for maybe 10 minutes.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > phenotyp
11/15/2019 at 11:38

That makes sense.

I think stuff like that message is the final hurdle for EV adoption. After the charging network and their horrific apps, of course. EV’s all have a “nerdiness” about them, for lack of a better word. Why do I need to know while driving what is happening with the “energy flow?” Why do I need to dig through menus to set the max charge to 80% based on the recommendation of the user manual and why is there any other option besides 80% and 100%. Who needs exactly 71% max charge? There is a button with a confusing icon (a clock, a lightning bolt, a power cord, and the word “off” in the same small icon) that ignores the charging schedule and charges immediately. Why does that button not simply say “charge now” or something equally clear?

User interface design is a large part of my job, so these things grate on me more than most people, but they all add up to the general feeling that modern cars are too complex and hard to understand. An electric car with a battery is extremely simple! Why do we make it so complicated?

phenotyp > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M
11/15/2019 at 11:49

Nails hit on heads, there.

I have a few UI-based settings that I can toggle, but not as many as your Kia. Mostly, I keep it on “normal, “ vs Eco or Eco+. I just know that it’s a low-volume, small-range EV with a CF passenger compartment (keep the kiddo safe at all cost), super-nice ergonomics (seriously, the guys at Lincoln used it as a benchmark), and after having installed the 220 line in the garage, easy to charge for almost all the driving I do with it.

My most-accessed screen? Tire pressure.