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Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

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Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#411

Post by acover »

chiph wrote: post #371
intrasight wrote: post #252

My opinion is that the industry has gone in the wrong direction with batteries. Cars should use swappable rechargeable batteries swapped by robots at the charging station. Faster pit stops and simpler batteries (no need for water-cooled, etc) and cheaper cars. And elimination of concern of battery warranty.

The problem is Gresham's Law as applied to battery packs. A new EV owner decides to go on a trip and make use of the new swap stations. Their battery pack is brand new and charges to 100%. When they swap it, they're likely to get a 2 or 3 year old pack that only charges to 70%. It was intentionally exchanged at the swap station by an owner who was willing to roll the dice to try and get a newer pack from someone like…

They don't degrade that fast.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#412

Post by simondotau »

oblio wrote: post #301
rsync wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I'm asking - is this a VW, but electric, or is this an e-initiative space-car ? Genuinely unsure. I would classify the Chevy Bolt (which we own) as the latter .

Well, not typical for HN, a lazy question. But I'll bite. You could have looked at the video, it's only 2 minutes. ID.4 is a pretty boring/normal looking car. Now, for the e-initiative, it's an e-initiative all right. A $86 billion over 5 years e-initiative ( https://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-strategy-idUSKBN2... ) :-) ID.4 is based on an entirely new VW platform ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Gr…

It’s boring/normal looking relative to other EVs but it’s still a bit of an e-concept compared to a typical ICE car.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#413

Post by csomar »

AmericanChopper wrote: post #410
Brakenshire wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s solved for people with driveways.

I have a drive way, and it’s not solved for me. My driving needs would require me to be frequently filling up at charging stations. These kind of “it’s solved” statements are very much picking the facts to fit the conclusion, rather than the other way around. Pointing this out usually elicits a “well you should change your lifestyle to better suit the features of an electric car”. If you tried to say that about softw…

> My driving needs would require me to be frequently filling up at charging stations.

I don't think $40k electric cars (or even the long-range Tesla models) are for people who use cars for work and require frequent/long distances.

This is more for the guy who does 15-30km/day commute, then maybe few km to the mall and has a driveway in his house. Maybe once in a while does 100km trip to some mountain.

Best you can do for now is a hybrid.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#414

Post by elihu »

cjblomqvist wrote: post #118
Someone1234 wrote: post #62

I feel like the prices on electric vehicles are starting to become their biggest hurdle (instead of range, availability, or charging which are solved enough). If you're from California or New York, I'm sure $40K starting for this or a Model Y seems complexly within your means, but there's a large chunk of the US (by population AND land) where People love to spam $40K US "average" while entirely ignoring that the aver…

The "problem" in the US is the cheap gas, at least compared to EU. Taxing gas according to the CO2 cost would make it drastically different in TCO.

Even if we implemented a carbon tax, I don't know if it would actually make that big a difference unless it was very high.

A quick google search came up with this from an organization that (from the name and content on their site) appears to be an oil industry lobby group:

https://www.americanenergyalliance.org/2020/10/under-bidens-...

> Our Northern neighbor has some experience with a carbon tax as well as other mechanisms for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. In 2019, Canada implemented a carbon tax under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act supported by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The carbon tax started at $20 per metric ton in 2019, and is scheduled to increase at $10 per metric ton per year until reaching $50 per metric ton in 2022. The carbon tax will stay at that level unless the legislation is revisited and revised. > > A $20 per metric ton carbon tax equates to a 16.6 cent per gallon surcharge on gasoline. In 2022, the $50 per ton carbon tax would increase Canadian gasoline prices by about 42 cents per gallon or about 8 percent.

Even the $50 per ton tax doesn't seem like it actually raises prices all that much. I mean, if you're poor and need to buy gas to get to work it's a detrimental change, but gas prices fluctuate more than that just from oil production changes and geopolitics, and it hasn't stopped price-sensitive purchasers from buying gas-burning cars.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#415

Post by woeirua »

lttlrck wrote: post #304
fassssst wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea, I had a ID.4 pre-ordered but canceled it after I realized how absurd the price is. I bought a utility e-bike instead and that was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I barely use my car anymore and biking is way more fun and greener than any car.

I was thinking about an ID.Buzz until I took my Golf to a dealer for a 20K service. Then they tried to sell me tires for 4 x the price of Discount Tire - the tires on the car are absolutely fine - almost 1/4". Then they decided not to rotate my tires due to "tire condition" - to spite me? - and nickel and dimed me on a pair of wipers. I don't want to renew my relationship with a dealer. Especially not with an electri…

Yeah, but electric cars have so many fewer moving parts that they just don’t need much maintenance at all. As someone who has an EV now, I’m never going back because EVs are just so much better overall.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#416

Post by imoverclocked »

AmericanChopper wrote: post #410
Brakenshire wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s solved for people with driveways.

I have a drive way, and it’s not solved for me. My driving needs would require me to be frequently filling up at charging stations. These kind of “it’s solved” statements are very much picking the facts to fit the conclusion, rather than the other way around. Pointing this out usually elicits a “well you should change your lifestyle to better suit the features of an electric car”. If you tried to say that about softw…

It’s more than just “transport,” it’s the environment.

At one point, gas stations were hard to find and the horse/buggy reigned supreme. Gas cars were actually much cleaner then than the alternative. I’m glad we made that transition and I look forward to this new transition which will undoubtedly require at least a little change from just about everyone.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#417

Post by woeirua »

The ID4 is a nice car, and definitely on our radar after our Nissan Leaf lease expires.

If you regularly take long road trips you’re going to be disappointed in the user experience with an EV. But EVs right now are perfect second cars. If the average American family replaced one of their cars with an EV it would drastically reduce emissions without requiring people to totally sacrifice the benefits of gas.

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#418

Post by ratsforhorses »

elihu wrote: post #251
outworlder wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’m not sure the larger batteries are even necessary. They are not. What's needed is expansion of the infrastructure. And that's not even about quick chargers. In cities you don't need them. What you need is standard level 2 chargers wherever you may want to go. Work, school, shopping, movie theaters, whatever. Most vehicles spend most of their day parked somewhere. They should be charging then. Larger batteries ar…

Big batteries would be nice for long trips. I'm working on an EV conversion right now that ought to get me a hundred miles of range when I'm done, which is good enough for about 98% of my regular driving. (Getting more range with a conversion can be tricky, as it would mean adding a lot of weight to the vehicle.) Sometimes it's nice to go to the beach, though... 100 miles would get me to the beach, but it's not enoug…

Congrats on the conversion...it should be done more, just a thought .... would a portable EV charger be the solution? just a quick google let me find Blink Mobile EV charging station...but maybe there are cheaper/smaller/lighter solutions....or solar panels on your roof?

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#419

Post by mgbmtl »

csomar wrote: post #413
AmericanChopper wrote: post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a drive way, and it’s not solved for me. My driving needs would require me to be frequently filling up at charging stations. These kind of “it’s solved” statements are very much picking the facts to fit the conclusion, rather than the other way around. Pointing this out usually elicits a “well you should change your lifestyle to better suit the features of an electric car”. If you tried to say that about softw…

> My driving needs would require me to be frequently filling up at charging stations. I don't think $40k electric cars (or even the long-range Tesla models) are for people who use cars for work and require frequent/long distances. This is more for the guy who does 15-30km/day commute, then maybe few km to the mall and has a driveway in his house. Maybe once in a while does 100km trip to some mountain. Best you can do…

My less than $40k Leaf has a 350km range. I charge at home, drive in the city, and use it in the weekends to drive long distances.

The only issue is when going to a city more than 300 km away, then yes, a 30 mins coffee. Charging stations are everywhere here (eastern Canada).

Re: Volkswagen launches its first all-electric SUV, the ID.4

#420

Post by andrewchambers »

kleiba wrote: post #385
Someone1234 wrote: post #62

I feel like the prices on electric vehicles are starting to become their biggest hurdle (instead of range, availability, or charging which are solved enough). If you're from California or New York, I'm sure $40K starting for this or a Model Y seems complexly within your means, but there's a large chunk of the US (by population AND land) where People love to spam $40K US "average" while entirely ignoring that the aver…

range, availability, or charging which are solved enough But are they really? Especially for charging, I'm still not convinced. The articles makes a case that you can go and grab a coffee while your ID.4 charges in 30 minutes at a high-speed charging stations. Sorry, but "30 minutes" and "high-speed" in one sentence seems somewhat misplaced. Who can afford to just waste 30 minutes for charging on a regular basis? I c…

As someone with an electric car, it's really not a big deal for me. I can do all my (admittedly short) commutes and go to the gym and barely use 5-10 percent of the battery, so can charge once a week or at night.

I think it heavily depends on your job.

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