Anyone have this as their ONLY car?

[oakvilleblake]

Hi. We're seriously considering the iMiev as our only car. We live in the suburbs but I commute by train. My wife works part time in another town. She's the main driver. We would trade in our 2007 Matrix for the iMiev, as we don't really need a second car (especially since I already have a rather pricey high performance electric Zero motorcycle with a range of 183km and economy of 287MPGe). My thinking is that it's cheaper to rent when we need to go further than it is to own a second car (insurance is expensive up here), and we have several rental outlets within walking/folding bike ride distance of our home. Plus I can use carsharing program from work if need be. Plus we have eco friends who would probably jump at the chance to exchange cars a few times a year when we need an ICE vehicle...

So my question is do any of you have this as your only vehicle? What has this been like?

blake

 

[tonymil]

I kind of, sort of have my MiEV as my only car. In a pinch I can drive my son's car, a beat-up but low-mileage '99 Mitsubishi Mirage. The car is actually mine as is the insurance expense, but to my son it's his car. I used to own a VW Passat but sold that when I bought my MiEV about 6 weeks ago. Insurance/maintenance cost was the main reason I gave up the Passat.

So far I've used my son's car twice and a rental car once. I do find that having this restriction forces me to really plan ahead. In fact, I have a golf tournament this Friday and the course is 36 miles from my house. Even if I avoid the highway I'm not sure I'd make it back without charging Some of us are stopping for breakfast first which is on the way and only 25 miles from my house. So maybe I can leave my car at the restaurant and hop in a friend's car, but I plan on calling the golf course tomorrow to see if they'll let me charge while I'm playing. Wouldn't that be nice!

As long as I plan well, I don't foresee my situation as being a big problem. But I don't think my six weeks of experience is enough to really be of much help to you. Let me know what you decide to do. It would be interesting to compare notes with someone else who has gone "all in".

Tony

 

[TaosEV]

While the i is not our only car, from 1998-2003 a Honda EV+ was my only car when I lived in San Francisco. I can count on one hand the number of times I actually needed to swap cars with a neighbor who was all too happy to have an EV for a few days.

The public charging infrastructure was poor too, with only a few compatible chargers at BART (regional train) stations.

I took numerous short vacations within 100 miles of the city, always using 120v slow charging, never had a problem.

You sound like you're in the perfect situation to be 100% electric!

How's that Zero S? it's been on my radar for awhile now.

 

[sandange]

Hi
We just made the decision and bought the Miev a few days ago as our only car
We had a 2008 Honda fit and managed to put 145,000km on it in 4 years, and I have a bmw motorcycle.
My wife commutes to the train station for work - 45 km round trip and our only concern is the winter time sitting in the parking lot. They are going to install charging stations at the train station soon.
We love the car so far (5 Days)

 

[JoeS]

sandange, congratulations on taking the leap! I have no doubt it will work out well for you.
oakvilleblake, I like the concept of simply swapping for an ICE car from friends/neighbors for the rare times its needed.
Both of you, do let us know how this works out for each of you.

 

[oakvilleblake]

thanks everyone for your replies. really interesting/exciting to hear from each of you.
i've been gobbling up everything i can online
i have about a dozen reviews and another 8-10 videos. surprised there isn't more
a good feature-length well-written blog about living with the i-Miev as a daily driver, peppered with interesting stories, is what I was looking for but haven't been able to find....

blake

 

[fjpod]

I would not make it my only car. I'm a firm believer in only charging at night when the grid is mostly idle. Then again, if you think you can get all your daily driving done within a 75 mile range, then go ahead.

 

[JoeS]

oakvilleblake, so many of the 'professional' reviews are written by individuals completely lacking in EV experience who fail to grasp the concept of a limited-range vehicle that is, nevertheless, eminently suitable as a daily driver. I started to make point-by-point rebuttals to the various review criticisms, but, for the sake of my health, I abandoned that project. The iMiEV is a modern vehicle that is quite at home on the Interstate as well as city streets - don't let some of those silly reviews lead you to believe otherwise. It's functionality is unassailable - it does its job very well.

I suspect your key question is the ability to live with "limited" range. As I had done years ago before I committed to my first EV (which had a usable range of 20 miles), you might consider writing down your daily driving needs - locations, mileage, dwell time at location, types of loads, power outlet availability, schedule needs, etc. and then visualize yourself using the iMiEV to meet those requirements. Play a game: "a day in the life of...". Unless you have many longer-distance trips during the day with no ability to recharge, I'll be surprised if the iMiEV won't fulfill most, if not all, of your needs. Mileage (i.e., miles driven) awareness is something you simply become very sensitive to, and plan accordingly. I remember myself being clueless as to exactly how far my various local destinations were and it was only after I got a $60 GPS and started tracking my various routes did I then fully recognize the vehicle's limitations - more importantly, this caused me to plan for and develop work-arounds before I got into range trouble. As pointed out elsewhere, daily mileages of over 150 miles are readily doable with minimal effort without resorting to Quick Charging.

Plugging in the iMiEV into your home L1/L2 EVSE is effortless and takes just a few seconds - it quickly becomes second-nature and is a helluva lot less trouble than going to a gas station. It's so nice to start off every morning with a "full tank".

The other question you may have is operating costs: this depends quite a bit on your location and the various electricity rates you're subjected to and whether they're tiered and/or influenced by time-of-use. You can easily factor that in to your driving-needs analysis.

Anyway, if you come across any 'professional' reviews which highlight areas of concern for you, please do feel free to ask specifics on this forum. Some of us spend too much time scribbling on this forum rather than simply sitting down and writing a blog (which would end up being soooo boring) ...

 

[jennrod12]

I'm a firm believer in only charging at night when the grid is mostly idle.

Fjpod,

I hear ya! I endeavor to only charge at night, but I still believe that charging during the day is preferable to burning gasoline.

I have mixed feelings about chargers at work. Some people would not be able to drive electric if there were not chargers at work, but many more others, I believe, will charge at work during the day just because it's free (assuming it's free). The best idea I can come up with is to charge more $$ at work than the price of charging at home, but less than the cost of gasoline. In fact, I think that should go for any public charging during peak grid hours.

Jenn

 

[fjpod]

FREE...there in lies the rub. Why should EV drivers get a free ride. I predict that when EV driving becomes more mainstream, Free will go away. Charging stations will charge at least as much as gasoline stations do, and if there is a parking space involved, they will charge even more.

Charging at work?? I suppose a few employers may keep it going, and if I had the opportunity to do it for free, I would...but since I am self-employed...there goes free. And since my commercial electric rates at work are higher, there goes any tax savings I might get.

I live in NYC and daytime electricity use in hot weather is a BIG problem. The local grid simply cannot distribute enough electricity to charge cars in the daytime.

In spite of all of that, I still think EVs should play a major role in city driving as it has great potential to reduce the smog shroud over places like NY and LA. Somebody's got to do something about pollution from trucks and buses though.

 

[Don]

Charging at work?? I suppose a few employers may keep it going, and if I had the opportunity to do it for free, I would...but since I am self-employed...there goes free. And since my commercial electric rates at work are higher, there goes any tax savings I might get

I'm really surprised that's the case. Usually, utilities (whatever the rates) are a part of the cost of operating a business and are treated very favorably tax wise. Ever wonder why so many restaurants keep the A/C so cold you can't wait to get out of there? - It helps them serve more meals per table per shift and it doesn't cost them much to do it. If you're paying the utilities at your business, charging your car there may not be completely free for you, but even with the higher utility rates, it shouls still be cheaper for you than charging at home at night with the lower rates - I'd have a talk with your tax accountant and see if this isn't the case for you too

If it was actually costing their businesses much money, I doubt that many employers would premit employees to charge for free, but the way tax laws in most states work, I suspect it's costing them very little if anything at all. Why should EV drivers get a free ride? Because its something their employers can do for them which doesn't really cost them anything. Most businessmen who value their trained, productive workforce are always looking for ways they can benefit them to show their appreciation . . . . especially ways that cost them little or nothing

Don

 

[fjpod]

mmmmmmm...everything has a cost.

There is no tax advantage to electricity per se, except that if it is used in the course of the business, it is a deductible expense. Technically using it to travel from home to the office is not. Any tax advisor would tell you that. If EV charging at work really catches on, I wouldn't be surprised if the IRS steps in and demands it be counted as part of one's pay.

I suppose if an employer is big enough to have a parking lot, and maybe 4 employees out of a 600 charge their car, they won't notice the increase in cost. But wait until 300 want to charge their cars. And really, why shouldn't employers give away free gasoline too?...to keep all employees happy. Fairness in the workplace...

 

[dsmall24us]

Don

I have a small business and we are billed for our electricity by what we use multiplied by a demand factor. Essentially we are billed for the 15 minute period per month that we have the highest usage. Plugging in BEV's during the day is expensive especially if the car is plugged in at the time of day when all my machinery and AC comes on. The utility rationalizes the high demand charges by the fact that they have to be prepared to meet the demand. Often times my electricity bill is doubled in the summer time because of additional AC and most importantly the demand multiplier.

Dan S

 

[jennrod12]

mmmmmmm...everything has a cost.

If EV charging at work really catches on, I wouldn't be surprised if the IRS steps in and demands it be counted as part of one's pay.

I've heard to two large employers in my area that offer EV charging at work. One charges a nominal fee (and the EVSEs are 120v, not 240v), the other offers free charging puts a monthly amount as an item on the employee's paycheck - taxable, I guess. Like it's a benefit. But I bet most workplace charging is currently free.

My previous employer had one 240v EVSE that could charge two cars at a time, and it was free - this was before I had an EV to take advantage of it. At first it was great, but now I hear that people get mad at other people for hogging it - now that so many employees have EVs (yay!).

Jenn

 

[oakvilleblake]

This thread has gotten a little off topic ;-)

Meanwhile we've been exploring our options. I put out an invitation to a number of friends I thought would be sympathetic to car-swapping whenever we need to make an errand or day-trip that exceeds the range of the i-MiEV, and the response was overwhelmingly positive, and very encouraging. I also checked out car rental rates (which vary widely) and the 5 car-sharing programs (for-profit and co-op) in nearby cities (Toronto, Guelph, Hamilton, but alas not where I live)... I've also put a call into my insurance company to see if our rate would likely be hugely impacted (have not heard back from them yet).

The dealer also has the model and colour we want (white base model), and I've been able to source a crucial accessory (from the US) that is not available in Canada (window mini-shades that allow you to keep the window open a crack without rain getting in).

Next step is to have the Eaton folks do a home residential charging assessment to see if we can get a Level 2 charger installed.

Things seem to be coming together. But it's a much longer process than a regular car purchase....

 

[JoeS]

oakvilleblake - good on ya! (as the Aussies would say) for doing your homework before taking the leap. Nice to have friends willing to swap cars and they may well become EV converts after they realize just how practical our iMiEV is for daily use.

As you've read elsewhere on this forum, be sure to investigate other options in addition to the quote for an Eaton EVSE. If you already have a dryer outlet in the garage, that may well suffice as a power source for Level 2. If you're not doing it yourself, I would at least get a quote from a conventional electrician to install a lower-cost J1772-compliant EVSE. If they indeed need to run conduit and do a proper installation, think long and hard about the exact most-convenient EVSE location for you, as using only 3' of a power cord is much easier/faster than dragging a 15' cord around. See http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=505

Do let us know how of your progress, and then how the iMiEV works out for you over time.

 

[TaosEV]

Congrats, Oakville ... and thumbs up from here for the Eaton Level 2 EVSE. We bought one direct from Eaton with their excellent technical support (at least in the US), and had a local electrician install it in less than an hour.

 

[Don]

As others already mentioned, do your homework when it comes to selecting a Level 2 charger and getting it installed - This should cost you around $1,000 or maybe a bit less, depending on how far away from a 240 volt source your garage is. Here in the US we can get the Pass & Seymour Level 2 charger for around $750 from either Home Depot or Amazon.com and then check with a local electrician about getting a new 240 outlet positioned where you'd like to mount the charger. Once you have an outlet, it's as simple as plugging it in and mounting it to the wall with a few screws

You can also send your OEM Level 1 charger off and get it reworked for about $300 and it will charge your car at either 120 volts @ 13 amps or 240 volts @ 13 amps once you have a suitable outlet to plug it into.

If you're 'electrically inclined' you can also build your own Level 1/2 charger for less than $500 - There is an Open EVSE website which will sell you the key components and guide you through a DIY build

Level 2 charging doesn't have to cost a fortune. Depending on how you'll use your car, you might not need a Level 2 charger at all. If you typically have 8 or 10 hours overnight to charge, an upgraded 13 amp Level 1 charger works just fine off a standard 120 volt outlet. That's what we use 95% of the time

Don

 

[MLucas]

Oakville - I live in Niagara on the Lake, so close to where you live. The Eaton charger is actually well priced compared to other chargers available from places like Home Depot. I went with the Square D charger from Home Depot, because I could get it in the shortest amount of time and the price was right. The quote I got from Utility Partners of Canada is $780 dollars for the Eaton unit and with tax its $881.40. I dealt with a guy named Jesse Brooks. My Square D after going through customs and paying NY state tax, was about the same price. Still I feel this is a major rip off, there is a PCB, a relay and a fuse set and that is it.

If you go to OpenEVSE like Don mentioned, you'll see how simple these things are. They are not chargers like you'll see many say they are. The charger is actually in the car, this is simply a safety switch. OpenEVSE charges about $600 dollars for everything to build your own. So, with these large manufacturers buying power there is no way these thing can be costing them this much to build them ($1000 dollars - really?).

I wasn't going to spend any more money on my home charging setup, so I did the work myself. I got luckly because when we had the house built, it came with a 40A circuit for the stove. I had it switched to gas instead. Fortunately, the rafter bay where the stove outlet is located is directly in line with my garage. I was able to remove the stove outlet, splice in 8/3 wire for a nice dedicated circuit out to my garage. Ran some conduit out towards the door. It's a real easy hookup.

Best of luck with your purchase decision. I take mine to Buffalo, NY everyday and have an easy 4 bars left on my fuel gauge.

 

[oakvilleblake]

Thanks for the tips on chargers. Eaton called me back (from their South Carolina office) and quoted me $980 for the unit or about $2,000 installed, but is putting a local Oakville-based contractor in touch with me. I've heard horror stories of this costing as much as $5,000 to get a Level 2 charger installed, so I told the dealer I'm not signing anything until we see what we're quoted to get the charger.

Our situation is a bit complicated because:
• our electrical panel is at the opposite end of the house from the garage, and the entire basement is finished with plaster walls and ceilings (so may have to run conduit outside?)
• we already converted our central air and dryer plugs/breakers to other uses (extra kitchen outlets and geothermal heating/cooling, respectively), and I think we may not have any breakers left, which may mean installing a whole new breaker box or upgrading from 100 amp to 200 amp service
• we converted the garage to storage for Zero electric motorcycle, hybrid electric mountain bike, 5 other bicycles, a kayak, and a solar food dryer on wheels, + solar-powered freezer... so there is no space to park a car in there. And the new permeable driveway is configured to keep the car(s) close to the street and the area near the garage more like a path, so it's not like we would be parking right up against the garage either. But the Eaton online advertising video shows someone charging with a fairly long cord, so my thought is to put the charge controller in the garage (to be more safe) but have a long cord so it can reach the car in its usual parking space.

Ideally, perhaps, we'd charge directly from our 4kW solar PV panels, but we get a good rate selling that power to the grid ($500/month) so it seems smarter to sell it out and buy it back at a lower rate...

Hope it all works out... I find myself now quite keen to make this change. We will own nothing that uses gasoline, not even a lawn mower. I'm pretty jazzed about that.

blake