Road Trip from Milwaukee, WI to Niagara Falls, Ontario with the Volkswagen ID.4!

Check out the first part of our road trip to/from Niagara Falls, ON, Canada with my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 1st Edition!
Our Social Media Accounts: www.midwestev.us/
Our Referral Link for the Premium Version of A Better Route Planner*: abetterroutepl...
*Receive a 30-day free trial of A Better Route Planner (ABRP) when signing up for a Premium plan using the link above. For each new subscriber, we get a free month of Premium ABRP but otherwise no monetary compensation.

[@patrick7228]

This is so surreal. It's like Baby Kyle and Alyssa. Same mannerisms and everything..

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

And same complaining all during the video like Kyle. Yet they get we’re they are going and back. If they don’t like it . Get a model 3 or y or wait for vw to make a deal with Elon .

[@ulfw]

Yes it's pretty sad how they picked that up and emulated.

[@Sentra1985]

It’s freaky how similar they talk and act.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

It's probably on purpose to get more subscribers.

[@midwest_ev]

I'm sorry if it sounded like complaining. Moreso frustration as to why it seems to difficult for charging providers to get their act together. I would love to see things improve and documenting and calling it out is one of the ways we can do it.

[@edwsal59]

This is the best Tesla ad on KZbin.

[@MyTheEye]

I remember the days when I had to stop and let my horse have a drink and then something to eat relax and have a poop. Took upwards of an hour and a half. The way I look at it by cracky the EV trip looked pretty relaxing!!!!

[@midwest_ev]

In all honesty, it's really not that bad unless you encounter a broken station or the app stops responding. I like the lifestyle of frequent short stops, it breaks up the drive a lot better. I'm sure the technology will only get better.

[@Taylorgoalie1]

Overall a great informative video showcasing the good and not so good experiences of owning an electric car with CCS 1 at time of recording; more specifically with the ID 4. It takes people like y’all documenting these road trips to keep pushing the industry forward. I own a Tesla Model 3 LR in Columbia, South Carolina but previously owned a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The Leaf was great if you only charged at home, but there is only 1 EA location within 80 miles of Columbia and the other networks like Blink and EV Go rarely work. In comparison we have 7 different Super Charger locations around the City with another location being installed in Downtown Columbia in Q4 of this year. Love the road trips with the doggies! Keep up the good videos. On side note, I actually graduated a year before Kaitlin from Waupun High School! Lol

[@reuveng1960]

As a Tesla Model 3 owner I must say that I don't need to worry about when/where to charge. I just put the destination and Tesla will route me to charging stations as needed with very accurate time to charge estimations.

[@ultrastoat3298]

And Telsa has been doing it for 10 years..... why didn't they just copy? Like literally copy.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

You have to go where Tesla tells you to go though.

[@ultrastoat3298]

@@Superman-xr1oh no you don’t. You can get an adapter and charge on the trash networks. Very few people do that though because for most it’s a waste of time and money.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

@@ultrastoat3298 Sure...

[@therealctoo4183]

@@Superman-xr1oh Definitely. I drove from Florida to Connecticut and back with zero issues in my Model Y. The Supercharger network is fantastic. Occasionally I'll try other networks and at best they're only a bit of trouble, but most often I end up regretting that I chose not to use a Supercharger. Using a Supercharger is much easier too: Park, plug in, walk away, and try to get your stuff done (food/bathrooms) before the car is finished charging. Super simple.

[@joemcdonough7509]

New subscriber here. Thanks for the great road trip content. Love your honesty, passion and detailed assessment of the non-tesla charging experiences. Your informative content is right up there with my other favorites, such as Kyle Connor, so keep up the great work. Wish you success with your KZbin channel!

[@midwest_ev]

Very sorry that we haven't posted much lately! Both of us have been on a couple of international work trips. Let me know what you'd like to see in the future.

[@joemcdonough7509]

@@midwest_ev No problem! We all have busy lives. I enjoy watching the road trips and seeing how well the charging infrastructure is working, whether or not the units are broken or charging at slow rates. Long term, you should look into getting a CCS to NACS adapter now that VW has announced they are open to the standard. Then maybe you can use Tesla chargers in the future!

[@sandpine]

You guys are Kyle and Alyssa’s doppelgängers. You should do a collab of some sort.

[@pdimmakis]

Thank you for the information, I'm looking to buy my first EV and I'm researching as much as I can. Your content could be less negative and more objective.

[@1705KAOS]

Hi there, spanish Id3 Owner. Agree with ABRP inconsistency, but still best option while 3.2 version is installed next month. I'll give a try to the VW nav. The problem you had with the temperature must have been with the chargers cable or plug. I made a few 1100km+ trips with 40° (104F) and never had temperature problems. Nice info anyway. Keep electric ⚡. Cheers.

[@jayhoughton558]

Those Petro chargers have been an issue for a while. I think most here have learned to avoid them. They are provided by a gas company that seems to not want electric charging to actually be successful. It’s been an issue practically since they installed them. Flo is the most reliable CCS around usually, electrify Canada usually has at least a few at each location working, and Ivy is hit or miss depending (but they are improving lately).

[@midwest_ev]

We didn't hit Flo on this trip but good to know. I did charge at a Level 2 station of theirs in Cincinnati that worked, for what it's worth. Petro Canada does seem to be a nightmare. Electrify Canada worked fine with the one station we tried (check out that video on our channel) and Ivy was average.

[@daviidfm923]

The Detroit Windsor tunnel is the coolest way to get into Canada.

[@midwest_ev]

We will have to try that some time!

[@davids9577]

Appreciate the work you both put into this informative video. Didn't hear you mention anything about preconditioning the battery. I guess that is not a VW thing at this time? On the other hand, slower charge rates at better for the battery, but some of those station were just way to low of a charge rate.

[@midwest_ev]

No battery preconditioning in the ID.4 at this time. This might come in a software update, if we ever get another one... ID.7 and ID. Buzz are both confirmed to have newer software with battery preconditioning and better route planning. Hoping this trickles down to ID.4.

[@FameyFamous]

How did you decide to take the Ambassador Bridge? It’s an annoying drive through Windsor with traffic lights. The Blue Water bridge connects directly to the highways on both sides. I can’t wait for the Howe Bridge to open!

[@midwest_ev]

That will probably be the way we go next time. We wanted "the experience" of crossing the Ambassador Bridge since we hadn't done it before.

[@bigeyejim]

This is a great video. I have to take the fam to Oregon, and was thinking about renting an ID on Turo, just for the heck of it. I have no clue....LOL. But your real time charging info is very helpful!

[@midwest_ev]

We are glad to hear that our real-life EV experience helps you! That is the goal of this channel.

[@gridjac]

This is a great example of why, “it’s just a plug” rings hollow. The NACS connector is also the gateway into the far superior charging network.

[@midwest_ev]

I am hoping that NACS does improve things, but I don't think the plug is the only problem. It's also the networks and manufacturers that need to implement it correctly. CCS has all the capabilities of NACS but in a larger and less maneuverable form factor. I'd argue that CCS would have been fine if Plug & Charge worked and stations were reliable. NACS won't fix software and network issues overnight, but we can hope!

[@gridjac]

@@midwest_ev I agree, it’s definitely not the only problem. I’m hoping the competition from Tesla will drive the other charge point operators to improve their reliability, and I hope VW eventually follows Mercedes Benz as a German manufacturer adopting an easier form factor in the NACS connector. An ID.4 is at the top of my list for my next vehicle, but the current state of the CCS networks has me apprehensive.

[@cangle37]

Still have to deal with oem software 😅

[@thayne559]

Those problems are not acceptable. I charged a a super charger in full sun yesterday and it was 106 degrees and I sill got over 200kw. 86 is not hot lol.

[@midwest_ev]

I'm not an expert, but it could have station-specific i.e. the liquid cooling failed. I've never seen charging errors in heat before this.

[@dreamcastdc]

CCS just sucks, so glad that Tesla NACS is going to be North America standard soon.

[@ultrastoat3298]

NACS won't save these charging networks. Tesla just does it better and will put many of these posers out of business.

[@midwest_ev]

I am fine with NACS being the standard if it somehow makes other charging networks more reliable. I don't want Tesla to have a monopoly on all charging because then they could price electricity however they want. We need one plug and competition between charging networks for best value.

[@tpk35]

Thank you for the video. For me this was a real eye-opener. I got my first electric car in 2018 and it was a Model 3 long range. Back then it was either that or the Chevy Bolt that fit my budget. I'm not a Tesla fanboy or a techie, but recently I decided I wanted to get an SUV. Because I had 62,000 trouble free miles with the model 3, I ordered and took delivery of a 2023 Model Y Performance. It took a little over 3 weeks from the date of order till the day I picked it up in New York State and while I was waiting I was second-guessing myself because I didn't realize that the ID4 also qualified for the federal tax rebate and I think it's a great-looking SUV. But now that I saw your video I'm feeling good about my decision to be honest. In all the years with my model 3 and now with my model Y, I have never once experienced the kind of nightmare with charging that you had. I mean you were satisfied with 106KW DC charging rate? One thing that I can say is what the supercharger Network I use they simply just work and are fast. Living in Buffalo, I've taken several road trips in the US and Canada and never an issue. And I never realized the size of the connector on the CCS cars. It's huge! Anyhow I enjoyed the video, and I'm glad I don't have that kind of drama. I was wondering, do they make some kind of adapter where you can use the Tesla network? If they do I think that might work out good for you.

[@daviidfm923]

No adapter for the tesla network yet. There is a ccs adapter for teslas tho.

[@midwest_ev]

Tesla is definitely the way to go right now if you take lots of road trips and want a seamless experience with software and charging. I personally prefer my ID.4 in terms of build quality and overall comfort. We take road trips, but most of our charging is done at home where there's never a problem. The infrastructure is what is currently holding CCS cars back.

[@suvari225]

Awesome road trip, love to see original ID4 first edition on software 3.1. I had Pro S '21 which I sold with a good price, but really enjoy the quality of the car, not enjoyed software and charging as stated in the video. But 3.1 looks good on the charging curve. Unrelated question but are you a Turkish descent? Your name and the plate of the car got my attention, but you don't have an accent at all. If so, tesekkurler :)

[@midwest_ev]

Wow, I would've replied to this much sooner but between several work trips (air travel, not EV travel), I've been away for longer than I thought) Evet! I am Turkish on my dad's side though I was born and raised in Chicagoland :)

[@AlainFattal]

OMG! I am glad I have a Tesla!

[@WiltonLiveTV]

How long did you hold a charging speed over 150 kW?

[@yudongtong542]

I cannot believe this trip could have so many issues on charging. Tesla Supercharger network is so far ahead comparing to this.

[@midwest_ev]

Agreed. It will hopefully get better.

[@thayne559]

Watching your videos makes me glad I got a tesla 😁

[@midwest_ev]

Tesla certainly has its advantages on software and reliable charging. Thankfully, I'm not on a road trip every day and can live with the struggles without the panel gaps ;)

[@thayne559]

@@midwest_ev No panel gaps here lol . I watched your new video today (Returning home from Canada) and see you having lots of problems with charging and your display. It doesnt seem worth all the hassle to me, but if you like your car its all cool.

[@easternpa2]

This was painful. I'm adding CCS/NACS support to my 3LR and hoping that EA gets on the ball. The 5 minutes at 26:00 was the absolute worst and yet people still argue that the literal plug makes zero difference. Maybe they stopped watching at 25:55.

[@midwest_ev]

CCS plug definitely has its flaws but honestly that was the first time I've ever experienced a totally broken latch. Poor manufacturing on some cables, it seems.

[@michaelsloan224]

Hopefully VW will pick to join the Tesla charging network like Ford, GM, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes, Rivian, and other have done.

[@midwest_ev]

I hope so as well. I would prefer to not be left behind with the rest of the industry.

[@thx1138guy]

Thanks to all the early adopters tolerating the growing pains of EV infrastructure and are providing vlogs about it. I won't be joining you until long distance travel time with an EV reaches parity with ICE.

[@ultrastoat3298]

Most of us just bought Teslas, so this is like watching early primates walk across the plains for us. We are in space ships already cruising around getting fat.

[@erik8186]

Be kind, these people need help! They are the majority, sadly.

[@midwest_ev]

It will get better as infrastructure improves. I think that's the biggest problem for non-Tesla EVs right now. Assuming a charging station is working to its full capacity, stopping really doesn't add much time if you have a car capable of high speed charging. For example, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 can charge 5-80% in ~18 minutes. Very rarely would you ever have to charge beyond 80% while on a trip. For us, it's enough to walk the dogs, use the restroom, and/or grab a bite to eat.

[@ultrastoat3298]

@@midwest_ev I mean its about to get alot better. Tesla has inflated the life raft for the rest of the OEMs. Whats funny is this only really seem seems to be this big of a problem in the US. The rest of the world has more or less figured it out.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

The 5.0 software update is going to bring remote parking and remote door unlocking and locking

[@joshmatlock1020]

With the first Canada session was it not your bank security kicking in? I occasionally get declined transactions if they're worried whether it's me making the transaction or not.

[@midwest_ev]

I don't think so. I tried two cards and a hold was placed on both of them, no security alerts. I'm guessing it was some sort of Google Pay glitch or incompatibility.

[@brianriebedriveselectric]

Looking forward to Part 2!

[@midwest_ev]

Make sure you subscribe! Part 2 will be out Wednesday, July 12th.

[@WiltonLiveTV]

I noticed in your video you were criticizing a lot of other EV drivers for what I would agree with you were basic EV etiquette issues however you insisted on using a 350 charger with your ID Four and I think we all know that you can only exceed 150 kW for a couple minutes so why would you take that 350 from somebody who could actually utilize it?

[@ultrastoat3298]

When you want some mission critical puzzles and challenges to solve during your road trip, get yourself an ID.4! Lets go adventurers.

[@slscamg]

Really get yourself any CCS EV. It’s an adventure in them all

[@ultrastoat3298]

@@slscamg fair enough, but the ID series seem to be unique in their endless software issues. So it’s a cherry on top.

[@midwest_ev]

Ha! It certainly feels that way sometimes.

[@thomasjacques5286]

I thought the chargers were Plug and Play and the non-standard plug locations is going to kill EV adaptation.

[@midwest_ev]

No Plug & Charge on the ID.4 Mustang Mach-E and Lucid Air have it, along with some others. It's especially disappointing considering Volkswagen's relationship with Electrify America...

[@IronMark-ct4zs]

i think there is any issue with remote authorization

[@Empire_Musk]

Subbed great !

[@midwest_ev]

Thanks for sticking around! We are happy to have you!

[@enoughofthis]

This is kyle and Alyssa in an Alternate or parallel universe

[@wostrick2259]

Thx for sharing real life EV experience...OMG😮 Whats the app name to get all the in-depth battery data pls?

[@midwest_ev]

I use Car Scanner with OBDLink CX! www.carscanner.info/en/

[@Geckogold]

While I'm happy you did make it to your destination, your video showed why the Tesla supercharger network is vastly superior to every other DC fast charging stations in North America currently. And why so many automakers within the last few months have made the announcement that they were going to switch their EV's over to use Tesla's NACS (North American Charging Standard) connector. With my Model Y, I have done road trips ranging anywhere from 500 miles to 6300 miles, and never ran into an issue at any supercharger besides waiting in line for less than 5 minutes at a busier one. I ran into broken stalls or ones that charged slow, but there was always 2-6 more stalls I could switch to. Europe definitely has it easier since they had all EV's adopt the CCS-2 connector, and their chargepoint operators mostly try to make sure the charging stations are working. Plus they have a lot less distances to cover unlike North America, which makes it easier to install those stations.

[@midwest_ev]

I don't disagree. NACS is coming to VW in 2025, so hopefully that helps with charger anxiety.

[@nrobria]

Shoulda stopped at the A&W, my buddy lives up there and their A&W's are way different than here in the States.

[@midwest_ev]

We will have to try it out next time! It was closed as we were traveling overnight.

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

Id 4 battery won’t charge that fast. 2021 is 135 kw . Zero to do with the charger.

[@midwest_ev]

Nope, I've seen my ID.4 charge at a peak of ~175 kW on a 350 kW charger. It's a noticeable difference since the 3.1 software update. I think Volkswagen advertises 135 kW assuming that you're plugged into a 150 kW capable charger.

[@ended3326]

This is an advertisement for NACS.

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

Not really Nacs won’t make the chargers work any better. It is just a connector. It is lighter but won’t work any better. Vw won’t go to Tesla when they spent millions on ea . They only agreed to but a Tesla connector on a unit but will still have ccs for their cars and others.

[@ended3326]

@@markfitzpatrick6692 Agree on the connector not fixing the problem with EA. Imo VW and other carmakers will lose billions in sales in North America if they don't offer their customs access to the Tesla supercharger network. Ford and GM figured it out. Your video was great btw, thanks for posting your ev travel experience!

[@midwest_ev]

I sure hope NACS solves all our problems, but I won't hold my breath until I see reliably working chargers not labeled "Tesla"

[@williamsonlee4398]

Watch Gjeebs videos on his road trips with his Tesla. It gives a different perspective on EV trips. I applaud the effort you put into vlogging your journey. Thank you for sharing and I hope you had a great trip otherwise.

[@midwest_ev]

Tesla is definitely much easier with road trips right now, no doubt about it. We are hoping other automakers catch up.

[@danieloool2044]

It is reduced because the sun make cable hot

[@midwest_ev]

Yep, I think the cable's liquid cooling failed.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

Your video is convincing us not to buy an electric car cuz the infrastructure isn't ready yet and it takes way too long to sit and wait when you could of just gassed up and been to your destination hours ago. Funny thing is I still would like to buy an electric vehicle 😊

[@timmatheson6736]

I love how easy it is to charge my 2019 Avalon 😏

[@ari_young]

So what route planning app do you prefer at this point

[@ultrastoat3298]

ABRP is pretty much de-facto what you should use. However it was just bought by Rivian so wonder what is going to happen with it.

[@midwest_ev]

Great question. I'll usually plan a route on ABRP and tweak it myself as needed for longer trips. For shorter trips, I wing it.

[@TNitroH]

So Canada charges by the minute and trickle charges your car. Rip off. This should be illegal.

[@gerhardk98]

Measurement Canada folks didn’t allow selling by the kWh until they had developed a standard for measuring at charging stations, I think they just allowed or are about to allow charging by kWh.

[@midwest_ev]

Wisconsin charges by the minute too, since there are laws preventing anyone except from utility companies to charge you by the kWh. I would imagine Canada or its provinces have similar provisions as I'm sure companies would rather charge by the kWh. Faster charging = less cost when charging by the minute.

[@vulpixelful]

There's an ID.4 owner on youtube that got plug and charge to work for Electrify America. They just entered the exact charging station id in the app, authorized the payment (the payment method was saved to the app) and then the charging station said they could plug-in. And battery reconditioning is included in 2024 ID.4s, not sure about software updates on older models. Just posting since this is one of the top results for a recent summer road trip example in an ID.4. Didn't want people to get the impression that there were no improvements.

[@tokenjoy]

EA really has to gets its act together. Out-of-service and power-limited chargers all along the I-95 corridor. It's getting worse, not better.

[@daviidfm923]

Y’all compared Canada way to much to the uk. Canada specifically Ontario is basically an expansion of the Midwest of the us.

[@joshmatlock1020]

It's exciting that VW is trying to get route planning into their EVs but whenever I watch y'all try to navigate using it makes me even happier with my Model 3. And I really like the ID.4 and so many non-Tesla EVs...

[@midwest_ev]

I find planning myself is faster and easier than trying to figure out what the car is going to do. The average new EV owner deserves better route planning, for sure.

[@jamesrose1191]

Thanks so much for showing how important it is to get a Tesla Supercharger car. Ie a Tesla. I have never had this type of problem is 6 years of owning my Tesla. I drive from NJ to Fla at least 2 times a year.

[@midwest_ev]

It's big news that VW has also committed to NACS in 2025.

[@erik8186]

Do not understand why people do this. They just can not stand to buy a Model 3 I guess. Need therapy.

[@midwest_ev]

I love my ID.4 and would not trade it for a Model 3. To each their own, but I find the ID.4 build and ride quality to be far superior. Software and charging networks are the problem sometimes.

[@ultrastoat3298]

1:10:25 an hour to gain 60% battery charge. Abysmal.

[@midwest_ev]

Yeah, that station was awful.

[@puppy7505]

PLEASE KEEP MAKING THESE ADS FOR TESLA!

[@midwest_ev]

We give the people what they want ☺️

[@squadaimat2923]

watching the video tells me electric vehicles are for enthusiasts only and not practical yet. we are still in the experimental stage.

[@midwest_ev]

It's a mindset shift for sure. Some aren't ready, and that's okay. We can only hope it gets better. I personally would never go back after driving one. They're so much fun.

[@swaxtastic]

(Electric vehicles that aren’t Tesla) fixed that for you.

[@Ram14250]

All this video does is lead me to apprehension. Electric vehicles aren't yet ready to replace ICE vehicles. Takes too long to charge and extremely inconvenient to travel with. No thanks!

[@midwest_ev]

We know EVs are not for everyone, but our hope is to present real-life experiences for those that are interested, and apprehensive, to provide feedback and insight into ownership. We hope you stick around and that you become more curious about EVs even if you are not planning to purchase!

[@se7encrows]

“Perzent”

[@midwest_ev]

Linguistics

[@se7encrows]

@@midwest_ev I like it. Wait to hear it every time. 😎

[@JoeBlackburne]

Yeah, he whines a lot

[@ultrastoat3298]

You would too if you had an ID.4

[@midwest_ev]

I'm sorry if it came across that way. It is frustrating to have to deal with issues like this but I still wouldn't trade the car.

[@JohnRoss1]

Saw you turn into Petro Canada. NOOOO! IVY Roulette at Woodstock ONroute. The cheap one is nurffed... Supposed to be fixed now. There is a good shell recharge in London off 401. IVY is spotty too. Good IVY site in Brantford off 403.

[@midwest_ev]

We will plan better next time! ABRP doesn't account for semi-working chargers, unfortunately.

[@wiudu]

zesty

[@wiudu]

Stop off at a coal plant and get the electric charge direct.