Will an e-Golf suit?

Vronsky

My mother has recently retired and had now found herself with a large diesel and nowhere to go. Up until she stopped working she would have been doing in excess of 40k kms/year and very few short journeys. Now she does little more than 100km/week and all short journeys - apart from occasionally driving to the airport 130km. I've noticed her car attempting to regenerate the dpf a few times now so it's fairly obvious her driving patterns do not suit diesel.

She's always been a fan of VW, but the choice of electric and hybrid vws is very limited: essentially e-Golf or gte Passat. The GTE Passat would seem to be her natural choice as it's swapping a big car for a big car and wouldn't have the range worries, but it's insanely expensive for what it is. I actually think the e-Golf would suit her, but it's motorway range would be key. Would it be able to do the trip to the airport non-stop at motorway speed? She won't buy electric unless it can do the airport trip non-stop.

She's very much guided by what her garage tells her as well - and they have told them that there are no hybrid VWs available. Is the GTE and e-Golf only available to a limited number of selected dealers?

goz83

I’m sure shefwed will be along with more info pn the egolf. Most of us think it’s overpriced, but there arean’t any other options if your mother insists on VW.

Both the ioniq and the 2018 Leaf would do the journey non-stop and then she could charge at the airport. The Leaf woukd be a bit closer to the golf style wise....and by that I mean she could easily get in and out. The ioniq is a bit lower down.

The new Leaf is supposed to be in showrooms this month....unless a trip up north is in the cards.

Shefwedfan

A couple of e-Golf owners knocking around boards so should not just be me :-)

If she is a fan of VW then she will love the eGolf. I have a 15 eGolf, love it. After a year of driving, I average 17kWh/100km. This seems to be similar to the new model as well after I checked on the Worldwide eGolf pages. So I average about 120-140km per charge. That is a 26kW battery.

The new eGolf has 35.8kW and with 17kWh/100km you will be good at 200KM+. Most people are getting above that.

That's the maths out of the way. The car itself is lovely to drive, I would recommend to bring it for a test drive. Next question is of course where are you located? At the moment only 2 VW dealers are certified to sell. VW Liffey Valley(I use) or Blackwater motors in Cork. I got mine serviced in Liffey Valley the other week and they know their stuff.

Supply is also an issue, just to be warned. Liffey Valley has sold over 10 this year which doesn't seem like many but they had requested less so if you order then put onto waiting list. In US/Canada the waiting list if 6 months, I think it is not that bad here....again VW can tell you....

Mine is full spec, automatic parking/adaptive cruise control/ etc etc. It was imported. Not sure what the Irish models are coming with.

Vronsky

Shefwedfan wrote: »

A couple of e-Golf owners knocking around boards so should not just be me :-)

If she is a fan of VW then she will love the eGolf. I have a 15 eGolf, love it. After a year of driving, I average 17kWh/100km. This seems to be similar to the new model as well after I checked on the Worldwide eGolf pages. So I average about 120-140km per charge. That is a 26kW battery.

The new eGolf has 35.8kW and with 17kWh/100km you will be good at 200KM+. Most people are getting above that.

That's the maths out of the way. The car itself is lovely to drive, I would recommend to bring it for a test drive. Next question is of course where are you located? At the moment only 2 VW dealers are certified to sell. VW Liffey Valley(I use) or Blackwater motors in Cork. I got mine serviced in Liffey Valley the other week and they know their stuff.

Supply is also an issue, just to be warned. Liffey Valley has sold over 10 this year which doesn't seem like many but they had requested less so if you order then put onto waiting list. In US/Canada the waiting list if 6 months, I think it is not that bad here....again VW can tell you....

Mine is full spec, automatic parking/adaptive cruise control/ etc etc. It was imported. Not sure what the Irish models are coming with.

Thanks for that shefwedfan. She's in Roscommon, so not close to either Cork or Dublin for servicing. She might also find out hard to move away from her present dealer whom she has had a good relationship with, although I'm not sure what loyalty counts for these days.

Just on the figures you quote, I've done a bit of research and your 17kwh/100km seems fairly typical, but would that be for urban/mixed driving? I know an electric does well in the city where it has a chance to regenerate unlike on the motorway, and can get good figures but how does the e-Golf do on the motorway at 120kmh? No matter how good the car is in her day to day driving, she just won't consider it unless it can do the airport run one-way non-stop.

I know the only real way of finding out it's suitability is to do a long test run, but I appreciate the advice/shared experience all the same.

unkel

goz83 wrote: »

I’m sure shefwed will be along with more info pn the egolf. Most of us think it’s overpriced, but there arean’t any other options if your mother insists on VW.

VW seem to do a great deal on scrapping / trading in a diesel. I'm not sure about the details, but is is worth looking into

The eGolf is a great car, far better than Ioniq or Golf. It's small though, but that would be no problem for the OPs mother.

xl500

If she Likes VW she may Like Audi Etron same stable maybe her dealer is Audi as well

Also BMW I3 Rex would be a great car for her

Shefwedfan

I didn't tell you this, but if you have an old banger and a decent car....they will accept the banger and you will get 4k off and also give you the trade in value of the other car as well.

Really you need to test drive the eGolf. By all means have a look at Leaf & Ioniq but a test drive in eGolf should make the decision easy

Shefwedfan

xl500 wrote: »

If she Likes VW she may Like Audi Etron same stable maybe her dealer is Audi as well

Also BMW I3 Rex would be a great car for her

The Audi e-Tron is more expensive than the eGolf. Not sure why she would need for doing 100km a week

Also the BMW i3 is more expensive than the eGolf, dont see requirement for REX either.....if i3 the full electric would work

My wife loves Audi/VW but she had a BMW and hated it, most people I find are either BMW or Audi/VW people.

Casati

Shefwedfan wrote: »

The Audi e-Tron is more expensive than the eGolf. Not sure why she would need for doing 100km a week

Also the BMW i3 is more expensive than the eGolf, dont see requirement for REX either.....if i3 the full electric would work

My wife loves Audi/VW but she had a BMW and hated it, most people I find are either BMW or Audi/VW people.

I think it’s pointless considering ev as she does such tiny mileage, her fuel costs must be negligible as it is.

She should consider a petrol VW and will have a great choice of cars and spec’s available.

Shefwedfan

Casati wrote: »

I think it’s pointless considering ev as she does such tiny mileage, her fuel costs must be negligible as it is.

She should consider a petrol VW and will have a great choice of cars and spec’s available.

I wouldnt say pointless. As older they could potentially get a electricity allowance so fuel is free or as close to free as possible

My mother wanted an electric car for one major reason, she didn’t want to go to a fuel station. She hates them and would always get someone to fill up car. With electric she can refuel at home

She also loves the electric in terms of how it drives. She wanted to move automatic so that was tickin box. COmes with all the extras she wanted etc etc....it all made sense

Also just because a lady is doing small mileage and older doesn’t mean she has to buy a cheap petrol.....enjoy the car you drive, if you have the money why not spend it

THe one feature she does love since she got it, the ability to warm it up before she goes. SO in morning car is toasty when she gets into it.....something a cheap petrol wont offer

Casati

Shefwedfan wrote: »

I wouldnt say pointless. As older they could potentially get a electricity allowance so fuel is free or as close to free as possible

My mother wanted an electric car for one major reason, she didn’t want to go to a fuel station. She hates them and would always get someone to fill up car. With electric she can refuel at home

She also loves the electric in terms of how it drives. She wanted to move automatic so that was tickin box. COmes with all the extras she wanted etc etc....it all made sense

Also just because a lady is doing small mileage and older doesn’t mean she has to buy a cheap petrol.....enjoy the car you drive, if you have the money why not spend it

THe one feature she does love since she got it, the ability to warm it up before she goes. SO in morning car is toasty when she gets into it.....something a cheap petrol wont offer

Electricity allowance is flat rate credit regardless of electricity consumption and is means tested. Maybe folks qualifying are buying new e Golf’s for 30k+, in Ireland anything is possible.

I never mentioned a ‘cheap’ petrol car so why do you mention it?


Sticking with VW group cars she can get anything from an RS6 to an UP with an auto box where as she’d very limited to models and price points in buying an ev or hybrid VW.

The op has come from doing 40k a year in a large diesel so it’s very unlikely that she has a big issue with going to a petrol station maybe once a month

Shefwedfan

Casati wrote: »

Electricity allowance is flat rate credit regardless of electricity consumption and is means tested. Maybe folks qualifying are buying new e Golf’s for 30k+, in Ireland anything is possible.

I never mentioned a ‘cheap’ petrol car so why do you mention it?


Sticking with VW group cars she can get anything from an RS6 to an UP with an auto box where as she’d very limited to models and price points in buying an ev or hybrid VW.

The op has come from doing 40k a year in a large diesel so it’s very unlikely that she has a big issue with going to a petrol station maybe once a month

I didn’t see the OP requesting an analysis of Petrol v Electric, not sure why every thread has to go down the same route with pages of cr*p which has nothing to do with the OP question

If you feel the need to discuss the merits of petrol v electric maybe start your own thread

They asked about eGolf. I gave some info....based on my knowledge of owning the car......

Casati

Shefwedfan wrote: »

I didn’t see the OP requesting an analysis of Petrol v Electric, not sure why every thread has to go down the same route with pages of cr*p which has nothing to do with the OP question

If you feel the need to discuss the merits of petrol v electric maybe start your own thread

They asked about eGolf. I gave some info....based on my knowledge of owning the car......

Have a look at the thread title. My view is that no an eGolf won’t suit and recommend that a petrol VW would be a better option.

You gave your view about the car and that’s fine but you must realize that other people have a view and a right to express it. Do you have an ambition to be a dictator or are you simply ignorant to others opinions?

thierry14

How far is the airport trip non stop?

Ev's are not good at motorways speeds, even Teslas drain battery quickly at those speeds

I'm guessing your not going to get more than 75 minutes driving in an e-golf at motorway speeds

Standard trips like Limerick - Dublin, Cork- Dublin, Galway - Dublin, Belfast - Dublin are just not possible at motorway speeds without slowing to a crawl in an e-golf

Does your mother really need that headache?

Forking out over 30k for the privilege

In a few years those trips will be no prob, better off wait imo.

Shefwedfan

thierry14 wrote: »

How far is the airport trip non stop?

Ev's are not good at motorways speeds, even Teslas drain battery quickly at those speeds

I'm guessing your not going to get more than 75 minutes driving in an e-golf at motorway speeds

Standard trips like Limerick - Dublin, Cork- Dublin, Galway - Dublin, Belfast - Dublin are just not possible at motorway speeds without slowing to a crawl in an e-golf

Does your mother really need that headache?

Forking out over 30k for the privilege

In a few years those trips will be no prob, better off wait imo.

I would advise the OP that the person posting the above has never driven or even sat in a eGolf. They have no idea what they are talking about....

For more information from eGolf owners you could post in the following group on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vwegolf/

This is Worldwide group but a number of Irish drivers with the new eGolf are also members.

The information I posted above is based on real World driving(including motorway). As I mentioned I also posted in the group above and people are seeing similar kWh/100km as I am. Those in California are a lot better because the eGolf really loves warm weather

thierry14

Shefwedfan wrote: »

I would advise the OP that the person posting the above has never driven or even sat in a eGolf. They have no idea what they are talking about....

For more information from eGolf owners you could post in the following group on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vwegolf/

This is Worldwide group but a number of Irish drivers with the new eGolf are also members.

The information I posted above is based on real World driving(including motorway). As I mentioned I also posted in the group above and people are seeing similar kWh/100km as I am. Those in California are a lot better because the eGolf really loves warm weather

How long/far can an e-golf drive at motorway speeds?

Answer that instead of talking crap about California

KCross

thierry14 wrote: »

How far is the airport trip non stop?

Its in the OP.... 130km.

Wouldn't all the new EV's manage that.... Ioniq, Leaf 30kWh even, definitely Leaf 40kWh and new eGolf 35kWh too.

On the basis that this is also only an occasional trip and usually only doing 100km per week, I think all those cars are suitable.

If she has a preference for VW then there is absolutely no reason to wait a few years.... get a test drive and buy it if she likes it.

unkel

thierry14 wrote: »

How long/far can an e-golf drive at motorway speeds?

Answer that

About 170km in summer at a real speed of 120km/h, so 85 minutes would be my estimate. Less in winter, your 75 minutes would be pretty close I'd say.

thierry14

KCross wrote: »

Its in the OP.... 130km.

Wouldn't all the new EV's manage that.... Ioniq, Leaf 30kWh even, definitely Leaf 40kWh and new eGolf 35kWh too.

On the basis that this is also only an occasional trip and usually only doing 100km per week, I think all those cars are suitable.

If she has a preference for VW then there is absolutely no reason to wait a few years.... get a test drive and buy it if she likes it.

Didn't see that, 130km is no bother alright, even at those speeds

goz83

thierry14 wrote: »

How far is the airport trip non stop?

It’s in post 1 and 4.
130km to airport....Roscommon.

Ev's are not good at motorways speeds, even Teslas drain battery quickly at those speeds

“not good” is very vague, but I get what you’re saying. However, if at motorway speed, the journey can be completed, then it’s not an issue at all.

I'm guessing your not going to get more than 75 minutes driving in an e-golf at motorway speeds

And that would be fine. @ 120km/h the distance travelled would be 150km and that assumes the entire journey is in the motorway. Seems like the 130km would be covered.

Standard trips like Limerick - Dublin, Cork- Dublin, Galway - Dublin, Belfast - Dublin are just not possible at motorway speeds without slowing to a crawl in an e-golf.

Does your mother really need that headache?

Those trips aren’t standard for the vast majority. Most people will only do a handful of those trips in their life and even in a 24kWh Leaf they can be done with a couple of stops. Unless these trips are regular, then a current gen ev makes sense.

Forking out over 30k for the privilege

In a few years those trips will be no prob, better off wait imo.

If the buyer has the money to spend and likes what she is buying, who are you to suggest it’s a bad decision?

If the OP were to pass your sentiment onto his mother, the woman might be left waiting the rest of her days for the next range increase just in case she decides she wants to drive to Poland and back without a charge.

Shefwedfan

thierry14 wrote: »

How long/far can an e-golf drive at motorway speeds?

Answer that instead of talking crap about California

The OP asked for 130km. The new Golf will do that no issue. I can do it no issue in my eGolf but I would need to stay at 100km/h

thierry14

Shefwedfan wrote: »

The OP asked for 130km. The new Golf will do that no issue. I can do it no issue in my eGolf but I would need to stay at 100km/h

You have an issue

Can't even drive for an hour at motorway speeds
Be accused of trolling again, but that's ridiculous

KCross

Vronsky wrote: »

I actually think the e-Golf would suit her, but it's motorway range would be key. Would it be able to do the trip to the airport non-stop at motorway speed? She won't buy electric unless it can do the airport trip non-stop.

One other point OP, as detailed in earlier posts current new EV's will do that trip non-stop at 120km/h.... however, clearly she will need to charge it up before or during the return leg. Is she willing to do that?

There are slow chargers in Dublin airport and rapids fairly close by but is she willing to deal with that?

Bear in mind a rapid is typically used to charge to 80% so it could be tight on the return leg. What you really need is a 100% charge at the airport so that she returns to a fully charged car and drives non-stop on the return leg.


Has anyone recently used the Dublin Airport slow chargers in the car park? Whats involved? Are they reliable AND available?

Shefwedfan

KCross wrote: »

Has anyone recently used the Dublin Airport slow chargers in the car park? Whats involved? Are they reliable AND available?

Used the fast charger at the petrol station on the way out and it was grand.

I never use Dublin Airport parking. At Quickpark if you use the Premium service(extra 2 quid or so) they will charge your car and have it ready on your return...brillant service

KCross

KCross wrote: »

Bear in mind a rapid is typically used to charge to 80% so it could be tight on the return leg. What you really need is a 100% charge at the airport so that she returns to a fully charged car and drives non-stop on the return leg.


Has anyone recently used the Dublin Airport slow chargers in the car park? Whats involved? Are they reliable AND available?

Good points. As of the slow chargers at the airport: I have used the ones at the T2 multistorey. They are 16 A 3.7 kW single phase units so not great topping up for the return trip. Maybe if the car was rapid charged first and then parked to the multistorey to top up to full charge?

WattsUp

Sounds like a PHEV might be a better option. Can do all the weekly trips on electricity and then the occasional trip to the airport the engine is used. No worries about range, no worries about finding a working charger near the airport etc, no worries about ICEed chargers when in a hurry home.  There is a selection. The A3 Etron, Golf GTE, Passat GTE, BMW 330e, BMW 530e, New Kia PHEV, Ioniq PHEV, Outlander, Tyota PHEV....They cost a bit more but tick all the boxes.  
Many families "down the country" get away with an EV as a second car for all the local trips but still have a ICE that takes care of the 260km+ return type spins. If you can have just one car a PHEV does both reasonably well.

goz83

New eGolf would get there with 80%. Use rapid charger at airport to get up to 80% and return to roscommon.

Ioniq and Leaf 2 would also do this.

It’s the longer trips that are more enjoyable, as they save the most

KCross

goz83 wrote: »

New eGolf would get there with 80%. Use rapid charger at airport to get up to 80% and return to roscommon.

Ioniq and Leaf 2 would also do this.

It’s the longer trips that are more enjoyable, as they save the most

At 120km/h in wet weather? With what % left?

You would need at least 10% remaining when arriving home.. probably more to allow for wet weather so I think it might be tighter than you think if starting from 80%

So you have 70% of a 35kWh battery... thats 24.5kWh and probably 19kWh/100km (possibly worse if weather is bad)... thats right on the 130km mark!

I suspect her whole issue is she wants zero range anxiety and I think starting at 80% could give range anxiety.

Shefwedfan

A lot of posts on here but none from the OP.....it might be worth checking how many times the driver will be required to travel to airport.

If it is once or twice a year max for holidays I don't see any major issue. Why buy a hybrid for the very rare occasion of going to airport?

If more regular then maybe a bit of investigation might be needed.....

Also will the driver want to travel at 120km/h?

JohnBoy26

If she is changing purely because of mileage im not sure it's a valid reason. All her current car needs is a small drive on an open road once a week to keep the dpf clear. If it came to it, replacing the dpf will cost a lot less than a new car.

Of course if she just wants to change for upgrade reasons that's fine too.

KCross

Shefwedfan wrote: »

A lot of posts on here but none from the OP.....it might be worth checking how many times the driver will be required to travel to airport.

If it is once or twice a year max for holidays I don't see any major issue. Why buy a hybrid for the very rare occasion of going to airport?

If more regular then maybe a bit of investigation might be needed.....

Also will the driver want to travel at 120km/h?

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

If she is changing purely because of mileage im not sure it's a valid reason. All her current car needs is a small drive on an open road once a week to keep the dpf clear. If it came to it, replacing the dpf will cost a lot less than a new car.

Of course if she just wants to change for upgrade reasons that's fine too.

I thought the OP was clear as to what (s)he wanted.
Occasionally non-stop motorway speed driving for 130km to the airport.
100km/week outside of that.

"She won't buy electric unless it can do the airport trip non-stop."


We can suggest hybrids and stopping for charging etc but thats not what s(he) asked for!

Shefwedfan

KCross wrote: »

I thought the OP was clear as to what (s)he wanted.
Occasionally non-stop motorway speed driving for 130km to the airport.
100km/week outside of that.

"She won't buy electric unless it can do the airport trip non-stop."


We can suggest hybrids and stopping for charging etc but thats not what s(he) asked for!

She can do that in eGolf as I mentioned, if she wants to turn around and come back down road straight away then she will need hybrid.

If she is just going on holidays then she can park at Quickpark and come back to full tank and off she goes

Vronsky

Casati wrote: »

I think it’s pointless considering ev as she does such tiny mileage, her fuel costs must be negligible as it is.

She should consider a petrol VW and will have a great choice of cars and spec’s available.

Petrol is being considered too, but I didn't want to confuse matters in an EV forum.

xl500 wrote: »

If she Likes VW she may Like Audi Etron same stable maybe her dealer is Audi as well

Also BMW I3 Rex would be a great car for her

The i3 is a bit out there style wise, and it being only a four seater would occasionally cause issues on the airport run. I hadn't thought of the e-tron so it's worth a look too, thanks. Her dealer has her totally convinced that it's not worth looking at anything outside of the VW family, much to my annoyance. That said, I don't like the interior of the Ioniq, it just lacks a premium feel imo. Not that VW is premium, but anyway..

Casati wrote: »

Electricity allowance is flat rate credit regardless of electricity consumption and is means tested. Maybe folks qualifying are buying new e Golf’s for 30k+, in Ireland anything is possible.

I never mentioned a ‘cheap’ petrol car so why do you mention it?


Sticking with VW group cars she can get anything from an RS6 to an UP with an auto box where as she’d very limited to models and price points in buying an ev or hybrid VW.

The op has come from doing 40k a year in a large diesel so it’s very unlikely that she has a big issue with going to a petrol station maybe once a month

She's on some special ESB discounted rate for to my father working for an energy company, something like a 60% discount. But it's not for the savings she's interested in the new tech - she changes car regularly and gets walloped with depreciation, but she likes new cars. She has always driven diesel due to the large mileage but also because of the low end torque, making it easier to move off.

She is convinced diesel/petrol will be punished by the govt so wants to get ahead of the game. She also saw the e-Golf at the ploughing and was intrigued by it.

KCross wrote: »

I thought the OP was clear as to what (s)he wanted.
Occasionally non-stop motorway speed driving for 130km to the airport.
100km/week outside of that.

"She won't buy electric unless it can do the airport trip non-stop."


We can suggest hybrids and stopping for charging etc but thats not what s(he) asked for!

The airport run is usually about 10 times a year - sometimes for her own trips abroad but largely to collect my sister. Therefore waiting the half hour at the rapid charging at the airport would not be an issue, but it would put her off electric if she had to stop en-route, less so going but definitely on the way back (especially with tired passengers). She has a friend who was disappointed with the range of their (early) leaf and is wary of the same happening to her. The motorway trip is 10km on open R road and the rest of the way on the M6 (Athlone).

It's not really about saving money though tbh(if it was, she would buy a small second hand petrol, definitely not a new car), but a better driving choice.

Finally, I really appreciate everyone's input.

goz83

KCross wrote: »

At 120km/h in wet weather? With what % left?

You would need at least 10% remaining when arriving home.. probably more to allow for wet weather so I think it might be tighter than you think if starting from 80%

So you have 70% of a 35kWh battery... thats 24.5kWh and probably 19kWh/100km (possibly worse if weather is bad)... thats right on the 130km mark!

I suspect her whole issue is she wants zero range anxiety and I think starting at 80% could give range anxiety.

My point is that it can be done with 80%, not that it needs to be. So, if I was the person doing the journey, I would leave with 100% and drive to the airport at 110-120km/h. I would then stop at the rapid charger on the airport grounds and charge to 80+%. This would take ~25 minutes and so I would have a coffe/sandwich/bigmac. If I had more time to kill, I might park in the carpark and plug into the airport slow charger, leaving no anxiety on return trip. If I only had 80% to return with, I would reduce speed to ~100km/h.

But I would quicker get the new Leaf and completely eliminate any concerns of getting there and back, with only a few minutes to top up at the rapid charger.


At the OP, it seems the vw dealer your mother deals with is a manipulative Ahole who would say anything to keep her coming back to splash out on more cars.

xl500

Shefwedfan wrote: »

The Audi e-Tron is more expensive than the eGolf. Not sure why she would need for doing 100km a week

Also the BMW i3 is more expensive than the eGolf, dont see requirement for REX either.....if i3 the full electric would work

My wife loves Audi/VW but she had a BMW and hated it, most people I find are either BMW or Audi/VW people.

Well The OP did say " but the choice of electric and hybrid vws " so I was just pointing out other Hybrids that would be available

As Far as Cost is concerned thats up to them but Buying An EGolf to do 100K a week is their choice

Shefwedfan

I would not drop down into Hyundai etc....

I will make this a bit better

If I was in similar situation. I would look at the petrol T-Roc. The reason is the extra height. It is a lot easier to get in/out of compared to Passat/Golf etc. My wife seen it and loved it as well.

Then as swapping on regular basis I would move to ID Crozz in 2-3 years time when it is announced and will be capable of doing the airport trip without the requirement to charge the car....

If she really wants to go eGolf, take a test one out and do the trip at weekend.

As you are in Roscommon I guess you are using Michael Moore? I was a customer of theirs, they will not do anything with eGolf. Even at a struggle will they look at GTE. Of course if buying the T-Roc they will have no issues.



P.S I would say the VW is premium brand compared to others available

KCross

goz83 wrote: »

My point is that it can be done with 80%, not that it needs to be. So, if I was the person doing the journey, I would leave with 100% and drive to the airport at 110-120km/h. I would then stop at the rapid charger on the airport grounds and charge to 80+%. This would take ~25 minutes and so I would have a coffe/sandwich/bigmac. If I had more time to kill, I might park in the carpark and plug into the airport slow charger, leaving no anxiety on return trip. If I only had 80% to return with, I would reduce speed to ~100km/h.

But I would quicker get the new Leaf and completely eliminate any concerns of getting there and back, with only a few minutes to top up at the rapid charger.

Most of what you have suggested above is exactly what the OP's mother wants to avoid... the compromises (reduced speed, stopping for charges)

We can all make that trip even in the older EV's (24kWh) but the reality is the requirement made by the OP was "non-stop 130km @ 120km/h".

I don't think you can do that on 80% charge without incurring range anxiety.

KCross

Vronsky wrote: »

The airport run is usually about 10 times a year - sometimes for her own trips abroad but largely to collect my sister. Therefore waiting the half hour at the rapid charging at the airport would not be an issue, but it would put her off electric if she had to stop en-route, less so going but definitely on the way back (especially with tired passengers). She has a friend who was disappointed with the range of their (early) leaf and is wary of the same happening to her. The motorway trip is 10km on open R road and the rest of the way on the M6 (Athlone).

10 times is a bit more than occasional.
I'm inclined to agree with @20rothmans, in that a PHEV is what she needs.

100km during the week would mean you can do 100% of that driving on EV only.

For the airport run you can go there and back without stopping.

The PHEV's are expensive though. The A3 e-tron has been giving some trouble on the first few years... maybe its more reliable now. The VW PHEV's might be better, I don't know.

goz83

KCross wrote: »

Most of what you have suggested above is exactly what the OP's mother wants to avoid... the compromises (reduced speed, stopping for charges)

We can all make that trip even in the older EV's (24kWh) but the reality is the requirement made by the OP was "non-stop 130km @ 120km/h".

I don't think you can do that on 80% charge without incurring range anxiety.

I really don’t see the compromise. I have said what I would do if I were the OPs mother. The requirement was to get to the airport non-stop....not to do the return journey without a charge. Stopping at the airport rapid would be necessary unless she picks up a Model S or something. Reducing speed on the return journey is just a way to reduce any potential range anxiety and adds only a few minutes to the return journey.

If the new eGolf gets 200klm+ to a charge, then 80% = 160klms for the return journey. If someone is going to have range anxiety with a 30km (~14%) buffer when starting at 80% battery, then an ev is definitley not for them, especially if it must be a specific brand.

thierry14

goz83 wrote: »

I really don’t see the compromise. I have said what I would do if I were the OPs mother. The requirement was to get to the airport non-stop....not to do the return journey without a charge. Stopping at the airport rapid would be necessary unless she picks up a Model S or something. Reducing speed on the return journey is just a way to reduce any potential range anxiety and adds only a few minutes to the return journey.

If the new eGolf gets 200klm+ to a charge, then 80% = 160klms for the return journey. If someone is going to have range anxiety with a 30km (~14%) buffer when starting at 80% battery, then an ev is definitley not for them, especially if it must be a specific brand.

Relying on public chargers once or twice is dodgy, long term forget about it

They are unreliable free crap

OP mother doesnt need that stress of dodgy chargers

A Golf GTE is perfect for her, agree with Kcross

KCross

goz83 wrote: »

I really don’t see the compromise. I have said what I would do if I were the OPs mother. The requirement was to get to the airport non-stop....not to do the return journey without a charge. Stopping at the airport rapid would be necessary unless she picks up a Model S or something. Reducing speed on the return journey is just a way to reduce any potential range anxiety and adds only a few minutes to the return journey.

If the new eGolf gets 200klm+ to a charge, then 80% = 160klms for the return journey. If someone is going to have range anxiety with a 30km (~14%) buffer when starting at 80% battery, then an ev is definitley not for them, especially if it must be a specific brand.

The thing is, we all know what the cars can/cannot do. We are comfortable with them. The OP's mother isn't and we can't "force" our experience on her. She wants what she wants and based on what has been laid down as the requirement leaving with 80% from Dublin airport will not really get them home (without anxiety) @120km/h.

I think the figure of 200km+ range is not for motorway speed. Thats the key issue here. Of course if she slows down it will be fine. If she bought a 30kWh Leaf it would even be fine if she slows down... but thats compromising and managing the range. I think the OP wants little or no compromises.

I certainly wouldn't want my parents to go EV and have them worrying about charging and slowing down to reach their destination.... old dog, new tricks and all that!

If the OP says that their mother is willing to slow to, lets say 100km/h, then fair enough but that isn't what was laid out in the OP.

Vronsky

I'd like to thank everyone here for their input. After speaking with herself and going through the options it looks like the Golf GTE is the winner of the hybrid/electric that were being considered. She just wasn't ready for the compromise that all electric brings at the moment and with the snow and power outages she suffered, she wasn't willing to be left stuck at home in the event she had run down the battery and had a power failure - even if such an event is unlikely. The 30mi electric range of the golf GTE should be enough for the vast majority of trips, while the petrol engine will let her do the airport spins worry free. Unfortunately, the Passat GTE is just too expensive.

Just to arrange test drives now and she'll probably put the order in later in the year. It will be interesting to see how she manages with the dsg box as that will be the biggest adjustment.

Thanks again everyone, the discussion here has been illuminating. All electric wasn't the answer this time around, but probably will be next time.

Shefwedfan

Vronsky wrote: »

I'd like to thank everyone here for their input. After speaking with herself and going through the options it looks like the Golf GTE is the winner of the hybrid/electric that were being considered. She just wasn't ready for the compromise that all electric brings at the moment and with the snow and power outages she suffered, she wasn't willing to be left stuck at home in the event she had run down the battery and had a power failure - even if such an event is unlikely. The 30mi electric range of the golf GTE should be enough for the vast majority of trips, while the petrol engine will let her do the airport spins worry free. Unfortunately, the Passat GTE is just too expensive.

Just to arrange test drives now and she'll probably put the order in later in the year. It will be interesting to see how she manages with the dsg box as that will be the biggest adjustment.

Thanks again everyone, the discussion here has been illuminating. All electric wasn't the answer this time around, but probably will be next time.

Might be worth showing her the Hyundai Kona. The range on it should get to airport and back without a charge. Give her that little bit of height for getting in & out of.

Should be cheaper to the Golf GTE

Casati

Vronsky wrote: »

I'd like to thank everyone here for their input. After speaking with herself and going through the options it looks like the Golf GTE is the winner of the hybrid/electric that were being considered. She just wasn't ready for the compromise that all electric brings at the moment and with the snow and power outages she suffered, she wasn't willing to be left stuck at home in the event she had run down the battery and had a power failure - even if such an event is unlikely. The 30mi electric range of the golf GTE should be enough for the vast majority of trips, while the petrol engine will let her do the airport spins worry free. Unfortunately, the Passat GTE is just too expensive.

Just to arrange test drives now and she'll probably put the order in later in the year. It will be interesting to see how she manages with the dsg box as that will be the biggest adjustment.

Thanks again everyone, the discussion here has been illuminating. All electric wasn't the answer this time around, but probably will be next time.

Best of luck to her, it looks like a great car

KCross

Vronsky wrote: »

I'd like to thank everyone here for their input. After speaking with herself and going through the options it looks like the Golf GTE is the winner of the hybrid/electric that were being considered.

Good review of the Golf GTE here:

unkel

Vronsky wrote: »

She just wasn't ready for the compromise that all electric brings

It's the PHEV that's the compromise :pac:

Only messing, well wear!

RamboJambo

The markup on this car is pretty steep, €44k in Ireland vs €36k in Germany vs £32k in UK, all prices inc VAT and before incentives.

Shefwedfan

KCross wrote: »

Good review of the Golf GTE here:

Based on the that review the GTE is actually way better than I would have thought. Will I buy one to replace the eGolf :-)