Volkswagen e Golf | electric cars are here but are they any good?

New series of videos coming about electric cars and thinking ecologically about transport. Let's have a good rummage around the Volkswagen e-Golf before they upgrade it.
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[@thomastalks3841]

Great video Bob! I have been a fan for years, love your accent! I watched primarly to see the differences between this egolf & my golf gtd. Keep up the great work & I gave your video a like

[@ericrochford3134]

Electric car series is a good idea and will be nice to get some proper comparison of what’s on the market in that sector and what’s practical in the real world

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Next is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

[@xchopp]

12:35 -- in e-Golf you go into 'B' mode (full recuperation) with a single action: pull back on the shifter and release. It's a toggle: pull back and release again and you're back in coast mode. It took me a year with my e-Golf to discover this and I use it all the time.

[@thesingingshade7984]

I am looking at a year old Golf executive 12 k on clock Would you recommend this car. I have one journey a month that is an overnight 130 miles round trip but would have access to plug in an outdoor shed.

[@rcampbell4391]

Those random bits of plastic in the back door pocket are for covering the isofix points. Unfortunately VW chooses to use these instead of little spring loaded flaps like other manufacturers

[@pearse.fitzpatrick]

I have one Bob and have done 4000k since August. Love it to bits fast nippy and similar feel to my old 2000 GTI. Can fit lots in back. You only get 230 when you drive very sensibly. I have a home charger and never need 200+ in one day. I use the coasting more than regeneration and enjoy it. Re-coup not really needed. Great review though

[@charlesholland-keen2222]

Best review I have seen on the e-Golf. All the facts and no 'ludicrous' euphoria. Shopping bags hooks and no bs. Thanks Bob.

[@nickharding1623]

Great video bob as always...ive been elec plugin for the past 5 months with the Mitsubishi phev and just love it...can you tell me though what it costs for a full charge ?

[@AS-xq9ps]

another excellent review Bob! What year egolf were you driving? The 2018/19 gets 200kms per charge now, I am getting 220kms per charge on mine

[@smaemurray]

Great review Bob. I have a 40kwh leaf so looking forward to see how it compares to the other EVs. I did think it was hilarious how you remarked on the price of petrol while driving an EV! Something I used to do, less so now.

[@AdrianTechs]

That recuperation mode coming on by observing the step down in speed limit is great. Do the brake lights illuminate during regenerative braking or much like normal engine braking will the brake lights stay off until the brake pedal is pressed?

[@darrenblger2010]

The brake lights do come on in recuperation mode

[@VWWorld]

Love The Acceleration Of The Egolf. Did Some Testing On The 2019 The Other Day.

[@pearse.fitzpatrick]

I have one and love it. It's a bullet and great in traffic snailing or flying around (safely)

[@gavintobin4912]

Ha love the acceleration??? At 10 seconds 0-60 it does not have any..😜

[@vintageseattle]

I just flew from Seattle to Los Angeles, bought a used '15 eGolf with 34k miles and then drove it back to Seattle. The car is fantastic and I am ready to buy another. If more people would get in one of these and drive one like I did several months ago with a great friend, I am sure they would buy one. I am a hard core shopper so found a much better deal in LA than anything available in Seattle. Driving over Mt. Shasta was very doable as well. I regenerated massively on the slope down into Oregon. Get one, you won't regret it.

[@gabriel.hongkong]

We purchased a 2018 eGolf. With the provincial rebate, the car came to $28k. My wife is the primary driver, it suits her perfectly. She gets a free charge at her workplace parking lot. She drives it mainly from home to work and back. Would I pay $40k? No, but the rebate made it more than worth it. We save $300 a month in gas and the egolf is the same trim as the GTI.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

300 a month in fuel is a great saving!

[@interceptor-ss8kb]

Alot of reviews have mentioned wind noise because the normal Golf has an engine to drown it out but the e-golf you hear everything. That's the beauty of an electric car which was built from the ground up to be electric.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

There's wind noise in all EV's cars, the Leaf has it around the wing mirrors. It's impossible to avoid in car design, you can minimize it with double glazing and contouring the mirror but it'll still be there if you listen.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Lotus invented car sound inversion technology (basically taking the noise as a waveform and near instantaneously using inverted copy of it to cancel it out.) I believe Caeiliac ELR uses this, piped through speakers close to the passengers' heads. I'd be surprised if the Golf wasn't using it.

[@janozkk]

My drives a round trip of 80 kilometers every workday the past 2 1/2 years on our 2016 e-golf. Very reliable and economical cost about $1.50 of electricity to drive 80 kilometers (car only has a 120 kilometer range).

[@MegaProtius]

Good review! Were the engine you mention lol😁😁

[@BobFlavinVideo]

That whiney thing under the bonnet :D

[@bofin2003]

Good idea to revisit the available EVs options in Ireland. In this context, are you going to review charging speeds and related infrastructure? While most people will generally charge at home at night time, and save a fortune on running costs, we still need to be able to take the occasional longer trip across the country. For this use case it is important to have decent and reliable fast charging infrastructure. I know the ESB have rolled out a certain amount of this but most of these locations only have a single fast charger. Possibly the new CCS fast chargers from Ionity will help as these will have multiple stalls and there will be some in Ireland.

[@Richard_Ashton]

At 1:27 you said there was only one USB port but on mine there's another with an Aux socket just behind the electronic parking brake. There's a rubber cover over it to stop debris falling in.

[@stephendoherty8291]

I'd wait for the purpose built ID buzz from VW. Bound to offer longer range, faster recharging and more energy efficiency

[@Brenjdonn]

Hi Bob, is the e golf fitted with a heat pump like the Nissan Leaf?

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Do you mean a cabin heater? Yes, there's a different system but it gets warm almost straight away. The Golf has a full heat management system so you can fast charge all you want.

[@rapidrick]

Maybe I missed it, did you say what the real world range you were getting on a single charge ?

[@peterbirkett9537]

Are you joking i only get 113 kmh on full charge where do you get your real milage from ????

[@ronaldmillsopp3802]

Great ev! How much is it?

[@oykkh29]

Like the e-golf. I Will order the new ID neo

[@stephendoherty8291]

Bob, surely the best display in the biz is audi (Who among many have haptic feedback). Timer for the battery is to insure you're paying night time rates as rates here only start after midnight.

[@markcornwall8132]

Wait until you try the Kona Electric Bob, its a full replacement for all trips with no compromises at all.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Coming up in a couple of weeks, it'll be fully tested against the Jaguar i-Pace for range.

[@stevezodiac491]

Apart from the compromise of the ridiculous price, for what is a basic shopping trolley, with an electric motor and a battery in it. A run of the mill car, sold at premium car price.

[@adriankingdon3055]

I have an electric car and I must say that the heater drains the battery in no time at all, I have overcome this by fitting a paraffin fired heater into the boot.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Sounds a bit risky

[@adriankingdon3055]

It’s ok, never caused a problem other than the chimney does emit quite a lot of smoke at times.

[@stephendoherty8291]

Use those handwarmers? Preheat car while charging?

[@Richard_Ashton]

In the olden days, when heaters were rubbish, we wore 'Car Coats'. I wonder if they still make them.

[@paddydowney6269]

When the mark8 is announced in the next few months, will they lead with a new e-golf?

[@BobFlavinVideo]

I'd say they will go EV on the next Golf. There's a good case for diesel still but it seems everyone is moving toe electric for cars.

[@vladsaghin7644]

There won't be a mk8 E-Golf. Instead, you'll get the ID equivalent which will be the size of a Golf but not really a Golf. You should check out fullycharged's video, it's quite excellent. In my mind, the ID will be the 3rd car revolution coming from VW right after the original Beetle which was the first revolution, and the Golf as the 2nd.

[@stephendoherty8291]

I doubt the TDI will be dropped. Recharging infrastructure is almost non existant in many eastern bloc countries and cold weather works better with diesel. Can't see the GTD going away. Might see smaller TDI going and bigger TSI engine getting shelved. In any case the ID Buzz will compete with the Golf

[@EdgyNumber1]

Can you preheat the car whilst plugged in, charging?

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Yes you can, you can do with with all PHEV/EV's. I've an Outlander outside that will be toasty warm at 8am tomorrow.

[@stephendoherty8291]

Many offer an app to allow you to engage preheating, turning on the A.C, delay charging till a cheaper charge time, preheat the seats and steering wheel, run the window defrosted and check the cars charge status

Bjørn Flavin

[@irishjg1]

Bob Nyland 😁

[@EdgyNumber1]

"Sheeeeiiiiiiiiit...."

[@kellympaul]

LOL

[@DjDaijns123]

I'd love to see some reviews for dual dash cams. especially Dual 1080p Aukey Dashcam DR02D and/or compare it with 2x Yi dash cams or 2x Yi Ultras. also, is ford gonna give you the new tourneo for a spin?

[@BobFlavinVideo]

I'm trying to get enough cameras to twin tests, most places a bit scared because I won't agree to be nice about the quality! If Ford Ireland bring the car I'll have a spin.

[@DjDaijns123]

​@@BobFlavinVideo nice, can't wait for a dash cam review. I'm honestly surprised that ford still haven't.

[@StephenButlerOne]

Stick the 2l tsi in this, hybrid it, and you'd have a great GTiE, you'd get about 400hp and 600Nm, that would really start making electric cool hyper hatch. Down side it eoudo be more expensive than a tesalla model x. Do defeats the 'cheap' hot hatch point. But still be great.

[@mazzdacon2134]

I hope they are better than the other cars they made. I had so much trouble with a diesel Tiguan. Never VW again for me.

[@stephendoherty8291]

Bob, did you do the long term EV test or have you shelved that idea? It's a pity the GM/Opel EV Bolt is not sold in Europe

[@BobFlavinVideo]

I did a long term with this e_Golf last year but it was right at the beginning of storm Ophelia so we didn't drive all that much. I'll be trying again this year.

[@trefod]

Flooring it and going like a bat out of hell may not be the purpose as you say, but damn it's good fun. It's electrifying actually :-)

[@DJCrissCross89]

Thing costs 46K Euro in Ireland! 36500 Euro in the UK after conversion. Madness!

[@liamog]

VW Ireland are advertising without the €5,000 SEAI grant and the €5,000 VRT rebate. Take €10,000 of the advertised price and you hit the on the road price.

[@CiarayBoyDJ]

In a word "shite" a know very few people that haven't regretted buying them. One friend in particular tried to reject it to the finance company over false claims of distance on a full charge. We are Guinea pigs right now and if you do anything more than use one to drive to the shops and back you'd be mad to buy one. Hope this helps 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@roybm3124]

Range is too short for mid / long range trips and charging too slow. You need like minimum 60-70 kWh charging speed and like 450 km range so you can stop every 2 hours to rest and charge for 15 min same as you would do with an ice car.

[@4DModding]

What happens when the batteries die. Shell out a few grand. I would like to see a true kw used comparison between electric and diesel cars from production costs to service costs to kw used for 300000km. Also so the passengers get to freeze when you use the heaters. Lol. Circle k 1.239 for diesel right now.

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

There is an American "engineering explained" who does just that kind of video. And heating doesn't effect that much on range. Have a Zoe myself and it is just a few km. If that is the big problem than you do some poor planning :) Over 240 km with kids I have to stop 1 time if not more. And in those times just a fast charger. Most new cars can take 100kWh chargers and more. That is a turning point.

[@4DModding]

@@martijnvangammeren1868my point is how can we say all electric is the solution without data. If we all switch to electric vehicles fine you reduce the transport emissions % and increase the emissions from production of electricity which for the most part is produced using coal. Same can be applied to car production. The power required to produce an electric car could be lower in theory however these cars use mainly aluminum vs. Steel which has a higher power consumption to produce and process vs. Steel. Same can be applied to engine produxtion. You remove the kw to produce engine and transmission and replace. t with battery production and battery spares. Lithium production uses a very high amount of power to convert the salts to battery material. So its not black and white and needs proper studies. Who knows the overall energy comparison might be a wash and you might find there is no improvement in global emissions or it might be significant reduction. Without facts how can anyone say which is better. Lol diesel was our solution a few years ago which made no sense

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

@@4DModding A agree it isn't that black/white and it depends on a lot of things. There are however many studies from universities and bureaus etc that already dived into the comparison. Stating facts like normal research and making conclusions out of it.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

@@4DModding Then against the initial production cost of EV batteries you can offset the "second use" in static storage which will happen by the time they're due for removal from the EV and extend the useful life by possible 20 years, all the time saving generation costs, then full recycling (by the original manufacturer.... planned) which will produce more of the same materials at less cost than mining new resources

[@stephendoherty8291]

@@martijnvangammeren1868 Lots of normal cars using Alu to save weight. Drop weight and gain miles. AUDI did it more than a decade ago. Many Alu smelters use cheap power like Iceland or Hydro in Scandanavia or cheap off peak power. Easy to find value in reusing old Alu in smelters.

[@zdeno0908]

Perfect city (Dublin) car.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Yes!

[@jaroroytapel]

Why not to just use the Bus instead then?

[@zdeno0908]

@@jaroroytapel Do you know how hard it is for disabled person to use public transport???

[@georgemakuca4135]

Zdenko Panezic .....sta ????

[@TekAutomatica]

Winter range much lower. I3 60Ah around 80miles Summer (driving slowly), 50 miles winter. Golf similar with out heat pump. TDI no such issues especially if preheated like Scandinavians - see DEFA. Finnish use #hvo instead of diesel made from waste not food for massive reductions in emissions and higher MPG

[@BobFlavinVideo]

This is very true in wild winters of Finland. In Ireland we get -8 maybe and 2017 we had a storm which brought snow for a couple of weeks, I had the e-Golf then and it worked just fine.

[@TekAutomatica]

@@BobFlavinVideo I'm talking across the Irish Sea. Even 10 deg C v 5 deg C has massive impact on range.

[@gormdrachmann2951]

how about a towbar on a ev car - when will that be possible?

[@gormdrachmann2951]

What about making a video about it Bob Flavin !!???

[@Barefoot_Joe]

Outlander PHEV

[@antiochiaadtaurum3786]

What next? A petrol toaster?

[@kylemenzies4447]

Still just isn't enough range for me. Sometimes I do about 250 miles non-stop in the Highlands. If they can give me a car with 300 miles on a charge then I'll consider it. Good video though.

[@roland7270]

look for Kona or Niro

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

VW is brining out the I.D. Neo this year and that will voer it for you.

[@TekAutomatica]

As long as its cradle to grave analysis. Just to build and deliver a basic ICE SUV uses more energy and creates more pollution than driving a small petrol hatchback for 60,000 miles.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

The most eco-friendly way to own a car is to drive it forever, I've a 12 year old car that I'll keep until the Government tax me out of it

[@stevezodiac491]

Ride a push bike instead, it uses less resources than any car.

[@Mr.M1STER]

Is it better than the leaf ?

[@irishjg1]

The current 40kWh Leaf is a better EV and a lot less expensive.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Depends on what you mean by better. The e-Golf is better to drive and has a tonne more room in the back and boot. The Leaf has far better tech and lots of kit and toys. I can't get comfy in a Leaf, the steering wheel is too low.

[@irishjg1]

@@BobFlavinVideo. The leaf has more room than the Golf. The boot space on the leaf is 90 litres larger Bob. Also the leaf has a longer wheelbase at 2700mm vs 2637 in the Golf Bob.

[@gavintobin4912]

@@BobFlavinVideo Boot of Leaf is much bigger. Golf is over priced and range just doesn't cut it. VW haven't bothered trying yet..too wedded to diesel.

[@ianpurcell7266]

@@BobFlavinVideo Hi Bob,i recently sat in a 2018 leaf in a Nissan dealership but was shocked and had to laugh when I tried to adjust the steering wheel rake.lol there is no adjustment. I asked the sales guy how do you adjust it,ah it doesn't adjust,grand says I good luck.

[@shanemcentee9171]

Biggest problem is when everyone switches to ev all the incentives and tax breaks will disappear were getting screwed one way or another its entirely possible well end up paying more then than we ever did for petrol or diesel evs have only one advantage and that's they're way better for the environment in the long run provided they're well maintained and kept for a long time .

[@rab6121]

Electric cars are cars for the people while ICE cars are for the ones who can afford to still run them. Atleast in Norway. Ive bought an used Leaf for 8k € ONLY six month ago, and saved 2.500€ in that period. This is because the diesel and petrol prices are super high! And lot’s of tollroads everywhere you drive (tolls are free for EV’s) It’s a little pain in the ass now in wintertime since i have a long commute and need every bit of the small range of my old Leaf. But what the heck. Id much rather save 100€ pr week than driving my old qashqai. Being an student this is a lot of money to save!

[@BobFlavinVideo]

This is why Norway is used in Ireland to show how we could all drive electric. Your Government has made ICE engine cars unfordable and that makes EV's look cheaper to run. This method works but what have you done with all the ICE engined cars that are off the road now?

[@TekAutomatica]

Every thing in Norway is expensive!

[@TekAutomatica]

@@BobFlavinVideo Norway has paid for it through oil exports and hydro power built to refine oil

[@kimbird6554]

when the electric car gets popular you will get taxed as much as a diesel and will end up being given toll charges .they will make sure they will rob the car owner no matter what car you are running .

[@thesingingshade7984]

@@kimbird6554 mass protests on Kildare Street should make them think twice about that like the time the pensioners protested when the government was to change the medical card criteris

[@computerbob06]

So, one day, someone saw a peat bog fire and thought, we could put that in a furnace and make electricity from it! Lots of coastline in Ireland, how many nuclear power stations are there?

[@BobFlavinVideo]

None and no plans for one so far

[@rogerstarkey5390]

@@BobFlavinVideo Nuclear plants plus coal and gas peaker plants are already uneconomic. they've been undercut by solar and wind.

[@johnjones9303]

If we all switched to electric cars tomorrow how many more power stations would need to be built to charge them overnight

[@rvgametesting4600]

We would need less than what we have today. To refine petrol and diesel you use a lot of electric energy

[@johnjones9303]

It seems unlikely that we would need less power stations if all motorists switched to electric vehicles and many millions of us charged them every night

[@martlee3962]

waiting on a budget skoda electric car that skoda dealer you passed ballybrittas motors will hopefully sell😉

[@gavintobin4912]

SKODA at least 3 years away from something electric amd probably 5 for something a decent size

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

@@gavintobin4912 They are part off the VW Group. They are doing a car on the MEB platform just as VW is doing. But yes it will be a few years before we get that.

[@gavintobin4912]

@@martijnvangammeren1868 VW being dragged screaming & kicking to the EV table. That said VW did more than any other manufacture to kill diesel even if they didn't mean to :)

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

@@gavintobin4912 True VW had to change their course. But they did develop a EV only platform(MEB). They are doing more then let's say the Fiat-Chrysler group. And if they can deliver that Neo I.D. for the 25-30k Euro price range it will be a great car.

[@TekAutomatica]

Freewheeling is the most efficient way to travel. Just like birds glide between wing flapping. Regent is poor as % of energy needed to get speed back again. Anticipation works for EV's and normal cars.

[@stevezodiac491]

There are situations where you can't freewheel like the bottom of a steepening hill and others of that kind, no amount of anticipation will make the option of anticipation in these type if scenarios better than regeneration. I can come down a steepening hill in b mode and continuously keep the speed manageable, whilst I observe ice cars dabbing their brakes and wasting energy throughout the exercise.

[@TekAutomatica]

@@stevezodiac491 there are always exceptions to the rule but EV regent is over rated. Gave a look at hiw low regent is he's how much energy is wasted getting back to sane speed. Sane applies to all vehicles, ICE included. That's how over 100mpg (2.4l/100km) was possible real world in a car that accommodated 5 adults and their luggage 20 years ago. Instead we squandered efficiency for #vehicleobesity

[@stevezodiac491]

@@TekAutomatica what you do is turn the regen on when it is more efficient to do so and off when it isn't. That is why you have buttons.

[@TekAutomatica]

@@stevezodiac491 most evs don't have them. E golf and e up do because they learnt from past like Lupo 3L.

[@stevezodiac491]

@@TekAutomatica I've never seen or know of an electric car without re gen on and off, batteries have limited storage and thus range, that is why it is imperative for electric cars to have regen to harvest as much kinetic energy that would be wasted otherwise. My leaf has it with eco on and off and b mode which is even more regen, on or off ?

[@iainmackie7064]

Using the heated seats to keep warm is a good tip, but saying the heater uses shed loads of energy is so old phobia. It’s just not true these days. The days of distance or heat have been left behind YEARS ago. Most cars use heat pumps which are a zillion times more efficient than the old heater element. So great that you are doing a series on electric cars, but better if the info you were giving out was up to date.

[@51StPi]

The heat pump is an £830 option on a Golf in the UK.

[@iainmackie7064]

In which case I stand corrected and apologise to Bob. My criticism should clearly be aimed at VW for not making the heat pump a standard bit of kit. What a poor decision.

[@51StPi]

@@iainmackie7064 You think it would, I would tick a heater before parking sensors on the options list if I had a choice, I also noticed they have made that sat nav an option and replaced it with a cheaper one with buttons which imho is an improvement.

[@MiniEggs1999]

I can just see the kids in the back with bobble hats on shivering saying "please put the heater on" .... "but if I do that kids we won't make it to grandma's in time for Christmas" .... definitely not a one car family replacement for an ICE car

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

Heating doesn't effect that much on range. And it all depends on distance. But if it is more than 800km you had to stop multiple times already with those children "have to pee" and have a lunch. If you do a tiny bit of trip planning you don't loose time if you have to do a little fast charging. I did a 1000km trip just a while ago in a Tesla Model S and I was just as fast as I would normally drive in an ICE car and yes it was around 12 hours driving.

[@MiniEggs1999]

@@martijnvangammeren1868 Big trips are fine, small trips are fine. Its the in between ones where the round trip is close to your max range (say 170 miles in winter) and you have no where to charge half way whilst at grandmas because it is on street parking in the countryside. You then have to stop for half an hour in a journey of only 85 miles

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

@@MiniEggs1999 That is indeed a thing. Here in Belgium/holland that is not a big issue because we have many chargers around. In Holland it's really great with Fastned covering the whole of The Netherlands.

[@tomcollinsie]

@@MiniEggs1999 I have an eGolf and it works for my daily commute 60km (round trip) and its an absolute dream to drive even, nicer than my previous BMW 5 series. We also have a diesel VW Tiguan which we use for longer trips with family (& dog) however I'm considering changing it for a Hyundai Kona electric which has more than twice the range of the eGolf at 500km because it has a 64KW battery (vs 37.5 KW in eGolf). Only issue is Kona is a bit small, so looking forward to seeing larger cars being introduced with 64KW (or greater) battery

[@MiniEggs1999]

@@tomcollinsie Don't get me wrong i'm not anti electric cars, just they and the infrastructure are not quite there yet if you only have one car. I think it would be brave to swap the Tiguan for a Kona because I suspect the winter/motorway range is more like 300-350km with cold temps and little re-gen which for me is not quite there yet for weekend trips to rural locations with few charging opportunities

[@ariframzan8602]

Not enough durability with how far it can go in 1 charge . Not enough charging places in London . Electric cars still got some years before it might take off

[@GeoStreber]

the e-Golf's successor, the VW I.D., is scheduled to have a 550km battery as an option. With that range, you'll only have to charge your car once a week if you live and work in a city.

[@scumbagthe5500]

Its all about infrastructure

[@ram64man]

With only a 102 miles at 70mph it’s still not enough for petrol heads to convert ges you may get 130-140 around town but that still isn’t enough for people living in a flat , maybe the Id will change all that, I’m still unsure of the heads up only display , going ev shouldn’t be about reinventing the dash or external, it’s a powertrain choice the same way petrol / lpg/diesel are Audi jag/Tesla/Kia/Hyundai get this so why doesn’t vw

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

Most of them don't even drive 40km a day. I am interested in the new display main console of the new I.D. Neo. We will see how it works out. They do have an headset display while the Tesla model 3 only has that big tablet screen in the centre, nothing in front of the driver. But even that will be natural if you drive it for a longer period of time.

[@ram64man]

@@martijnvangammeren1868 you obviously don't work in the it support sector, taxi market or home delivery market, my last fleet car did approx 200 miles a day and own van has already got 20k in 6 months doing evening deliverys

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

@@ram64man I do IT. And have to drive quite a distance every day but far less then in my previous job. However that works with 2018 Leaf longest trips I do now on a day are 300km. I can charge at most of my clients if I want to, I don't always charge everywhere because it has some range. Before this I worked as a salesman and had a +- 100k km a year. Most long trips I did where around 500km a day. I have seen that I could do that already in a Tesla with a bit of planning I charge while eating so I don't loose time. Only downside is payload. I drove a Lancia Voyager and most of the long trips the back would be totally full of boxes and stuff. I will never get that in a Model S, maybe in the X but, the price of that thing.

[@Isszarya]

Turf Power

[@markchurch629]

A bit off topic, what's the story with bullshit VRT, I was offered low mileage Volvo s90 in UK for 20k I thought great until I checked VRT they wanted nearly 7K vrt why because these numpties value it at 50K !!!

[@emileneslo5695]

Electric cars aren't around the past 2 decades. They were the first ever build all the back in the 20ties and 30ties.

[@kimbird6554]

the vw golf diesel.is more greener than a tesla electric car . fact

[@tomquimby8669]

no noise test? no range test? for those interested in this limited range car here is a real test, kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYHEnJKLh6mkmLs

[@thomaspowell3739]

It’s takes me 5 mins to fill my car with diesel and it takes my friend a few hours to charge his electric car, and then he has to compromise when driving long distance as to where charging ports are? And when he gets there he has to either wait ( especially during of term school time ) to use one, and then once plugged in as to wait a few hours for it to charge up. I personally would rather buy a hybrid or wait a bit longer for the infrastructure around electric cars to become more user friendly.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

When your diesel car is sitting outside work/home and is doing nothing that's when you fill the EV. Most cars do nothing all day, or maybe when you are asleep. It's getting better and I think we are at the beginning of something great.

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

All depends on distance. Most people do not drive more than this EV can handle on a daily base. Most people can do 3 days without charging even. You charge while you do different things yourself like sleeping, being at home or at office. Some city's do have chargers which you can use while shopping. Then almost all new EV cars come with CCS fast charging and those are a common sight in Western Europe. Just take a look at what you really drive every day. We have two cars, a Zoe for most driving and a Focus stationwagon for long distance and if I need to take a lot of stuff. I like driving the Zoe far more and it even cover 70% of my use case. If Renault only made one of their wagons electric or the "new" Espace. That would be my favourite Ev by far.

[@stevezodiac491]

@@martijnvangammeren1868 a car should be bought to accommodate everything the prospective owner may want it to do. This argument about the percentage of long journeys is bogus, everybody does long journeys sometimes and with the present rapid charging infrastructure and the electric cars available (apart from £70k and above Tesla's) today they are abysmal and take twice as long on long journeys, at a very expensive purchase price, a price that the average 10,000 mile average 5 year owner will never see back in cheaper fuel. Electric cars are at the £600 video recorder stage and yet to fight the vhs/betamax battle on charging connecters as well. My advice as a present leaf owner to others, is to wait until electric cars become a mature product with all the improvements that changes in price, usability and infrastructure will bring.

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

@@stevezodiac491 Do people do that? I see so many sedan drivers at Ikea to buy stuff they never can get in their car. However, long range is getting cheaper and cheaper. VW is pricing their I.D. Neo around the price of the current Golf diesel, so let's say 30k Euro. They are doing two versions, one 300km and a 500km range. The last one will be more like 35k knowing VW. But the Golf still is so popular in Europe to buy new that the price is really good. That with the fast charging is no problem to get around in Western Europe. I just had a break with a Zoe to go to the Eifel in Germany, alright I do live near Ghent so it isn't that far, but I had no issues getting there with a tiny bit of planning and only one stop to have a lunch, we are on vacation. Yes it only is 200 km give or take. But I know others who did journeys to the Alps in a Zoe and still managed good milage on a day. But if you normally drive 40km a day should you let the car depend on the once or the a year vacation that with some basic planning will be achievable in a decent EV like the Leaf/Kona etc. And the Kona is really good on milage.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Thomas Powell Watch this kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioimpXVrpsaLasU

[@fmsantoscar]

What if electric cars are not the future....?

[@chrisredfield3240]

Cars are not the future at all ! "4 empty seats most of the time" . Building areas where everything is within walking or cycling distance is the future

[@roland7270]

yea!! horses or steam engine definitely are!

[@chrisredfield3240]

@@roland7270 steam engines no.. horses get good miles to the bale (hay)

[@martijnvangammeren1868]

Petrol/diesel is even less future than electric. Better city planning, car sharing instead of owning. Better public transport etc is more likely to be the thing forward.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

Looks like it's time for the Tony Seba link!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqa6d6GroKt9nrM

[@revolutions88]

Guinness

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Electricity, we still can't power a car on the black stuff

[@georgemakuca4135]

PADDY IN A GOLF!

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Who's Paddy?

[@kellypaws]

I could get very high efficiency per watt if I walked instead. It ain't selling it.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Can you walk a 100km commute to work every day?

[@kellypaws]

@@BobFlavinVideo No, consider it hyperbole. But if I had to turn off heating / AC in frozen Scotland, the energy savings are very unappealing indeed. I just think that battery tech really has to make considerably more ground to get a 'typical' motorist into one of these cars. For instance, for 6 years I have had to do 400 mile trips, twice a week. An electric car is completely useless for that. Now, being a petrolhead and noticing other cars, I can say a large slice of other motorists also deal with the same kind of journeys, not most certainly, but a lot. Your reviews are very good Bob, I'm not getting at you sir. The battery tech though, that's not quite battle ready. Maybe three years away at best.

[@jeepneygang]

Please say eleven

[@636dude]

Well presented video Bob. Sadly this isnt for me and I may struggle to watch your electric series. The E golf is very clever but its still a huge compromise, for the same reason I dont sit in the house with my coat on and my hat and gloves, or for the same reason I dont eat bread and peanut butter every day I wont buy an electric car where I have to compromise. You normalise knocking off the air con, or reducing performance when in a lot of conditions thats going to be very impracticable. Height of summer with no aircon and depths of winter with the heated seat you keep your bum warm isnt enough. I live on the north west coast of cumbria, Im travelling to manchester airport next week, its a 470km round trip, just about doable with no heating and driving like I have nowhere to be in the next 4 hours. I think theres a long way to go, and spending £32k on this isnt a good step. While I'm rambling on, a couple of things. I drive an Octavia so I know when you say things like 'the boot space is 2nd to none' I know you know how far off ths mark that comment is! Also the little plastic things you found look like the bits that cover the hinges on the rear of the back seats! Keep up the good work, I'll try and watch the rest of the series but I find positives about e cars hard to swallow. Cheers and all the best!

[@636dude]

@Biggles I see what you did there! I'll be trecking down the M6 with the car loaded up for a snowboarding trip, so the peasant wagon is out of the question. I would have had the superb sportline 220 if it had sti been available but I'll make do with the octavia for now. Especially since it has the volume and zoom knobs on the entertainment unit ;) and I can use the heater while I'll be driving at 4AM in the middle of winter! To be fair I dont go that far that often but I choose not to buy a specific car for commuting purposes, which is what this kind of car seems aimed at. A 1.4tsi golf for example would be much cheaper if 10 mile commutes are your thing, the extra £10k would pay for a lot of fuel, the environment not withstanding. Lets see what happens when electric go mainstream, electricity demand goes up and fuel demand goes down. I wonder if the oil companies will buy the electric companies and put the unit cost through the roof....

[@636dude]

@Biggles Its all academic as.I went for another Octavia instead, it has the 18" wheels but so did my last one and I was lucky enough to get away with it!

[@rafemix]

THIS IS THE FUTURE CARS

[@jimjohns9051]

Ireland and VW. Not a bit of value

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Not just VW, VRT is killing the prices here.

[@MrVit68]

*PUTIN WAR*

[@colinward1007]

Ill pass on the electric cars. Firstly the range is usually terrible and i dont have time to sit for hours to wait for thing to have enough charge to complete the journey.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

You know when that ICE engine car you have now is sitting outside your house for 12+ hours a night? That's when you charge the EV car, testing the Kona soon.

[@colinward1007]

@@BobFlavinVideo fair point mate. Im thinking more during the day. I regularly have to drive long distances due to work so it would only get me around half way before needing another charge. Ill stick with my diesel for now.

[@pxidr]

I call the e-Golf a "compliance car". Just here to lower the mean of CO2 emissions of the VW car range, for please the European Union. But it's a bad EV, sorry. When VW will sell its ID, we will talk about a real EV developped from scratch.

[@irishjg1]

I agree 100%. But regarding city driving, any fully electric EV is better than a filthy ICE. The Golf EV is definitely just an overpriced compliance car. The soon to be launched ID Neo looks like it will be the real deal.

[@silkhead44]

unless it gets 700 km on a 10 minute charge for under 25k I will pass for now

[@BobFlavinVideo]

That's coming in 2020ish, it's not as far away as you might think.

[@rogerstarkey5390]

And when you get 700 km on a 10-minute chance for a 25k you'll ask for 900 kilometres in 5 minutes for under 20 k!

[@Bfoxfield1]

When you`ve tested 1 electric car you`ve tested them all. Same sound or lack off, same serious compromise on range affecting practicality and massively overpriced. Plus the impact on the environment. Yes, think about the resources used to make the damn thing (especially the batteries and their eventual disposal) and the increase in wood fuelled power stations and there you have it: Welcome to the hydrogen powered car.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

I've tested most of them already and there's some differences in range and tech. Hydrogen really won't work for personal transport just yet, trains and busses yes but not cars. The range is about the same as a full electric car but they are much heavier, add to that it's a really expensive fuel to make and has huge losses and it's a dead end for hydrogen in the next 10 years.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Gotta start somewhere...

Hydrogen embrittlement, look it up.

[@gavintobin4912]

@@BobFlavinVideoHydrogen nooooo goo.gl/images/cNggKT

[@Ydkoll]

@@BobFlavinVideo I agree, Hydrogen cars are a dead end. Plus they are extremely dangerous in the event of a collision which may cause a fire (more easily than an electric car ) That is why manufacturers are not ready to dive into that sector yet.