2019 egolf range in real life?

[jasonring]

To 2019 egolf ownews,

What is the range reading when you fully charge your 2019 egolf? Is it more than 125 as advertised?

 

[manybees]

The maximum reading I've seen on the GOM this summer was 174 miles with 100% SOC in a 2018 SEL (essentially the same car as the 2019). The minimum I saw last winter when it was minus 9 degrees F was 91 miles at 100% SOC.

The Guess-O-Meter's range reading always differs depending on a variety of factors — including recent efficiency, outside temp, whether or not you're running the heater or AC, etc. It also shifts and adjusts on the fly while you're driving — I've driven 5 miles on local streets and the GOM has gone up by 6 miles, and I've driven 11 miles at 70mph on the freeway and the GOM has dropped by 17 miles.

I've owned the car about a year now, and I think my average range for the year will work out to about 140 miles — avg 4.4 miles/kWh with approximately 32kWh of usable battery capacity. I do about 65/35 local roads to highway driving, by the way.

So, overall, I'm not only interested in the GOM reading but I'm also interested in the current miles/kWH reading taken together with the current battery percentage SOC. Using these two figures together with the GOM can help give a more realistic sense of the actual range remaining.

 

[tbier]

The only time I have had less than 125 was doing 65mph for 105 miles (ended up with 15 miles left when i charged).

Just yesterday I drove 120 miles (42mph average speed) and got home with 1/4 charge remaining. With no climate control its pretty easy to get 5 m/kWh if you dont go faster than 55 mph.

 

[jray]

I only have about 700 miles on my 2019 SE, but the one time I've charged to 100% the GOM displayed 208 miles. I normally charge to 80% and show about 160+ miles. I pretty much have what I think is the perfect situation for maximizing mileage - mild weather and suburban driving at less than 50 mph for the most part.

 

[JoulesThief]

I don't drive much over 45 mph, ever, on Blvd's and surface streets. I normally see 6.0 to 6.3 miles per kWh spring, summer and fall. Winter, I see 5.7 to 5.8 miles per kWh in the colder months here in So CA . I drive the e-Golf in an optimal miles per kWh situation, being retired, and staying out of rush hour traffic, as much as possible, as well as not screwing around with all the various driving modes. I don't use 1 foot driving techniques. I try to conserve momentum by hitting as many green lights as possible and anticipating so I don't have to slow down or use the brakes.

If there's 32 kWh available, I'd expect to see 190 miles or more of range in a new 2019. YMMV, it's hard to get those results if you drive for fun. I've driven enough miles in my lifetime, it's not fun, it's mundane, boring, and utilitarian to me, just something to get me from point A to point B. The thrill is gone.

 

[eGolfJoe]

153 is the highest I've seen but I mostly drive on the freeway. I usually get 130 before it starts to edge into the red and then I recharge.

 

[Verbruggan]

On the roads that I travel that have a highest posted speed of 50 mph, I see about 4.9 mile per kW. When the route increases to 65, the range drops to 4.1 miles per kW. Had a route that was mostly 40mph, & the consumption was up around 5.8-5.9 miles per kW. We have a few Interstate routes with posted speeds of 70mph & while the e-Golf will gladly travel smoothly at this speed, the GoM drops like a rock, anticipate consumption around 3.2-3.4 miles per kW.

These are based on spring/summer/fall numbers. Winter are lower for obvious reasons that others will long windily explain.

 

[astromouse]

I have got mine up to 160 predicted range. Actual probably 140 best. Easy slow drives in hot weather. Else 110-120 worst conditions.

 

[JoulesThief]

I have got mine up to 160 predicted range. Actual probably 140 best. Easy slow drives in hot weather. Else 110-120 worst conditions.

If you go under "power management" on the infotainment center, what do you see for miles /kwh on most of your trips?

I took a test drive in a 2019 SEL, on a normal drive, and struggled to get 5.3 miles / kwh, when I would have easily gotten 6 + miles per kwh in my 2015 SEL.

I'd like to take the 2019 SEL for another test drive to reconfirm if the mile / kwh has dropped that much between the two models, 2019 vs 2015.

Acceleration didn't feel much better or more improved over my 2015, but then, I rarely if ever use that feature on my 2015.

Suspension on the 2019 feels downright mushy or sedan like, compared to my 2015. They've changed the spring rate and the shock compression and rebound rates, and Americanized how it now drives, more boat like. Much more comfortable to this old man. A kid should be driving my 2015 instead of me, they'd appreciate how it drives a lot more than I do.

Thinking I might get 2019, if the discount makes it worth my while. There's just no way a 2019 e-Golf SEL is worth almost 40k, not when compared to a Tesla Model 3, with 220 miles of range and 50 kWh of battery at the same price point. The battery is the most expensive component of the car.

 

[RichardDann]

I've just joined the forum having bought a new 2019 135PS (35KWH UK model) in Nov 2019. I live on the southern UK coast and have driven this car for 2000 miles. Having enjoyed a Mk6 and Mk7 Golf GT I've been delighted with the drive and the extras that I specced on this vehicle.

Problem is indicated range after a full charge : it indicates fully charged with a range between 96-112 miles without any input from me. The test vehicle I had in Aug (same car) indicated 150 miles each day I set-off for work. I drove the same highway route, used A/C on hot days and my driving style categorized as conservative using regeneration wherever possible.
My pattern is : charge fully overnight, drive 50 miles to work, charge fully at work, drive 50 miles home. Repeat 5 days a week. For the record the present winter on the south coast has been classed as unseasonally mild, with overnight lows above 5 degrees C. Charging happens primarily via a 7kW charger at work and home. I have also used the domestic AC "trickle charger" supplied with the vehicle.

The dealership has tested the car over a few days and loaned me an equivalent e-golf to determine if charging/range behaviour was similar.
Tests were classed as "all OK", and the loaner showed similar behaviour to my car.

I had documented my concerns to the dealership a few days after taking delivery, and it is now being escalated to VW UK to check if there's a fix in the background that the dealership is unaware of. The latter has acknowleged that BEV tech is new to them. Has anyone experienced similar charging/range behaviour and been offered a resolution? I also recognise that I might inadvertantly be doing something to contribute to this.

 

[f1geek]

Welcome! If the loaner car showed same range, then I suspect it is your driving style combined with the weather and your HVAC usage. You could purchase OBDEleven so you could look at the computer's estimate of usable battery capacity. For a brand new car, I would suspect around 31 to 32 kWh usable capacity from the 35.8 kWh gross capacity. On a side note, to make the battery last longer (up to 10 times more charge cycles before you start to notice any significant drop in range), you may want to only charge to 80% especially since you are only driving 50 miles before you recharge.

The range number (Guess-O-Meter range)you see is the computer's estimate of the range you can achieve based on how much energy you most recently used. If you put the car in B mode, turn off all the heating and A/C, drive in Eco mode, and don't go above 35 mph for at least two hours, the GOM number should increase significantly.

If you don't want to purchase OBDEleven, you could charge the car to full and take it on a long drive where you drain the battery down 20% charge (C). If you have driven X miles with an efficiency of Y (in miles per kWh) down to C percent state of charge, then you can calculate usable pack capacity as follows: X/Y/(C/100). The lower the state of charge you end at (try not to go into the red zone), the more accurate the estimation of usable capacity. Good luck!

 

[RichardDann]

That’s great technical insight and advice, thank you. I’ve been looking at it the wrong way-if I understand this correctly the GOM range is predicted range based on recent operational exposure.
I can’t reconcile this with the values I saw using the demo earlier the year? That should also have shown reduced range values yet it showed 150 miles during the period I tested it (2 days on my daily commute at motorway speeds etc).
Anyway, for now your advice gives me something to explore. Thanks again, will report back

 

[f1geek]

Yes, the GOM's prediction is based on the most recent energy usage history - I'm guessing on the two hours as it may only take an hour.

If your car does not have a heat pump, then you will see a large drop in range when ambient temps stay below 10 C for several days. EVs lose range in the winter in two ways: 1) Batteries don't hold the same amount of usable energy as they do when temps are warmer; 2) turning on the heat to keep occupants warm uses more energy than does running the A/C due to the larger temperature differential (22 C - 5 C = 17 C delta vs 30 C- 22 C = 7 C delta). Furthermore, if you don't have a heat pump, the car uses more energy to heat the car as compared to having a heat pump. The e-Golf battery pack has no active cooling or heating mechanism, unlike, say, a Tesla, so if the ambient temp is cold, the pack will say relatively cold even if you drive or charge it because it gets a nice cold soak overnight and during non-driving hours.

I say all this because I am guessing you got 150 miles on the GOM during warm weather.

 

[RichardDann]

Yes, summer and using A/C.
Now I get that there’s a bigger draw heating than cooling.
That’s backside warmers off then and sheepskin skants on!
A picture is forming slowly that it may be performing as designed and significantly vulnerable to colder ambient conditions.
I will run the test etc as you mentioned.
Appreciate your concise input.

 

[f1geek]

I don’t think you have to be that extreme. The seat heater uses only about 1% or less range but central heat could cut your range up to 20 or 30%.

 

[RichardDann]

That’s the info I’m after, behaviour I can change to make a difference in range. Thanks

 

[NeilBlanchard]

We have a 2017 (same 35.8kWh pack) and we see as high as 190 miles in the summer. In the winter, if it is in the 20F and up, we see as low as 120-130. If the temps drop into the low teens or single numbers, it goes down as low as 90-94, because the battery has to warm itself.

We have the Bridgestone Ecopia summer tires, and we use Nokian Hakka R3 winter tires, which roll as well as the Ecopia tires.