imtigahwoodz

Yeah, I'm seeing more and more EV's on the road. For now, typically Mon-Wed, the carpool lane does help. I would say it takes off an average of 15min on my 30 mile commute one way. Th-Fri drive home, forget it...all lanes are usually packed.

I've only had the EV for about 3 weeks now but so far it meets all of my daily commuter needs. I can easily get around 90 miles on a full charge. I drive in a lot of stop and go traffic so it doesn't require as much juice from the battery. Weekends are a little tougher sometimes. If we are taking anywhere near an 80 mile round trip drive, I'd rather just take the van. Just don't want that restrictive feeling when we are out and about with the family. It would suck to have to find a charging station while dealing with the kids as well.

My only gripe so far is the whole GPS/radio console is not that user friendly. Maybe it's because I haven't really read the manual on it yet but it shouldn't be this confusing. Also, I wish there was more trunk space. It barely fits 2 golf bags or our baby stroller.

As far as the battery life long term, I'll just have to wait and see how it holds up a year or 2 from now. Honda says they are good for about 6500 charges.



That's great you found a dealer that doesn't have a waiting list. Good luck to you...btw, how is the Rav4 working out so far?

marthafokker

My wife is now doing her commute in the Rav. She loves it. The only concern I have it the Tesla/Toyota quality on this compliance car. There are many reports of funky computer issues. The "gateway" devices do not always communicate between Toyota and Tesla parts properly. I got a few times of "check cruise control", as it is not working. Others have major issues with car not working because of "gateway" issues. Some even had bad motors.

Other than quality issues, the car itself is great. Very smooth, going beyond 80 mph without even knowing. Very quiet too, as Toyota insultated the Rav like a Lexus (with Lexus thicked windshield too). Basically driving a hot rod in sheep clothing... for all of 151 hp, now if only Tesla provides the software mod to change it back to 310hp.

imtigahwoodz

Sounds like a very nice ride. I'm sure you surprised some people with how quick these cars can be. I don't hit 80mph in the Fit too often. Driving these EV's have really changed my driving habits.

On a side note, since I've been trying to maximize the 'unlimited miles' under this lease deal, I've only driven my S once since I got the Fit at the end of Aug.

RedCelica

I have been strongly considering an EV for a daily since my Altima drinks gas and my commute (25 miles one way) just tripled now that we bought a house. The range concerns me, but maybe there is a charge spot here at work that Im not aware of

That's a slamming lease deal btw.

imtigahwoodz

You're right, most people aren't going to be able to get this deal on the FitEV. But the handful of dealerships I've spoken to were upfront about the whole situation and the availability of the car. Yeah, I was disappointed at first but moved on quickly knowing there was nothing the dealerships or I could do about it...


I think 25-30 mile one way commutes are perfect for most of the EV's out right now. 50-60 mile roundtrip and you would still have enough to grab lunch somewhere close and perhaps run a few errands on the way home from work.

I've heard in the cold weather, the range will drop though. I'm in Socal so not too worried about that, but it may be something to take into consideration.

marthafokker

The nice thing about the FitEV is it being so efficient that you could do a quick 1 hr recharge somewhere if you need to. 1 hr at 6.6kwh is maybe about 25 miles extra?

imtigahwoodz
Is your FitEV's range (85 miles?) you are getting from 100% charge or 80% charge?

imtigahwoodz

25 miles per hour charged sounds about right...yeah, the 85 miles is from a full 100% charge.

I'd be curious to know if your wife notices any significant decrease in range in the winter months. How cold does it get up in NorCal in Nov-Feb?

AZS2KDancer

I'm looking at a new job with a 100 mile per day round trip commute. That Fit would be pushing it for me if I don't have a charging station at the workplace. Is it totally electric? Are they available in Arizona?

imtigahwoodz

Yes, they are totally electric. Without a reliable charging station near your work, the Fit would not work for you. They aren't available in Arizona.

They are being leased in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Rhode Island.

Maybe look into the Rav4EV? I think they have a little over 100 mile range, but even then, I don't know if that would really work out for you either. You'd be pushing really close as well. Check with Marthafokker, he has one.

I think the Volt or a regular hybrid would be best for a 100 mile commute. Maybe look into a NGV? Problem with NGV's is that there aren't many stations around.

marthafokker

A little nippy here in NorCal during winter months. The recommendation is to use the seat warmer first before bumping up the heater by other Rav4ev owners. And the Rav4ev has 3 settings, the hottest setting is hotter than I like, so it should work out. Then a pair of glove on top will make it work. The Rav4ev does not have steering wheel warmer. If only my wife understands to using the seat warmer first.