What Other EV's Have You Driven?

[Phximiev]

Long trip in a conversion!

https://youtu.be/Ex585HR0wBs

 

[phb10186]

Other than my IMIEV, I've driven my parents IMIEV... does that count?

Both are registered in 2012, but I think my parents one is the previous model year, as there are several differences, not only to spec and trim parts, but the car drives slightly differently (mine feels smoother but marginally slower, their brake booster is louder and on for longer)...

... also ridden a BMW C Evolution electric scooter as a test... great, but I cant justify one yet.

 

[jray3]

I just added another EV to my collection, a professional conversion of a 2000 Mazda Miata. Here's some photos.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Aq1CGXNwtaP7hZIbTwvjg2D7YyvyMw
It was the dream retirement project of a gentleman who unfortunately passed away in the latter stages of the project, so his widow paid for its completion, but as she did most of her driving in a Nissan LEAF, the car sat too long and that inattention 'bricked the pack'. It is a 156V system with the Synkromotive 750 amp controller, a Zivan 240V charger, the uber-nice EVISION gauge by Metric Mind, and thirteen Valence UCharge XP Group 27- 12 Volt 130 Ah lithium batteries. I have some experience with these batteries and there's a chance of resurrection, so I've had them percolating on a 1 amp charge for several days now and hope for a test drive this weekend. They won't output any more than 500 amps, but would make a fine long-lived pack for a daily driver in the local area. As icing on the cake, my original i-MiEV 12V battery, which I prematurely replaced during the battery charger failure episode, was the right size for a Miata house battery and immediately woke up the car, with that beautiful EVISION display shining forth in technicolor and logging EVery amp-hour that enters the pack.
http://www.metricmind.com/products/evision-2/
My daughter immediately relinquished her claims on MR BEAN in favor of this red roadster, to which my son replied- "Sure, I'd never give up the RX-7."

 

[PV1]

Let's see, outside the normal i-MiEV, LEAF, Volt, i3, I can now add to my list:

1. 2011 Tesla Roadster (old news now)
2. Tesla Model X
3. Chevy Bolt (obviously, I own one now :lol: )
4. Corbin Sparrow (Thanks, Joe)
4.5 Sat in the driver's seat of a Model 3.

 

[greenteam84]

My wife has a 2013 Nissan Leaf SL that I sometimes use.

 

[PV1]

Got the opportunity to take a Model 3 for a quick drive last fall. Combine the comfort and performance of the Bolt with the vantage point of driving the i-MiEV, and that's what driving the 3 felt like. Lots of power and good handling with the feeling of being right on top of the road.

My Pap bought a C-Max Energi, and after test driving it, the Energi is everything we want in the C-Max Hybrid (stronger/longer lasting regen and more electric power). They are averaging 70 MPG with only home charging. Being an alternative to their F-150, the gas savings are making the payments :mrgreen: .

Also took a Pacifica Hybrid for a test drive a while back, but couldn't get a feel for how it operates. Dead drive battery (hybrid mode) combined with a salesman that wouldn't stop talking :evil: . I'm still not too impressed with it's fuel economy (32 combined gas/electric). My parent's old 2004 Cadillac SRX got 24 MPG with a high-performance V6, and it was just as big as the Pacifica.

 

[JoeS]

My Pap bought a C-Max Energi, and after test driving it, the Energi is everything we want in the C-Max Hybrid (stronger/longer lasting regen and more electric power). They are averaging 70 MPG with only home charging...

So, recognizing the expansion of CCS availability, now that your parents have owned it for a while, is there anything that the C-Max Energi (with its ICE) does that your BoltEV doesn't?

Latest new BEV I drove around the block is an i-Pace. Nice, but not gobsmacking. When I recently went to the Jaguar dealer to enquire about towing capability (after all, it has lots of torque), the answer was that towing with the i-Pace is forbidden.

I'm looking forward to a test drive of the Hyundai Kona EV as all indications are that it might be a nice future replacement should one of my i-MiEVs die or get killed. With the proliferation of BoltEVs, more and more I'm experiencing charging station availability anxiety whenever I'm taking longer i-MiEV trips in the Bay Area, since all the DCFC stations are shared CCS/CHAdeMO. I know, I know, that's what the Tesla is for, but I really prefer not to be driving the Tesla in town.

 

[PV1]

So, recognizing the expansion of CCS availability, now that your parents have owned it for a while, is there anything that the C-Max Energi (with its ICE) does that your BoltEV doesn't?

My grandparents have the Energi. My parents still have their hybrid (sorry, should've worded that better).

Either way, the C-Max is good for making those 200+ mile trips with heat. There's still little infrastructure to the east, which is the direction we travel regularly. In the summer, we take the Bolt. In the winter, we take the C-Max. Cabin (and battery) heat just takes too much energy.

Now, if there was a quick charger in Somerset, things would be different. There is a Supercharger there already, so maybe a Model 3 would've been a better choice in that regard. :?

 

[phb10186]

My IMIEV (which is a less common 'Keiko' spec with brown seats, dash and trimmed door cards, chrome touches and so on)
My Parents IMIEV (which actually drives a bit different to mine, even though a 2012 also, quite a lot of spec differences, but feels slightly quicker off the mark, though an earlier spec iteration, and only the driver seat is heated).
BMW C Evolution electric maxi-scooter - which I thought about buying as a replacement to my now 11 year old Honda SH300 commuter, but is a totally unfeasible economic proposition even though it is very quick... and to be fair, the SH300 is probably the best vehicle I have owned from a utility/ reliability standpoint.

By the way has anyone yet realised that the door mirrors are heated (I only just found that out), and they also automatically deploy from folded at 20mph or so after turning the car on.

 

[cjm1219]

I'll play. Keep in mind imiev is my first EV and have only had if for 3 weeks.

I have been interested in EVs for a long time but never ready to invest much money.

Jet Electrica. Test drove one about 10 years ago. Slow but quite. Car itself was in pretty rough condition so passed on it.

Zap xebra. Friends project. Very slow and rough.

Noticed Used leafs getting cheap over the past year so started looking more seriously. I was looking to spend $4-6kb depending on the car.

2012 leaf. Very nice and comfortable car although quite boring and the battery of the older ones worries me a bit. Plus I couldn't get one cheap enough

2016 Chevy spark. Quick power of the line. Decent car but felt cheap, maybe cheaper feeling than the imiev and more cramped inside. Also couldn't get it cheap enough for me to buy

2012 i-miev. A bit slow off line but then peppy. Fun handling and very zippy in traffic. Was able to but for quite cheap. I'm having fun with it.

Need to drive a Tesla

 

[iwatson]

A Chevy Volt - Owned for the past two years. The first time I ever drove it was when I drove it home from Dallas Texas to Memphis, Tennessee. Love It, Love it, Love it. Use it as an EV to commute to work and back with no range anxiety when called upon to make unexpected or unplanned excursions. Also have made several road trips. Love the versatility and the fact that there are no compromises when transitioning from an ICE car.

2 Nissan Leafs - Test drives, Really liked it but my wife didn't. I feel the car is more refined than the i-Miev with more range, 5 seats, larger & roomier than the miev but I was concerned about The battery pack not having a TMS and the life of the battery in Memphis hot summers. Felt that the car was too pricey for a limited range car.

I-Miev. My wife's new (used) car. Was less than impressed with the car originally. Felt it was too small, too little range, not as techy. Rather strange design/look. My wife and children called it a clown car and suggested I wear big yellow shoes when test driving. My wife was afraid of going to an all electric car due to limited range. We warmed up to it because of price. We got it used with 8800 miles for $10,500. Monthly payment is less than we were paying in gas for her mini-van. After one month it's not a clown car anymore. She's lovin' it. This month she's put more miles on her i than I've put on my Volt. Deceptively impressive little car. Handles anything she throws at it and hasn't seen turtle mode yet. Even though it's not real high tech inside, I love how it sits up taller than my Volt and easy to get in and out of. Seats sit real firm.

This was written in 2014

Since then:

We added a second i-miev (but this one was an SE premium) Bought used (7500 miles) $6495 plus $500 shipping
Then a third I-miev SE, which we didn't need so we turned around and sold it. Bought it for $2650 + tax
sold for $5000

AND NOW!
A 2017 Chevrolet Bolt Premier $43,000 dollar car we bought used (11,000 miles) for $30,000 Drove 800 miles to Texas and towed it home on a tow dolly behind the motor home. That was a fun trip!

also

BMW i3 w/range extender: 2 test drives. Really like this car but suffers from weird looks, small, strange rear doors, reliability issues

Ford C-Max energi: Have test driven this car and would eventually like to replace one of my i-miev's with a used C-max energi. My wife rarely drives far (that's why she loves the i-miev) so the 20 mile EV range of the energi would work for her most of the time. Sometimes when the weather is cold she has a little range anxiety we she does venture a little further than normal. She has to drive her i-miev with the heat off which is a sacrifice I wish she didn't have to make. She also might like to take a 200 mile road trip occasionally, which is not do-able in the imiev. And the C-max energi is rated to be dinghy towed (4 wheels down) behind the motor home. Used prices are favorable.

Never driven, but I've ridden in a Tesla Model S and a Tesla Model 3

 

[rmay635703]

Impact at an energy fair in the 90’s

1981 Comutacar
2005 Miles zx40

 

[PV1]

Impact at an energy fair in the 90’s

You win .

 

[PV1]

I can add Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (more in-depth drive) and Tesla Model S to my list. Also took a second spin in that Model 3.

 

[PV1]

While I haven't driven one (yet), I did see my first Model Y two days ago. Dark blue with aero wheels that drove past my work.

 

[misterbleepy]

I have now driven a 2020 Renault Zoe EV - it's the replacement for our old Toyota Prius "long range" vehicle.

52KWh battery, hitech dash compared with my iON, but still quite a small car, especially by US standards I imagine - might even be a similar size to the US "wider" i-MiEV.

Front motor, front wheel drive, very nippy off the mark (even though I only opted for the 110KW "engine" over the 135KW sporty version).

Type 2 connection (max 22KW AC), and CCS (max 50KW), accessed through the front central Renault badge.

It managed a 140 mile round trip on fairly fast hilly roads with over a 1/3rd of available charge left. Showing 230 miles range after a full recharge.

Link to manufacturers website - https://www.renault.co.uk/electric-vehicles/zoe.html - I'm guessing this car will never make it across to the US, it is getting quite popular in the UK & Europe.

Here it is plugged in (with a J1772 cable and an adapter I bought as our 2nd charging point hadn't been fitted at that time):

 

[acensor]

Elsewhere here, I mentioned ithat after eight years with the MiEV, Four months ago we purchased a new 2021 Bolt.
Really can’t say enough good things about it, despite the nuisance presently being told not to charge above 90%, until Chevy installs a new main battery to mitigate the tiny fire risk.

About the only thing I can think of to quibble about is this:
Like many new cars, It has a lot of intelligent driver assistance features, such as Blindspot detection, Automatic braking if it detects an impending collision, etc.
It also has lane keeping assistance. But it's Implementation of that is half hearted.
It will warn if I’m about To drift Out of my lane, and gently nudge the wheel back.
But, unlike the lane keeping Feature on the new Subaru I test drove, You can’t just let go of the wheel and trust it to keep you accurately cruising down the middle of your lane.
Instead, if you try to used it that way It sort of weaves left and right within the lane and tells you that YOU really should be steering.
It’s not that I would ever totally depend on The lane navigation feature, but if they put it in there I like the way Subaru's…And I believe many other modern cars…Implement it much better

 

[PV1]

Alex, look into OpenPilot. It’s a hardware kit you can add and enable some self-driving capabilities, somewhat on-par with Tesla Autopilot. It plugs into the camera behind the mirror.

Don’t know if it counts, but I took a ride in a Model S P100D early this year, including a few attempted Ludicrous launches (the car wasn’t fully prepped and had 5 people in it).

I also now own an electric longboard, which is my new favorite way to get around the city. So much more convenient than a bike, though I have a hard 20-mile range limit thanks to the slow charger.

 

[Don]

In nearly 10 years with our first iMiEV, I've never driven any other . . . . until last week when I bought a 2021 VW ID.4. When you compare it with the iMiEV, which cost us roughly $36,500 in 2021 dollars, the ID.4 is a completely different animal at $41,750 including destination charge. That extra $5K gets you all sorts of tech, an 82Kw battery . . . . and a 260 mile range

Don

 

[alviseven]

We have just bought this week our first I-MiEV but have previously driven a 1976 Enfield 8000 - restoring one too