A Nearly Flawless Electrify America Experience? Up Until The Very End...

I took another trip with my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 First Edition to visit my friend in Columbus in September 2023 (while expectedly watching my beloved Chicago Fire lose an away match) and I had a nearly perfect experience...
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[@BrandonG85]

This video makes me appreciate how easy charging is with Tesla Superchargers.

[@PeaceChanel]

Thank You for supporting Electric Vehicles and for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.. Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste.. 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

The Lafayette EA station is questionable enough that I’ve looked at going via US 30 thru Ft. Wayne going between Columbus and Chicago. But somehow Ft. Wayne is still without any non dealer DCFC. 🤷‍♂️ Also very proud of our 2023 MLS champions!

[@midwest_ev]

Ft. Wayne is definitely an area that needs an EA.

[@StubbyStan28]

That Lafayettte station is a nightmare! Avoid it at all cost if possible! I once had to wait there for over 2 hours for a 17 minute charge. The good thing is that there are several chargers standing up in that corridor really soon.

[@midwest_ev]

Agreed - they need to double the stations there or create a new site.

[@gridjac]

I have an Ioniq 5 and at least on the chargers near me, I seem to charge faster on EA 150’s than I do on the 350’s. Thats plugging in at ~ 20% with a preconditioned battery. I usually pull ~ 175-180kW on the 150’s. But, EA is replacing a bunch of chargers near me too, so hopefully the new 350’s will charge better. When does VW gain access to the Superchargers? For 400v vehicles, that will be a huge boost.

[@ronb4633]

I agree that 350s can be a mixed bag on 800v cars. I road-trip a Taycan and though I can get 265kW on 350s sometimes I also get 178kW on 150s where 350s can give me 60-70kW due to some derating issues. My car shows me battery temps so I know if it’s in the mood or not. 😂 As for Tesla station opening to VW, they were late to sign up so I suspect it will not be until 2025 before adapters are available. I don’t think that would affect many Volkswagen drivers either because they are enjoying their free Electrify America versus $.50 a kilowatt-hour from Tesla.

[@Geckogold]

2 accidents? Yes, please do a 40k mile review, as we would love to know what happened and how the car has been doing for you.

[@midwest_ev]

Stay tuned!

[@TNitroH]

Hard to beat free charging on VW lease. Do 2024 VW vehicles still get free EA charging?

[@midwest_ev]

I am not sure if that's been officially announced yet. If they do, I hope that they restrict the use of free charging outside of a certain radius of your home.

[@kathyberry5866]

Will you be upgrading to the 2024 I’d 4? Did you lease that vehicle?

[@Geckogold]

He mentioned at the end that it was a lease due to being over the mileage limit, and that it had 2 accidents on it already, so may end up buying this to avoid penalty fees for going over the mileage limit on the lease.

[@midwest_ev]

If the price is right, maybe! We don't have as high of a budget as some other EV KZbinrs. Rivian just announced the R2 so I may consider that too!

[@brado2273]

I’m a huge VW fan and really want to get an EV but this is ridiculous.. if you can’t charge at home you really shouldn’t get an ev, these public chargers are actually terrible

[@midwest_ev]

I keep telling myself, it can only go up from here. Thankfully, the transition to NACS should boost competition.