Rob Drives the ID.4 | Review of the ID.4
Happy New Year VW Fans,
As many of you may know Fredericton Volkswagen now has an ID4 available for clients to try. I’ve personally been spending some time in our ID4 using it as my daily driver. The drive feels just like any other VW in our line up. It’s got a nice road feel, provides a very sturdy and smooth ride, and being electric has tons of power.
Initially I was very focused on the range meter. When your ID4 is not being used for maximum distance driving Volkswagen recommends that the vehicle maintain a charge of 80% or less. This ensures a better battery life and allows the software to more gently charge the ID4 between trips.
To give you an idea of the ID4’s range at 80% charge the ID4 will indicate approximately 280 kilometers of range. (see photo) Real world it’s not quite this far, but it’s not off by much. This is my January range and I’m not using the B mode which is the more aggressive electric brake regeneration feature. I drive with a heavier foot and had the heat turned up, heated seats on, heated steering wheel on along with 21.5 degree interior temperature. I’m not looking to change how I drive or what features I use when I drive. Further more I tend to let the heat run for a few minutes prior to getting in the ID4 kind of like remote start on a gas car today. In better weather the range will improve.
So what’s it like?
I discovered that every day I have more than enough range to go to work and back. Run around town during the day doing whatever driving I would typically need to do. At night I still have lots of range left to drive my kid to and from swimming, volley ball or whatever event I needed to. Zero issues or fear of running out of range even though on occasion I did get down below 100km remaining after a trip to Woodstock and back. After driving the ID for a while you get use to always topping it up at home and realize you rarely strike out for a big drive where you’re going more than 350 to 400 km in a single trip.
What did it cost me to charge? At night I used a normal 110 wall plug to recharge the ID. I don’t have a level 2 charger at home yet. Using the wall plug adds 5.5 km per hour while on charge. Most nights I added 50km of range. Very approximate math that would cost about $1.50 at todays NB power rates.
NOTE here is the real math calculation for anyone who’s looking to do it themselves: The ID4 has an 82 kWh battery with a useable capacity of 77 kwh. A portion is blocked so to speak. The net usable capacity is 77 kWh. If you charge from 10% to 80% i.e. 70% of the 77kWh you will have added 53.9 kwh to the battery. NB Power math 53.9kWh x 0.0061/kWh is about $6.26 cents to charge.
Is there a faster way to charge? Yes… At the store we have a DC charger known as a “fast charger” or level 3 charger. Additionally we also have a level 2 charger. Most EV owners would want a level 2 charger at their home. The cost of an L2 is 999 dollars plus install. It’s about the same cost from an affordability standpoint with NB power and its a gentle way to charge the batteries vs a DC FAST charger. To give an idea the L2 would take about 3 to 4 hours to charge the ID4 from 40 percent or 140 km of range left back to 80 percent or 280 km of range. All of this is communicated through an app on your phone so owners can monitor what’s happening with their ID4 while it’s being charged. You’re also able to do some cool stuff like turn on the heat or a/c in preparation for your next drive!
So what's next?
If you would you like to try an ID4 please reach out to the store. We have been arranging 24 hour test drives for clients who are curious to see what it’s like to spend a day in the life of an EV. Our staff can show you how to charge from any 110 plug or from a faster charger if you’re curious. The ID4 we have is equipped with snow tires and once you’ve had a chance to experience the vehicle I’m confident it will if anything open your eyes to what might be a vehicle you consider at some point in the future… To be clear I don’t think that an EV is perfect for everyone, but I can see one in many peoples driveway along side a gas powered counter part. Having experienced what it’s like to live with an EV does help provide a better perspective and helps address all the crazy posts I see on social media that are not always kind to the idea of electric vehicles. One thing is certain for some the transition has begun and when you’re driving around town one can’t help but notice many in our community have started to use electric mobility.