Why can't charging be easy? Volkswagen ID.4 1600 Mile EV Road Trip to Austin, TX | Part 1

#evs #id4 #volkswagen #charging #ccs #roadtrip #abrp
In this video I begin my 1600 mile road trip to Austin, TX. Join me as show the trials and tribulations of road tripping an EV in 2023!
*Update*
The area for expansion from EA is likely just where a cabinet used to be. Thank you to the viewer who gave this insight. I tried to be kind to EA at least once, but oh well!
The App I used is called A Better Route Planner (ABRP). You can use this online or on a phone. There is subscription that you can pay for that is totally worth it if you drive a lot!
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[@realev21]

You need to test drive an e-tron. Charges at 150 kW the whole curve (until about 82% SOC). But it makes charging easy. You just charge until you are below 130kW (about 86%) and then roll. Range isn't the best, but it is a very comfortable 190 miles. Great job again. Good work.

[@brhutchi]

Thanks for the video. Yours and others had me change my mind abound the VW at last minute. I am very happy I changed to another Ev brand.

[@theaverageev]

What did you end up going with?

[@brhutchi]

@@theaverageev did not want say because of hate mail but I have done may trips. never had worry about chargers not working or not enough then. I also like the locations better.

[@theaverageev]

Haha. Gotcha. In would say as of right now you probably made the right decision if you roadtrip a lot. No worries! Everyone should get the best car for their situation.

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

Sounds like an interesting journey! I just got back from a ~900 mile round trip from Ohio to Maryland and back in my Bolt EUV. It went really well; I was expecting more issues but the only problem I encountered was a blank screen on one EA unit in Cambridge, Ohio. Still worked when I plugged in and swiped my card. I used a variety of stations, a few EA, EVGo, ChargePoint, and an ABB unit at a Nissan dealer. After initially being worried, I now have a lot more confidence going out beyond the range of the battery.

[@ArielBatista]

I have a 2022 and I have gotten 173kw below 20%. I love the car, 32k miles in 9 months which means I travel. Now if you want you can use the NFC on those chargers from the phone to start them if they say in use but are really available.

[@theaverageev]

It may have been you on Twitter? But some one told me that, and I started doing that. Makes things much easier! I’m actually have a video going up about it. Love the car! Wish I loved the charging network!

[@johnlodge8546]

Just a heads up. The DC pins plug has a slot on it you can hang it on the port door so it doesn't hang on its tether.

[@theaverageev]

Thanks!

[@schlickit628]

I have the exact same car but haven’t road tripped yet so this is great to see! It’s interesting that you never had a line at EA… In my experience in the Bay Area it’s not uncommon to have a few cars in line which I think would make planning difficult

[@theaverageev]

Yes the east coast is definitely a bit behind in EV adoption, but it is growing quickly.

[@symawd]

For the "in use" issue. You can still start it if you tap your phone over the black square on the charger. Plug in first, then tap once it asks for payment. Just make sure you have NFC enabled in the EA app under payment. As for the extra space to expand, EA didn't add anything. The old 350s required 2 cabinets, but now they don't since they are balanced. They just removed "extra" equipment.

[@theaverageev]

Coming soon to an episode near you, but thanks for the info. But, a customer should not have to troubleshoot the way they want to use a charger. Thanks for the insight on the removed cabinets. Always love to learn.

[@theaverageev]

I added removed cabinet info to the description, thanks!

[@jorgevieiro5774]

I have an ID.4 as well, and while the car is pretty good (except for the SW which is pretty bad), going on a long road trip is a major adventure. Driving around town, and charging home, it is a pretty good experience. I recently rented a Tesla in Florida and the charging experience is so much better than it is not funny. The navegation system tells you exactly in which SuperCharger you need to stop, you get to it plug and it start charging, with none of the EA, or others, hassel. CCS (DCFC) charging is a really scary experience on a long trip. Best luck, I hope you made it to Austin.

[@theaverageev]

Totally agree that Tesla has a much better navigation and charging experience. I’m not a fan of the build and ride quality. Rented a model 3 in December and honestly thought my Kona had the same ride quality. The ID.4 just floats, so nice. The ID nav on 3.1.0 is passable but definitely not the best. Doing a road trip at the end of may using only the built in nav. Should be fun… P.S. I did make it to Austin with basically no lost time due to charging. It was definitely not easy though…

[@MonsieurDumas]

BTW, the "Wyth" in Wythville is pronounced "With".

[@theaverageev]

Thanks!

[@mjbeckernc]

So, right away my first question was did the travel assist "see" the tractor?

[@theaverageev]

Haha! It did!

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

Why do these charges have buttons and displays for?

[@theaverageev]

There is no agreed upon plug and charge standard amongst CCS vehicle manufacturers. Ironically, Mach-e and Lucid Air can plug and charge while the ID.4 (VW owns EA) cannot. Plug and charge will assist in increasing reliability issues.

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

@@theaverageev Sure would be nice if you could just drive up just plug in and it happens, no screens to look at no buttons, to push, no numbers to phone , no apps to mess with. Just works and you get billed to your account.