A year ago we leased a 2019 Niro Ev EX (base trim) as our first ever EV and we are thrilled with the car. It now has 12,700 miles and the only maintenance we have had to pay for was for a tire rotation. We live in Palm Springs, CA and drive in ECO mode with auto regen set on level 2 with the air con on at all times and we're getting 250-270 miles in range. One thing you didn't mention was a spare tire kit with a 55 mph max temporary tire and required tools (jack, etc) can be installed into the existing spare tire well. We bought one through our local dealership and had them install it and the cost was $270 including labor. Other than that you pretty much hit the nail on the head in your review. It's not a head turner but it is fun to drive with almost no maintenance and excellent safety features. We love the stop and go cruise control and use it in both city and freeway driving conditions. It will come to a complete stop if you hold down the left paddle and it also has "Auto Hold". There will be a lot more EV options when our lease ends on this car in 2 years time but I'm sure another Niro EV will be a strong contender.
I own a 2020 Kia Soul, which has the same mechanicals. You’re right that there’s no one-pedal driving, but you don’t need the brakes to stop it. You can apply the “more regeneration” paddle and that will stop it. The bonus is that if you stop the vehicle that way, it stays stopped until you apply the power, even on a hill. The maintenance of battery electric vehicles is crazy low. I have just received my first notice from the dealership that my car is due for service...after one year of ownership. Great review.
I put it into full regen setting and the car keeps coasting. I did not come to a full stop. But I didn't hold the paddle down while trying to stop if that's what you're implying. And where do you live that you have a 2020 Soul EV?
Driven Car Reviews Yes, that’s what I’m trying to say. Let’s say you are approaching a stoplight. From about half a block away you take your foot off the power pedal and regen kicks in to slow you down. That will get you down to (say) 5 mph, but after that you have to do something to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. You can: 1: Use the brakes. After coming to a stop the vehicle will “creep “ and you’ll need to keep your foot on the brake. 2: Use the “more regen” flappy paddle on the left side of the steering column. By holding that back the vehicle will stop and stay stopped. No creeping. It can be difficult to modulate at first. When you begin using the “more regen “ paddle you’ll occasionally wind up stopped, but 30 feet from the intersection, but you get the hang of it. I’m located in Victoria B.C. My eSoul was the first the dealer got of the new design. One notable thing is the effect temperature has on range. I drove to Seattle in January. I had made the exact same trip the previous June. The difference in battery performance was very notable. Much reduced in the cold. Maybe (guessing here) 30%. Love the reviews.
I heard somewhere that Hyundai and Kia EVs, if you use the brake pedal, it will use as much regen back into the battery as possible, until that is no longer possible, then apply the friction brakes.. this is almost like smart regen feature, maybe?
@@ELMS +1 for the more regen paddle, takes some getting-used-to, and auto regen uses the radar to modulate regen in traffic on top of that, and isn't easy to do when your stopping in a curve, but you guys are lucky on range, I'm probably in the only market where my 2019/20 Soul EV (called "e-Soul" here in Europe, no ICE versions here) doesn't have heat-pump (and therefor battery conditioning), for some reason, Spain has it, Germany has it (makes more sense), but France, nope, they considered we didn't need it 🤷🏻♂️
I love our Niro EV that we leased 9 months ago. It's pretty zippy and fun to drive. We can get 270 miles on a full charge, but I usually get around 250 because I drive it aggressively in sport mode which has a noticeable difference with more power. Also, the car CAN come to complete stop when 1-pedal driving, you just have to squeeze the left paddle shifter.
Great video! I am glad you liked the Niro EV. A couple notes, the regen levels are adjustable per drive mode so you can have ECO set to regen 3, Normal set to 2 and Sport set to regen 1, or 0, or whatever you prefer. Regarding the one pedal driving, if you pull and hold the left paddle the car will brake harder than regen 3 and will come to a complete stop. I drive mine without touching the brake pedal most of the time. I have some videos about this, and more, on my channel.
I feel the current problem with EVs is not range or infrastructure but purchase price. In Canada the Niro EV costs $20k more than the standard hybrid. 20k buys a hell of a lot of gas and maintenance especially on a hybrid. I drive 120km a day and it would take over 10 years for me to make up that cost difference even at previous gas prices.
Some of the important things still remaining as physical buttons instead of everything crammed into a screen is a win for me. This car is a little too boring for my tastes but Im glad to see not every EV has to be a ridiculous niche-mobile
If I didn’t have good low mileage cars, I would travel to get the 2020 EV Niro. I live outside the 14 states; but reliability is better and maintenance of EV cars is far less than ice cars. Thanks Tom, great video!
I own this car and after driving it for about a year I can say two things confidently. 1. This is my favorite car I've ever owned, and 2. I'm buying a Tesla for the supercharger network
I am leasing a 2019 - not a premium model. This vehicle is fantastic. I get 290 miles, but I live in Northern California. I set the braking at the highest level (3). It does come to a full stop, and when on an incline when you use the hand peddle it will hold until you drive off (without having to put your foot on the pedal). I drive into the mountains and I rarely if ever have had to use my brakes. This is a great car. Our other car is a BMW i3 which handles better but the range, comfort for passengers and the trunk space make up for that difference. We have had the car for 18 months and are considering keeping it. We purchased a JuiceBox charger and it works great and got rebates from the power company that covered the cost for the hookup.
My 2020 eNiro gives 280 miles on a full charge, much better than expected and EPA rating (about 4.4 miles/kW). With kayak on roof and loaded for a trip it gets 250-260 miles. In winter, with heat pump running, I got 260 - 270 miles. Edmunds tested and updated ranges of several EVs.
"When I finally parked it(Bolt) at my home charging station, it had gone 322 miles on a single charge. Not bad for a car rated at 238 miles per charge. Even more impressive was the fact that I didn't really try very hard to get that many miles out of it. I spent plenty of time in traffic, which helped, but there were a few sections that I was moving along at 65-70 mph as well. No matter how you look at it, 322 miles out of a Bolt is pretty impressive." - Ed Hellwig Edmund's
Norm T I would get the Bolt in a heartbeat but I have seen too many complaints about the seats. Luckily, the redesign for next year’s model supposedly addresses that flaw.
For the price you could have the seat cushion modified to your liking for a couple hundred bucks. Having over 30 cars over the years none were perfect, regardless of price.
I have driven the top model 🇬🇧 for a couple of years now. The difference between drive mode is at least on my model quite large, mine around town does 4.9 miles per kw and in the winter 3.9 per kw. The regeneration level can be set to what ever you like it to be when first turned on, it’s adjusted through the touch interface. As for stopping one can come to a complete stop without using the brakes by holding the left paddle up, that’s what I use most of the time. I’m led to believe that even using the foot brake will initially use regeneration before applying the break. There is also a setting called auto regeneration that will look at the car ahead and start apply various stages of regeneration as you approach the car.
Great review Tom! We just bought a Niro PHEV and love it! I also drive a Tesla Model 3 and had a Tesla Model Y that we sold to get the Niro PHEV (for our sons to drive). The PHEV has almost 500 miles on the odometer and only down a 1/4 tank so far! Love it!!
I own the exact model shown. I didn't know about the safety feature you demonstrated by opening the door while in Drive. Thanks! Heh, you do not have to use the brake pedal to stop. Holding down the left paddle provides max regen all the way to a stop. For me, "ECO" means economical. I traded in a 2011 Ford F-150 with an 8" lift kit for my Niro, and even with a monthly payment, this is costing me less to operate than the truck did on gas alone. I truly love this little car, mostly because it's just a car that happens to be electric. I'm not out there trying to pat myself on the back for driving it - like Prius owners - or make people think I'm rich - like Tesla owners. It's fun to drive and costs me pennies per mile. Awesome vehicle. I just realized you are filming in the Sumer set Neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington. Nice.
In Norway, where we use a lot of roadsalt during the winter, the brakes on ev's tend to last shorter. Braking is important to remove rust on the surface and a lot of ev owners forget to use them beacuse of regen and the brakedisc get destroyed by rust.
...but like if you wanna name drop Seattle City Light and PSE in like their ability to support us renters...it would be chill.... also call-out Hyundai/Kia and their weird choices in whether ev is sold in the Seattle/Western Washington/Washington State market... I mean, I am here for it....
I have the niro phev (wanted the ev but my lease was up before it was released) and i love it. I get 26 miles of range easily and that’s driving it pretty hard. If i drove the speed limit and less aggressive i can easily get in the 30’s. I fill up once every month or two (when things are normal and I’m going to work everyday). Kia has really upped their game and are bringing their all with electrification.
Maintenance would be the main (probably only) reason I would consider an electric vehicle. I've never understood why this wasn't more of the marketing communication plan in the first place. BTW - Not sure that electric vehicles are really that much cleaner since they're terrible on the environment to produce (and dispose of) and the electric to run these "green" cars comes from coal, nuclear and other less green options. Nonetheless, very good video. Keep it up!
If you want an omelette, someone's going to have to crack some eggs. While I wish they were more "environmentally friendly" to produce and that electricity was all "zero emission" (wind and solar infrastructure, as you likely know, require lots of dirty industrial procedure to produce), the fact is, it's not a clean process, however, neither is producing ICEVs or building power plants that use non/slow renewables. How much worse is the latter to the former? Idk. I believe there's a LOT of "greenwashing," but I still choose to drive an EV primarily (own 4 vehicles, 2 are electric), because I like it better, for many of the non environmental reasons Tom mentions. Better throttle response and acceleration, quieter and smoother drive train are pretty appealing.
Very good review, but I don't think you and other reviewers are doing anyone a favor by immediately dismissing the 120v charging option. Yes, using the granny cable to go from empty to full takes two or three days, but no one ever does that. Average daily travel is less than 50 miles (80 km), which can be recovered overnight. A home Level 2 charger is a convenience but, for many people, an unnecessary expense added to the already high cost of going EV.
Okay, I get that and I could probably work with that personally. But in my experience, it's important to be able to juice up quickly during those periods when the car is being driven a lot. My wife had to take care of her father after surgery and put a lot of miles on her Volt for a couple weeks. Without the gas engine (or Level 2 if it were a pure EV) she would have been in trouble. She had no time to stop at a commercial charger, her father didn't have an outside outlet at his place. So in that regard I'm going to be conservative with my advice.
Higher voltage charging is more efficient than lower voltage charging (by as much as 10%, from what I've read, when comparing 110v vs 220v). That being said, it would take a LONG time (we're talking decades) to recover a 220v EVSE purchase and install, based on 110v competitive energy savings alone.
@@marcoferrao At least part of it is filmed in the Laurelhurst-Wedgwood-Sand Point triangle, just northeast of downtown but still within city limits. But there are also some shots that look like they are from a suburb in a MUCH higher elevation, perhaps across Lake Washington. It's hard to tell by the angle, but my first guess would be Newport or possibly even Sammamish.
At 13:55..."Gas prices are at a historic low"....one year later (May 2021) we are paying $4.50 a gallon in California...I am heading to my local Kia dealer tomorrow
I suppose I qualify as a KIA fanboy (though I try to be objective) having owned two of their vehicles in the last 8 years. I have only one complaint about the brand. And it's NOT the look of its logo badge in the US. Rather, it's the names and spelling KIA has adopted for some of their models. First there are the sedans. I think their excellent Americanized version of a European GT would be more appealing if "Stinger" didn't conjure up images of attacks by insects or sea creatures such as electric eels or manta rays. The name "Optima" seems to me to be more appropriate as the name of a premium large screen TV than an automobile. To be fair, though, it's clear that changing the name of their excellent luxury level from "K9" as its known in Korea to "K900" in America was an astute move that avoids comments about the car being a dog. Good on that one, KIA. In other vehicles, the issues have more to do with odd spelling than with the names, themselves. We don't get the "Mohave" SUV in the US but if we did some might note that the desert in California is spelled with a "j" rather than an "h". The Roman emperor after whom the Niro is presumably named is spelled with an "e" not an "i". But in view of KIA's problems with engine fires in some earlier models, the risk of associating their excellent small crossover with the guy who fiddled while Rome burned might have led to the eccentric spelling. Then there are the models named after cities. They got "Telluride" right and the association with an upscale Colorado ski resort is good marketing. But associating the other midsize KIA SUV with a charming Italian city would be stronger if they spelled Sorrento with two r's rather one. Finally, and most notably, is the KIA Soul, a great little car with a strong cult following. But one wonders how KIA could misspell the name of Korea's capital city by omitting the "e" in Seoul. :) P.S. Relax folks....Before someone takes this seriously, it's meant (mostly) as humor.
I drive the E SOUL, SAME MOTOR, I MAKE 555 km in100% loading. I like the e soul still more. It’s a super car in driving. 12kwh by 100km driving on the high way. I drive on free sun electricity.
It is very popular here in the province of Quebec where incentive bring the price down to something reasonable but still high for what it is. The problem is availability. You have to order and wait. I see a few dealers in the province that have one but that is because the show room were close for the last few weeks.
Wow 15 inches shorter length than Tesla Model Y. Still looking forward to seeing both vehicles. I talked my twin sister into buying a Kia Niro EV in February and got a ride in one before the Washington stay home order went into effect.
Refreshingly normal, just what I need but can't afford. What's with the "You'll miss episodes if you don't subscribe" bit? Needs to be stronger and more persuasive, something like: "Subscribe or the puppy gets it" !!
I was hoping to get the Kia soul version of this car but because of the battery shortage, Kia has decided to skip the US for now. I just don’t like the look of the Niro, but it does have great range.
The implied comparison of the recent review of the MINIe and the EV Niro is an interesting one. KIA is aiming the Niro (and the other Korean entries) at families interested in replacing their ICE vehicles totally with a EV or a single driver who needs extended range in a daily driver. MINI is promoting their EV as a second or third vehicle in a family for daily urban and suburban duties while still owning a larger vehicle for extended road trips and other missions that exceed the MINI's range and passenger/cargo capacity. Those who purchase a MINIe as their sole vehicle either have limited needs or other options for long commutes or extended road trips. With current tax incentives the fully electric Niro's MSRP rivals that of a fully loaded gas only CRV or RAV4 or even hybrid versions of those vehicles. The MINIe is a bargain with an MSRP + tax incentives as low as a base version of a compact sedan or hatchback or in a fully loaded configuration no higher than the top trim of those vehicles. Long story, short? The MINIe is about half the price, half the size, and half the range of the Niro EV. On the other hand, the Niro offers a competent if uninspiring driving experience. The MINIe is a MINI with all that implies in terms of driving enjoyment. Different strokes for different folks. My family isn't prepared to give up our midsize AWD SUV for the less accommodating Niro EV. And unlike many of my neighbors who face a daily 100 mile round trip commute from our island in the Puget Sound to Seattle, my commute consists of dragging my ass out of bed to my computer less than a hundred feet away. (Lucky me.) Furthermore, my daily driver is a much loved GTI. If I'm going to give it up, it will be for a vehicle with a comparable driving experience. All in all, then, if given a choice between the Niro EV and the MINIe, I'd opt for the latter. But just like many other consumers, I'm not typical. Each vehicle (and others including those from Tesla) matches different consumer profiles. I'm encouraged that the variety of EV's and hybrids is expanding rapidly to meet such different consumer needs.
Another great video - thanks (and I'm doing my part - I bought a t-shirt). One idea/suggestion: How about approximating the cost of charging? Even just an estimate would be helpful. We know we'd be saving on the cost of gas, but that has to be offset by the cost of charging, right?
Hello Steven, Tom implied charging at home, but I imagine breaking out the cost of any particular thing plugged in at home is quite difficult unless you have an ultra-modern smart home or calculate the kWh in your car display with your home electric bill. But I can tell you my experience here in Korea. I previously had a Kia Morning (aka Picanto in Europe), an ultra-compact city car with a 999cc engine, and a gasoline tank that was half the normal size. Obviously, the price of gasoline and taxes are different here, and there are exchange rate issues, but on average, I spent about $40 a week on gasoline for basic commuting and excluding road trips. Right before the coronavirus blew up here, I bought a new Hyundai Ioniq Electric, the refreshed version with the larger battery. So, most people here don't live in single-family homes like in Seattle (I'm a Seattleite myself :-) ) or much of the US. I live in an outer suburb of Seoul, and it's still mostly highrise apartments or smaller 4-story apartment units called "villas". Many apartment complexes have installed high-speed chargers. But I live in a villa, and there is no outlet to be seen outside the building, and anyway, I can rarely park just beside where I live. And where I work, there are no outlets to be found either. So most Koreans with electric cars (sales of which have boomed in the past year) tend to charge at high-speed chargers. I go to a public one near a café I often visit. Similarly to my old car, though I'm driving a little less while trying to do social distancing, I charge about once a week. In less than an hour, I charge to 80%, and the price is... just under $5. Long story short: Gasoline ultra-compact car - $40 a week Electric car - $5 a week + coffee ;-)
Because of the infinite variables, it's tedious to do that in a video so I don't. But here's a great link to figure it out in your area- www.pse.com/pages/electric-cars/electric-cars-calculator FYI at 15K miles annually at $3.00 a gallon, it costs $1,400 to power a Honda Civic hatchback (plus oil changes) or $420 for a Bolt EV. Hope the shirt is holding, it's a collector's item now.
Gas engine: about 30% output/efficiency. Electric engine: over 95%. Love the fact that this car offers a REAL open air sun roof (Tesla turns me down on this one...). I Love the physical buttons too (how many hours a day do we spend on screens?) but... not usb female plug in the back, in 2020? Come on! I had a laugh with your use of the face mask! Always clever AND funny, Tom!
10:50 I used to work at Home Depot, for 3 years, and people returned those electric things more often than the gas powered ones. I never knew if it was the product, the customer or both. I hope you will have a better knowledge to use it properly and not be frustrated.
I've got an electric lawnmower and electric grass trimmer, both from Ryobi, and they're great. More than powerful enough to cut through grass and those annoying spiky weeds. I haven't run into any issues with the batteries either, though the juice from the batteries is almost certainly not enough for professional use.
I just did some yard work with them and have to say I'm VERY impressed. The blower is considerably louder than my old corded one though. The new high powered battery systems are much better than the wimpy ones you probably sold at HD (and I returned).
Used EVs are super cheap. My brother bought a used top trim Leaf for $12,000. After 18 months and 25K miles not one issue. Used to go to the gas station 2 or 3 times a week. No oil changes. He'll never go back.
Tom, you forgot something. In Washington State there is a huge tax on electric vehicles. WA state has (2) surcharges for electric 'vehicles' - $75 for "transportation electrification", and $150 for "electric vehicle registration renewal". You pay this every year as part of your license tab renewal fee. So much for saving money on gas... sigh...
You still come out ahead though if savings is your biggest concern. Drive 15K miles a year in Washington in a Civic hatchback and it will cost about $1,400 in gas. A Chevy Bolt would go that far on $420 worth of electricity. And there would be at least two oil changes on the Honda so add in $100 for that. And I'm okay paying that tax. The roads need to be maintained.
great review. one thing I noticed after driving electric is how old the internal combustion engine feels. its noisy, it rattles, smells, need to fix this and that, and so on.
Great review. I'm not sure if it qualifies as one pedal driving, but holding the left Regen paddle will stop and hold the vehicle. It will hold the vehicle regardless of 'Auto Vehicle Hold' selections in settings, that setting is specifically for holding the vehicle after using the brake pedal.
One pedal driving is completely possible with the car. As you said, left regen paddle does the trick. Also when cruise is in use the vehicle stops fully if the car in front stops also. In that case no brake pedal is needed and the car starts accelerating from a steering wheel button or by pressing the "gas" pedal.
The biggest problem with this one is the availability, it is just a compliance car, albeit a very good one. But no one seems to carry it hence you can't buy it or test drive it. Only EV's that seem to be readily available are the Tesla's and Chevy Bolt.
Shouldn't be an issue. My plug-in goes weeks without being driven if I have a lot of cars to test. I've heard it's best to leave a car that's not going to be driven for a few months unplugged at 80 percent charge and disconnect the 12v battery (or put it on a trickle charger).
Love the reviews. I really want to like the Niro EV and came close to buying one, but with all markets except the US getting LED headlights and has crappy halogen headlights.
One question, car stops if someone opens up the door . Let's say if someone driving at 100km/hour and opens up the door . What would happen . Coz there are so many cars behind in highway, it's gonna be so dangerous
My 2020 niro ev regeneration doesn't restart at 0, it actually restarts at level 3 when in eco mode. I wonder if starting in different modes change the level it starts in.
Tom, advice taken on used EV's...that's the way to go for some.....your videos are pristine. What is your estimate of the total time it takes to make a 15 minute video you're known for, including research, filming and editing? I'm curious.
I always thought oh you must be... uhhhh not so smart if you leave your car without turning it off. But the second day got owned my Camry hybrid I forgot to turn it off because the engine was off and it wouldn’t lock and I was like wha the hell!!!! Then I figured it out... face palm
The Niro EV is the most practical EV out there but even with its 6.5s 0-60 time it's so boring to look at and drive. It does have lots of features for the money. One thing that Tom didn't mention is the driver assist features. Niro EV comes with an autosteer lane keep & adaptive cruise control system which is great for highway miles.
Our devisive politics in this country plays a very real part in keeping EV's in the fringe. Imagine (gasp) both sides quit quarreling like a room full of self entitled four year olds long enough to develop a combined push in this country for EV tech and infrastructure. We have two Nissan LEAFs, a 2012 24kw SL model we bought last winter as a second EV for dirt cheap that needed its on board charger replaced. We replaced it ourselves for cost of part (video on my channel). We're one month away from our one year anniversary of buying our 2019 LEAF SL Plus. I've personally had it on a couple of longer trips (also detailed on my channel), and we're going to be performing what will be the longest distance trip yet in about a week. My only issue with the LEAF is their use of the CHAdeMO charge port which Electrify America only has one of at each station in malicious compliance with regulators, and maintains in operable condition with open contempt of the users.
Checked on KIA website estimated lease is $730 + for 36mo 12k/y. This is way more than Model 3 SR+. It seems KIA finance utilizes the $7500 but does not apply it towards the lease. For comparison 2020 Chevy BOLT EV lease is offered now around $330/mo
Yes, there's a bug in the lease calculator on the Kia website (which is shared with dealer websites because they use the same calculations). My Niro EV Premium (with all option packages) is sub-$400 pre-tax, and required only 1/3 of the down payment that the Tesla 3 SR+ needed to get down to that mark. And as of this writing, the lease offer on the Bolt EV LT is now $397/mo, pre-tax.
If it's like the Kona, you set the regen level for each drive mode. When you start up it will then revert to the regen level for whichever drive mode you are in.
@@DrivenCarReviews I don't know, but I've set mine either at 3 or AUTO after purchase and it stays that way every time. I don't believe I had to change any settings to make it do that.
It is possible to come to complete stop at low speed without using the brake by pulling on the left paddle behind the steering wheel. Some States have incentive or no sales tax. Kia still have the full $7500 Federal tax credit. Tesla and Chevy no longer have the Federal Tax credit.
You live here in Seattle-area? Me too! Anyways, I just picked up one of the last Kia Niro EV 2019s here... fun to drive, but the driver's seat seems tighter/narrower than my LEAF 2017 seats... oh well... but I love its longer range...
There was a time when mobile phones just managed to make phone calls, then came smart phones and it went quick. What is my point? EV's might be the most sold car type faster then we think. We have to wait and see.
240v which is what the majority of the world uses means you can charge overnight from the supplied granny charger in any domestic wall outlet overnight
Thanks for this review. I want this car! The sunroof is a negative for me though. I'm sensitive to the sun and allergic to sunscreen. (😏I should live in Seattle) Not to mention, it's one more thing that tends to break. So, I'll take the less expensive version. What else is missing that the premium version has?
You can always keep the sunroof closed with the shade and never use it. The premium has leather rather than cloth seats. Ventilated as well as heated seats. LED tail lights. Upgraded sound system. Those are the ones I know off the top of my head.
The only issue for me owning an EV is a lack of a place to charge. For me I would have to drive somewhere that has an open charge port, sit there for 50 minutes while it charges (unless its convincingly near a restaurant or something, and then likely it will be taken) and then go home, vs my gas vehicle I can stop at a gas station for 2-3 minutes and be on my way, and since they're everywhere I can find one on my route regardless. In todays world the normal hybrid is the best for most people. The other thing continuing to hinder EV progress is Tesla and their use of a proprietary charge port that they won't let others use (without a massive licensing fee that just isn't viable for any auto manufacturer). The Tesla charger is the Apple lightning chord of the car world.
Well, hopefully ChargePoint and Electrify America will change that. And really, that's started, I see them all over. One commenter scolded me for saying 110V isn't doable and in a way he's right. Most owners only drive 30-40 miles each day and plugging it in ASAP when returning home (or at work) would be completely doable for many (with the occasional quick commercial charge if things get low). But you not even have 110. Many don't. I'd rather have 220 though if it were my only car.
@@DrivenCarReviews Yea around here a 110 charger would just get stolen, and if it was locked into the charge port, they'd just break the port and take the cable anyways. EV's are optimal for city driving but most practical purchases for suburban families with garages attached to their homes (and these people don't want EVs unless its a luxury EV). And public chargers are still not consistently viable enough, between just the lack of them outright, people who plug their cars in the go shopping for 6 hours or people blocking ev only spots with large trucks because "go diesel or go home", or just the outright lack of chargers
I mean you pretty much have driven the car around the neighborhood. I would have liked to have seen how it handles in traffic, say in LA or Atlanta, or Denver. Also what does insurance on an EV run you? How much of a draw on the battery is listening to music or running the AC full blast?
It's perfectly normal on the highway (as I said, it's very quiet in that regard). Seattle traffic is the same as any metro area, slow when there's no pandemic. Check with you insurance company, it varies. And the HVAC question gets complicated depending how the car is heated, heat pumps like the optional unit on the Niro are much more efficient than resistance heating (as does pre-conditioning the car while it's plugged in).
It varies wildly, depending on where you want to put it. Some garages have the panel located there or the washer/dryer inside. Depending on your comfort with electrical stuff (and local codes) a home owner could install it with a $500 charge station. My situation is complicated. With a panel 50 feet from a garage that is solid concrete that's imbedded into the side of a hill. I'm currently deciding whether to install 240 because of all the EVs I'm testing. I can certainly do my own digging, not sure if Seattle code requires an electrocution to sign off. Always err on the side of caution with electrical.
@@DrivenCarReviews I have a finished garage, but the electric panel is in the garage. I may find out what it would take for it to get installed. Likely the finished walls would add to the cost as you'd have to punch into them in order to run the wire. The other thought I had since I have a multilevel and the lower part of the garage wall is the foundation, maybe I can do a minimal wall tear in and run the wire in conduit to where I want the outlet.
Of the leaf blower? But seriously, too many variables depending on where you live (gas prices, electricity prices, state EV incentives or taxes). They tend to be much less though. I keep using the example of where I live- at $3.00 a gallon, a Honda Civic hatchback costs around $1,450 to fuel for 15K miles (not including oil changes). A Chevy Bolt EV travels that far on $420 worth of electricity. There are Volt owners that have gone over 300K miles (120K on electric) with almost no battery degradation and the original brakes. That help?
@@barryw9473 Of course there are those maintenance items and you would know how much the cost on the cars you've driven. But in defense of ICE vehicles, plugs and and exhaust systems rarely get replaced. I have a 1990 Miata with the original exhaust.
Ok. On my Volvo V70, I've had to replace ignition coils, oxygen sensors, purge valve, gas cap (twice), thermostat, spark plugs (several times). None of these items will be replaced on my e-Golf. The low running costs of EVs are especially important for commercial and fleet vehicles. I doubt ICE vehicles can compete with EVs for running costs over hundreds of thousands of miles, or more. Any plans to test commercial EVs?
I drive a Hyundai Ioniq full EV. Quite nice and reasonably priced. One annoyance is the "VESS" (Vehicle Engine Sound System) which generates a fake spaceship sound at speeds below 18 MPH. It's very noticeable inside the car and cannot be disabled in US models. Hyundai / Kai - please make VESS inaudible inside the car. We don't need to pretend we are piloting a spaceship. My only other gripe is the push buttons for forward and reverse don't always engage, so even though 'D' or 'R' is pressed, the car doesn't change direction. Annoying. And possibly dangerous. No thanks to push-button transmissions. Minor gripes aside, it's been a good, possibly even great ownership experience. I had occasion to ride in a friend's new Porsche Macan recently and was disappointed with how noisy/shakey and unsmooth the ICE engine and transmission feel in comparison to the EV. It was a let down compared to the EV.
