Looking to join the club - 2016 eGolf SE (w/ fast charging package)

[habs247]

Hi everyone,

I’ve learned quite a bit from my short time lurking on the board, but I’d love to be able to tap in to your collective knowledge and get advice on the following purchase.

My wife and I are looking to get a second car as commuter, we didn’t think an EV was on the table. That said, the number of 2016 SEs available with relatively low mileage in the 12K range has us reconsidering; we’d love to join the ranks fo EV owners. After doing some reading, it looks like getting a SE with DC fast charging is the best choice (or a SEL but those have been harder to find).

My wife’s commute is 10 miles each way, DC area, lots of stop and go city traffic. Some need for AC (the summers are HOT and muggy). Still, I think the range of the eGolf is likely enough if the battery is healthy.

These are my general questions to see if getting one for our use case is even possible:

1) we currently rent and will be seeking the owner’s permission to install a charger at the house. Does anyone have a ballpark of what it would cost? Cursory checks on the web seem to indicate the chargers are about $500 but not sure how much installation (which I’m sure varies) would be?
2) if the owner balks at our request, could we get by (given our commute) with just the 120 V plug in trickle charger?
3) can anyone comment on reliability? What should we be looking for warranty wise? If we got a certified car from VW would there be any extra warranty to cover the battery? (My biggest fear is buying a car with a bad battery, or having one go bad on me, and essentially be stuck with a 12K hunk of metal).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Smalbany]

Greetings:
I recently joined the Fam and live in MoCo. Also, I live in a condo community and do not have my own charging station. First, I would encourage looking at a 2017 or younger e-Golf because it has more power & extended range. It will make a big difference in how you use the EV. If buying new is an option, check out our discussion on e-Golf Reddit on prices paid for a 2019 e-Golf at Ourisman VW in Bethesda. When buying new, you get the federal tax credit and DC 6% title tax exemption. At the end of the day, you might find you get a brand new e-Golf for not much more than a used one. Second, DC has a program that provides an incentive of $1,000 for installing residential chargers. https://www.pluglesspower.com/learn/updated-2017-incentives-electric-vehicles-evse-state-federal-tax-credits-grants-loans-rebates/#dc Lastly, download the PlugShare app to locate public charging stations in your neighborhood or where your spouse parks for work. You may be surprised at how many locations are available to you for no cost or very small fee. Good luck!

 

[habs247]

Thanks for the reply. Lots of good information there. I did know about that but unfortunately I won’t qualify for most of those discounts.

 

[manybees]

1) we currently rent and will be seeking the owner’s permission to install a charger at the house. Does anyone have a ballpark of what it would cost? Cursory checks on the web seem to indicate the chargers are about $500 but not sure how much installation (which I’m sure varies) would be?
2) if the owner balks at our request, could we get by (given our commute) with just the 120 V plug in trickle charger?
3) can anyone comment on reliability? What should we be looking for warranty wise? If we got a certified car from VW would there be any extra warranty to cover the battery? (My biggest fear is buying a car with a bad battery, or having one go bad on me, and essentially be stuck with a 12K hunk of metal).

Thanks in advance.

1. Installation costs for an EVSE (charging station) circuit will be wildly variable depending on your region and depending on how your electrical service is configured and where the EVSE will be located — if the electrical panel supports the added circuit, and you don't have to run the wire a long way (or underground), then it could be pretty straightforward and relatively cheap (probably multiple hundreds of dollars); if you need an upgraded panel or need to run conduit underground out to a garage, then it'll be significantly more expensive (probably multiple thousands).

For a reputable, UL-tested outdoor rated Level 2 EVSE (like one from Clipper Creek), you'll probably have to pay $300-$600. You may find cheaper ones on Amazon, which are usually 16amps max (so adds about 3.8 kW per hour) but are usually not UL-tested and do not have an outdoor rating (mfr's Amazon descriptions of these units will try to fudge some of this, but if the unit isn't "UL-Listed" as a unit, then it hasn't been independently tested). Also the cheaper units have much shorter warranties.

2. With 20 miles of charging to do per night, I think you could get by with Level 1 trickle charging while you sleep. If you have a 12amp, 120v EVSE that came with the car, you'll add about 1.4kW per hour of charging. Assuming you can get at least 4 miles/kWh efficiency in the worst case in mostly local traffic (minimal highway driving), then you'd be adding about 5 miles per hour of charging at Level 1.

3. I can't speak to the reliability of the older ones, but I've had my 2018 SEL for about a year, and the only maintenance cost has been $2.99 to top off the wiper washer fluid. As for the battery, I believe that VW warrants them to hold at least 80% of the original capacity for 8 years/100,000 miles and that the warranty transfers to a new owner, though you should double check on that. Maybe others here know the definitive answer?

Good luck! It's a great car, and a ton of fun to drive. It almost makes you want to sit in traffic

 

[JoulesThief]

Battery warranty is 8 years and 70%. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1107864_electric-car-battery-warranties-compared