Electric Vehicles - Models Discussion

[Errollyn]

Ha ha, our walk away lock noise is a duck quack. It was something DH could hear easily above lots of ambient noise.

Same reasoning here. It's less about the sound than being able to distinguish it against background noise.

 

[Koolau]

I'd have a hard time getting excited about a "V8 growl" that's a recording, totally phony...but YMMV

Yeah, I'm the same way. Having said that, I don't much care for the sound of some EVs - that sound like sewing machines. Personal preference, I suppose.

 

[Koolau]

No need for farts sounds like a Tesla. What's that all about?

I assumed it was because a middle finger makes no noise and might be missed.

 

[G-Money]

It's official. We've pre-ordered a 2027 BMW iX3 50 xDrive M-Sport to replace our 2024 iX.

Our iX has been a fantastic car. However, it was leased (first EV) and it makes no sense to buy it out when the lease expires in the fall.

The iX3 is a better size for us, better range. We're buying this one as we intend to keep it for a long time.

 

[Midpack]

It's official. We've pre-ordered a 2027 BMW iX3 50 xDrive M-Sport to replace our 2024 iX.

Our iX has been a fantastic car. However, it was leased (first EV) and it makes no sense to buy it out when the lease expires in the fall.

The iX3 is a better size for us, better range. We're buying this one as we intend to keep it for a long time.

I'm officially jealous, congrats.

 

[audreyh1]

I assumed it was because a middle finger makes no noise and might be missed.

It’s just juvenile bathroom humor.

 

[Out of Steam]

A big draw for us to EVs was that they were so quiet! We don’t like noisy vehicles.

After a 10+ hour and an 8+ hour drive this week, an EV is very attractive right now. The drone was tiring. If they eke a few more miles of range out of the Subaru Solterra or Trailseeker (or their Toyota twins), I'd have a hard time not buying.

 

[Fermion]

After a 10+ hour and an 8+ hour drive this week, an EV is very attractive right now. The drone was tiring. If they eke a few more miles of range out of the Subaru Solterra or Trailseeker (or their Toyota twins), I'd have a hard time not buying.

Not that you would have been able to achieve a 10 hour drive in a EV. At 70mph that would have been at least 2 stops to recharge.

 

[Out of Steam]

Not that you would have been able to achieve a 10 hour drive in a EV. At 70mph that would have been at least 2 stops to recharge.

Our trips beyond 8 hours are rare enough to be covered by rentals. That range requirement is because I take 200-225 mile day trips that require some mountain driving about biweekly. Being able to complete those trips without recharging in any weather I'd hike in is a necessity.

I originally thought that would translate to a 275 mile EPA range, but it seems that that figure is slightly low.

 

[RetMD21]

Our trips beyond 8 hours are rare enough to be covered by rentals. That range requirement is because I take 200-225 mile day trips that require some mountain driving about biweekly. Being able to complete those trips without recharging in any weather I'd hike in is a necessity.
...

I have done multiple 8-10 hour drives with 2 stops to charge. It can be done. Fermion says otherwise. I'm not sure why. This represents < 5% of days. Why would I base a car purchase on an uncommon scenario?

Charging speed can be concern but Tesla, Hyundai/Kia, Porsche and others are fast. Ford has had issues with this in the past.

 

[fosterscik]

We plan to go to Friday's session. Perhaps a little quieter than Saturday or Sunday....

Hopefully you can get an LE fairly quickly, but it sounds like there's a long line that starts with employees and R1 owners. If I get one, it'll likely be the Premium version that's supposed to start selling late this year.

Have fun at the show this weekend. In Chicago, we spent about 2 hours in line and got exactly 2 minutes in the driver's seat. I'm glad I went, but it wasn't really enough time to get a good impression of the buttons and infotainment system.

Back from our Rivian visit in Atlanta yesterday. We walked straight in to the showroom and only had to wait ~5 minutes to get into an R2. They had three R2 on site. I would still really like to drive one but it was valuable to get a hands on visit. The SUV appears to be very solidly built and we were impressed with the interior space and general fit and finish. Fingers crossed we won't have to wait too long to buy one.

 

[Errollyn]

Not that you would have been able to achieve a 10 hour drive in a EV. At 70mph that would have been at least 2 stops to recharge.

FWIW, I routinely do 12+ hour daily drives in my EV (and mine has relatively small range). It's not as if people in gas cars aren't stopping a couple times during a 10 hour drive.

 

[Errollyn]

It's official. We've pre-ordered a 2027 BMW iX3 50 xDrive M-Sport to replace our 2024 iX.

Our iX has been a fantastic car. However, it was leased (first EV) and it makes no sense to buy it out when the lease expires in the fall.

The iX3 is a better size for us, better range. We're buying this one as we intend to keep it for a long time.

What colors did you choose? I just spec'd one out to my liking, and the total came to $73K. Too rich for my blood, but a fantastic looking vehicle if you're okay with spending so much.

 

[Fermion]

FWIW, I routinely do 12+ hour daily drives in my EV (and mine has relatively small range). It's not as if people in gas cars aren't stopping a couple times during a 10 hour drive.

So real world, say a 700 mile trip (10 hours at 70mph on highway) what would be the total time spent charging? I'll give that you start out at full charge, 100% and your vehicle has a 300 miles range at 70mph highway. At mile 270 you will need to pull off to a fast charger because you will be at 10%. Figure 20? minutes to charge up to 80%. Next stop will then be at mile 480 (70% useable charge = 210 mile range). Another 20 minute fast charge and then another stop at mile 690, or you just bite your fingernails and coast into the 700 mile destination at 5% charge left.

So math says yeah it is doable but with about 40 minutes of stops. That actually isn't that bad...

 

[Flieger]

So real world, say a 700 mile trip (10 hours at 70mph on highway) what would be the total time spent charging? I'll give that you start out at full charge, 100% and your vehicle has a 300 miles range at 70mph highway. At mile 270 you will need to pull off to a fast charger because you will be at 10%. Figure 20? minutes to charge up to 80%. Next stop will then be at mile 480 (70% useable charge = 210 mile range). Another 20 minute fast charge and then another stop at mile 690, or you just bite your fingernails and coast into the 700 mile destination at 5% charge left.

So math says yeah it is doable but with about 40 minutes of stops. That actually isn't that bad...

I charged from 24% to 80% in 12 minutes at a Tesla Supercharger last Wed. on the way home. Charging was done before DW and I got out of Lowes grocery store.

Flieger

 

[Midpack]

Here's what a trip planner suggests for a 723 mile trip, assuming you start at 90% charge and arrive at 10%. Uses the optimal rate of charge bands, not necessarily what every driver might choose - though experienced EV owners often do. Of course you can adjust the parameters as you'd like. 12h 26min driving, 56min charging for a 13h 33min trip. IME with longer road trips, I assume charging will add about 10% to my trip time, I only loosely stick to optimal charge bands, e.g. I usually avoid going below 15-20% charge left arriving - though I’d have no qualms about arriving at a Supercharger with 10% remaining.

 

[Out of Steam]

FWIW, I routinely do 12+ hour daily drives in my EV (and mine has relatively small range). It's not as if people in gas cars aren't stopping a couple times during a 10 hour drive.

We made four stops on our 10 hour drive last Sunday. To complete the trip without a second gasoline fill-up, the distance between two of those was stretched further than we would normally.

 

[Errollyn]

So real world, say a 700 mile trip (10 hours at 70mph on highway) what would be the total time spent charging? I'll give that you start out at full charge, 100% and your vehicle has a 300 miles range at 70mph highway. At mile 270 you will need to pull off to a fast charger because you will be at 10%. Figure 20? minutes to charge up to 80%. Next stop will then be at mile 480 (70% useable charge = 210 mile range). Another 20 minute fast charge and then another stop at mile 690, or you just bite your fingernails and coast into the 700 mile destination at 5% charge left.

So math says yeah it is doable but with about 40 minutes of stops. That actually isn't that bad...

I do weekly cross-country runs volunteering for animal rescues, and we have 10 minutes of built-in "rest" time for each leg (legs are usually 1:30-2:00 hours each). All I can say is that I have no problem staying on schedule. In my personal life, I've found my bladder needs to stop more than my car, and it's very rare that I'm waiting for my car once I'm done going to the bathroom, grabbing a snack, and (sometimes) letting my dog walk around a little.

But yeah, if you're trying for a Cannonball Run record, an EV still isn't the way to go. But for normal road tripping, the experience for me hasn't been an issue at all in the last few years. It was admittedly a little harder when I first started driving an EV in 2021, but the charging build-out has been eye-watering since then.

 

[Errollyn]

I usually avoid going below 15-20% charge left arriving - though I’d have no qualms about arriving at a Supercharger with 10% remaining.

I have no problem arriving at a charger below 5% state-of-charge, and at those levels I can see charging speeds of 700+ miles per hour. So by the time I'm done doing my business, my car has almost always charged more than it needs for the next leg.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

So real world, say a 700 mile trip (10 hours at 70mph on highway) what would be the total time spent charging? I'll give that you start out at full charge, 100% and your vehicle has a 300 miles range at 70mph highway. At mile 270 you will need to pull off to a fast charger because you will be at 10%. Figure 20? minutes to charge up to 80%. Next stop will then be at mile 480 (70% useable charge = 210 mile range). Another 20 minute fast charge and then another stop at mile 690, or you just bite your fingernails and coast into the 700 mile destination at 5% charge left.

So math says yeah it is doable but with about 40 minutes of stops. That actually isn't that bad...

The days of me sitting in a car for 4 straight hours are long gone.

I like to stop about once an hour. Stretching legs primarily, but also for bladder, food, beverage, checking phone...

I'm retired and am in no rush in the first place whatever car I were to be in.

 

[G-Money]

What colors did you choose? I just spec'd one out to my liking, and the total came to $73K. Too rich for my blood, but a fantastic looking vehicle if you're okay with spending so much.

M Sport Professional
Ocean Wave Blue Metallic
21" M Star-Spoke Bicolor wheels
Castanea (reddish-brown) interior
Tech package
Driver assist and Park Assist packages
Heated steering wheel

$71,400 MSRP

Full disclosure, the car is actually for my better half. While I like the blue exterior, I'm not in love with the brown interior. But, I don't have to be.

 

[Texas Proud]

It's official. We've pre-ordered a 2027 BMW iX3 50 xDrive M-Sport to replace our 2024 iX.

Our iX has been a fantastic car. However, it was leased (first EV) and it makes no sense to buy it out when the lease expires in the fall.

The iX3 is a better size for us, better range. We're buying this one as we intend to keep it for a long time.

Just throwing out a thought....

Why not lease? The depreciation of EVs seem to be very high.. lease for 3 years and see what the market value is and either buy off lease or turn it in and pay the possible much reduced price...

My car was over 60% less than sticker after 3 years when I bought it... I had not leased it so a good deal to me... but I will probably lose half of what I paid in the next 3 years...

 

[Errollyn]

M Sport Professional
Ocean Wave Blue Metallic
21" M Star-Spoke Bicolor wheels
Castanea (reddish-brown) interior
Tech package
Driver assist and Park Assist packages
Heated steering wheel

$71,400 MSRP

Full disclosure, the car is actually for my better half. While I like the blue exterior, I'm not in love with the brown interior. But, I don't have to be.

That's funny, because I was going to make sure you opted for the Castanea interior. I friggin love that. Your SO is luuuucky.

 

[Midpack]

Why not lease? The depreciation of EVs seem to be very high.. lease for 3 years and see what the market value is and either buy off lease or turn it in and pay the possible much reduced price...

I’d have to think dealers have factored in higher depreciation in their lease packages, old news now. So the lease vs buy decision hasn’t really changed. What am I missing?

 

[G-Money]

Just throwing out a thought....

Why not lease? The depreciation of EVs seem to be very high.. lease for 3 years and see what the market value is and either buy off lease or turn it in and pay the possible much reduced price...

My car was over 60% less than sticker after 3 years when I bought it... I had not leased it so a good deal to me... but I will probably lose half of what I paid in the next 3 years...

We're coming off a lease with our iX, and BMW will be taking it in the shorts. The residual is $57k and the lease has 6 months to go, and we can buy the exact car in the wild for low $40k right now. While that lease worked out in our favor, it appears they've learned their lesson and so leases are not attractive on the iX3.

We're also going to be way over on mileage on our iX. 18 months ago my other half was "returned to office" unexpectedly, and we've also piled the miles on the EV because it's such a great car and we enjoy driving it. (And yes, we have other cars, even with big V8's and manual transmissions!).

We're just over 30k miles and the iX will probably have 36k miles when we return it. The overage charge is $0.25/mile but we're hoping to negotiate some of that with the iX3 purchase, and, it's still pretty cheap considering the alternative is to run one of our gas cars at $6.00/gallon.

Also, we gained the $7500 clean commercial vehicle lease passthrough tax rebate on our last iX. That's no longer available to us, courtesy of the OBBBA.