New eGolf Owner: Loving it so far! Quick questions

[phr00t]

Hey guys! Just picked me up a 2015 Premium SEL eGolf a week ago. Impressed so far with the range -- I was really setting myself up for the "83" miles number, but when in Eco mode & using Braking mode, my "guess-o-meter" runs generally in the 83-100 range, even without a full charge! I don't have my level 2 charging equipment yet, but I'm finding 110v charging is far more capable than expected. Really enjoying the ride -- feels like I'm driving the future.

Is there any way to "preheat" the car without using Car-Net? Sometimes I visit family where cell coverage is spotty, so I'm not sure it'd even work. I also don't want to get attached to something that is just a trial, and would require a subscription otherwise... ultimately, I'd love to pre-heat by using the remote keyfob. I thought there was a way to schedule a preheat with the infotainment system? Or, do I actually need to go in the car, hit "Start" & turn on the climate controls manually?

What is better for the battery? Keeping it fully charged when I get home, or letting the battery get low & doing a longer charge? One would have a higher "state of charge", while the other would have a larger "depth of charge"... not sure which to give preference for longevity. Having it fully charged is more useful for unexpected longer trips, though.

Chose the eGolf over the Leaf! Much nicer looking car, more efficient & quicker Battery chemistry & reviews generally seem better for the eGolf, too. Anyway, thank you for listening!

 

[JoulesThief]

Shallow charges are easier on the battery chemistry with Li batteries. Keeping it 80% to 20% would probably be ideal. An occasional full charge doesn't hurt, nor does an occasional near to empty run down. Key word, occasional.

Don't be afraid to share with us what you learn... I haven't even owned my new 2015 SEL white with camel interior 12 hours. Lots, lots, lots to learn. Like if your car is parked in the garage charging, and NOT fully charged, I am going to have to learn how to unlock the charge handle. For certain, don't unlock the car or touch it so it unlocks. I am guessing pressing the instant charge to shut it off from solid green light (charging) to solid yellow light is not good. Locking up the car, then going through the routine again, charge on, charge off switch, finally got me unlocked. Quirky, in the beginning.

The fit , finish, and how I fit at 6'5" in the Golf, is better than the Leaf I test drove. I hope to get many trouble free and maintenance free miles with the e-Golf. We will see.

My only wish is that VW offered the e-golf in Pearlescent White paint color.

 

[phr00t]

Yay eGolf newbies!

The full battery pack is 24.2 kWh, which ~21.1 is useable, so a "100%" charge is really about 87%. However, I'm sure having it a little less state of charge on average is beneficial. Over time, I'll see how that compares to the convenience of having a more full battery for unexpected trips.

The trickiest thing I've dealt with so far is starting the car! I press the "Start" button, and if you don't press the brake quick enough, it won't actually engage the battery when pressing the brake later. Pressing the "Start" button again sometimes engages the battery, sometimes turns off the car. Having to set Eco mode each time is a little nuisance -- wish it just remembered the setting.

I did a few things to hopefully help my efficiency a bit: I removed the junk in the trunk. Rear head rests out (I have kid car seats anyway), the trunk floor mat thing & the trunk cover: out for weight reduction & more cargo space. I also made sure the tire pressure was a little above recommended (but a tad below max). 41 PSI seems to be the recommendation, so I went for 45 PSI. Tires were between 35-40 PSI when it rolled off the lot. B mode, and Eco mode is a must at all times, just so I don't feel so bad about using A/C & heat when I want.

Ordered a JuiceBox 30A with some adapters, should be in the mail early next week.

 

[JoulesThief]

Yay eGolf newbies!

The full battery pack is 24.2 kWh, which ~21.1 is useable, so a "100%" charge is really about 87%. However, I'm sure having it a little less state of charge on average is beneficial. Over time, I'll see how that compares to the convenience of having a more full battery for unexpected trips.

The trickiest thing I've dealt with so far is starting the car! I press the "Start" button, and if you don't press the brake quick enough, it won't actually engage the battery when pressing the brake later. Pressing the "Start" button again sometimes engages the battery, sometimes turns off the car. Having to set Eco mode each time is a little nuisance -- wish it just remembered the setting.

I did a few things to hopefully help my efficiency a bit: I removed the junk in the trunk. Rear head rests out (I have kid car seats anyway), the trunk floor mat thing & the trunk cover: out for weight reduction & more cargo space. I also made sure the tire pressure was a little above recommended (but a tad below max). 41 PSI seems to be the recommendation, so I went for 45 PSI. Tires were between 35-40 PSI when it rolled off the lot. B mode, and Eco mode is a must at all times, just so I don't feel so bad about using A/C & heat when I want.

Ordered a JuiceBox 30A with some adapters, should be in the mail early next week.

Try this, instead.... step on the brake first, then push the Start-Stop button in the console. Should engage all the electrical every single time.

I think this is what is suggested in the Owners Manual, and was told to me each time on 3 different test drives before deciding to buy one.

 

[miimura]

Regarding unplugging the car: First, make sure it is not actively charging. Active charging has the green light slowly pulsing up and down in a sinusoidal pattern. If you need to stop it push the upper button next to the charge port. The green light will go out and the amber light will come on steady. Then, push the unlock button on the key fob. Listen for the solenoid to disengage, then push the button on the charge cable handle and remove it.

Gotcha #1: If the car is sleeping - ie. there are no lights lit next to the charge port - unlocking the car will unlock all the doors and the charge port, then when the car is awake it will notice that the charge cable is connected and re-lock the charge port. You will have to press unlock again unless you are really quick on the draw and push the button on the charge cable handle in less than about 1.5 seconds. If the car is unlocked and sleeping, just open the passenger door next to the charge port. That will wake up the car, then press unlock once and the charge port will be unlocked.

These charge port shenanigans suck, but they are what they are. It can be frustrating at the start, but it's predictable once you get the pattern of what it's doing.

 

[JoulesThief]

My e-golf was strange last night. The green light came on and stayed on, it did not blink, per the manuals suggestion. I did go from a 40 mile range to a 61 mile range from 3:30 AM to about 7:30 AM, though. Clipper Creek /Delphi 1.3kw version, no extension cord, plugged into a 20 amp 120V washer /dryer wall socket, where the left female socket is shaped in a "T", not vertical like 15 amp sockets. May 2015 Build, perhaps I should look into all the software updates?



So a good rule of thumb is always leave the car doors locked while recharging.

If you need to disconnect before a full recharge, push the top button to change the color from green to yellow, wait a second or two for the solenoid to click /disengage, and then remove the handle.

 

[miimura]

My e-golf was strange last night. The green light came on and stayed on, it did not blink, per the manuals suggestion. I did go from a 40 mile range to a 61 mile range from 3:30 AM to about 7:30 AM, though. Clipper Creek /Delphi 1.3kw version, no extension cord, plugged into a 20 amp 120V washer /dryer wall socket, where the left female socket is shaped in a "T", not vertical like 15 amp sockets.

That is normal 120V 12A charging that you will get from the provided charging cord, regardless of the socket you plug it into. Don't try a 240V socket with the provided cord. You will get "magic smoke" if you do.

 

[miimura]

Here's the math.

61-40 miles = 21 miles
21miles / 4.2 mi/kWh = 5 kWh
5000Wh / (120V * 12A * 85%) = 4.08 hr

 

[JoulesThief]

My e-golf was strange last night. The green light came on and stayed on, it did not blink, per the manuals suggestion. I did go from a 40 mile range to a 61 mile range from 3:30 AM to about 7:30 AM, though. Clipper Creek /Delphi 1.3kw version, no extension cord, plugged into a 20 amp 120V washer /dryer wall socket, where the left female socket is shaped in a "T", not vertical like 15 amp sockets.

That is normal 120V 12A charging that you will get from the provided charging cord, regardless of the socket you plug it into. Don't try a 240V socket with the provided cord. You will get "magic smoke" if you do.

General Contractor here, yep, yep, yep, 120V is 120V and 240V is 240V, the white neutral wire is optional with 240, mandatory with 120V. Have enough Honda Eu2000I generators to make 26.6 Amps if paired, at 127V with nothing on it.... Hmmm how to pair a set of 120V 12 A chargers 180 degrees out of phase, and then pair a set of Clipper Creek jobs at the car input for 12 amp 240 to the 7.2KW chargers on board?

 

[JoulesThief]

Today's events. 56 miles range showing at time of charge up, on a ChargePoint, the exact same Volt hogs this plug daily at the Northridge Mall, a silver one. Ironic, she bought the car in Northridge, and must work at the mall, parks in the charging area with the green lines. I backed in to an open spot that was a short parking spot ( love that dimension on the e-golf), disconnected them after seeing pics of the same plate on the Plug share site from August 2nd, and plugged in for an hour and 30 minutes. Still not finished, but showed I now had 109 miles or range? Driving to charge up, I showed 5.6 miles per KWH, but it was a short drive. 50 miles, majority at 4.5kwh, 5.5 miles at 5.5kwh. 90 minutes, almost exactly. Needle was a half a mark short from Fully charged.

It was 1 mark from full when I drove it off the lot last night. Takes getting used to, I am used to 700 miles or more on the Passat or Touareg before needing to refuel with diesel, mostly all cruising at 60 to 65 MPH on the interstate. The e-golf does way, way, way better around town, not so good on the freeway. The TDI's are the exact opposite.


Pushing the button right below the green light does not change the color of my light to yellow, or it didn't today. What did work was opening the right rear door and leaving it ajar, then pushing the FOB unlock button, then pushing the charger plug unlock button, to remove the charger handle.

Thanks for all the pointers.

 

[mfennell]

Good info in this thread for another new "owner" (leaser), confirming my car is normal.

Funny about the Volt: I had a pretty early one. VIN 777 in fact. Loved it. Never once plugged it into anything but my own EVSE but was ambivalent about what others did. Now, I find myself annoyed by the idea. There's a free charger at the University where I'm taking grad classes and I won't plug in. I want to leave it available for someone who might actually need it. I don't. Volt owners don't.

 

[phr00t]

Back to one of my original questions -- how do you preheat the car, if you don't have Car-Net?

I may have found an answer: you go into the car & press the "Start" button. Wish I didn't have to manually do this, but it seems to do the trick. ~15 minutes before you leave, just pop in the car with your key and hit "Start". The climate control system will turn on and start running & you can leave.

 

[JoulesThief]

Back to one of my original questions -- how do you preheat the car, if you don't have Car-Net?

I may have found an answer: you go into the car & press the "Start" button. Wish I didn't have to manually do this, but it seems to do the trick. ~15 minutes before you leave, just pop in the car with your key and hit "Start". The climate control system will turn on and start running & you can leave.

You park it in a climate controlled garage.

Barring that, you can have someone with VCDS cable and software do a tweek so that you can activate and lower your windows via your keyfob, by holding the unlock button down for 5-7 seconds to let the hot air out and the fresh, cooler air in.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with pre conditioning the car.

What does piss me off, though is the automatic channel reset on FM to whatever channel it is 87.9 or something, with every start. I need to get the update # to resolve that, and to also leave the temperature at where I left it also, and the fan turned off too.

 

[miimura]

To me, one of the annoying things about the e-Golf is that if you drive the car, then park it and get out of the driver's seat, even in P with the parking brake set, the car will shut off automatically with a message about conserving the battery. Well, duh, I know I left the car on, but I want it to stay on! My RAV4 EV just beeps at you when you get out, but you can leave the car on indefinitely with the climate control running if you want.

 

[phr00t]

The point of "preconditioning" the car is so you can heat (or cool) the car while it is plugged in. Much of the drain on the battery is getting from freezing to comfortable, not maintaining a comfortable temperature.

Even if I had a climate controlled garage at home (which I don't), I'll still be parking at family & friends who have an outlet, but no climate controlled garage.

If that VCDS tweak exists & is confirmed, great. I'll take it.

 

[JoulesThief]

The point of "preconditioning" the car is so you can heat (or cool) the car while it is plugged in. Much of the drain on the battery is getting from freezing to comfortable, not maintaining a comfortable temperature.

Even if I had a climate controlled garage at home (which I don't), I'll still be parking at family & friends who have an outlet, but no climate controlled garage.

If that VCDS tweak exists & is confirmed, great. I'll take it.

I guess, being a general contractor, I used the boy scout mantra, "be prepared" , for what ever the temperature or situation. Pre condition your clothing, dress in layers, problem solved.

General theory... the only thing that really needs to be heated is the 1 inch layer of molecules of air surrounding all of your skin surfaces. Heating anything more, or cooling anything more, is a hug waste of resources and energy. Just saying....

Seems like a huge waste of human resources and electrons to pre condition your car to me, plus putting it on your friends electric bill if you're parked at their place and plugged in. YMMV, I'm waaay more in the HTFU camp, got the calluses and scars on the hands and ass to prove it.

 

[dublectric]

General theory... the only thing that really needs to be heated is the 1 inch layer of molecules of air surrounding all of your skin surfaces. Heating anything more, or cooling anything more, is a hug waste of resources and energy. Just saying....

Seems like a huge waste of human resources and electrons to pre condition your car to me, plus putting it on your friends electric bill if you're parked at their place and plugged in. YMMV, I'm waaay more in the HTFU camp, got the calluses and scars on the hands and ass to prove it.

Hi TDINutz -

Sorry, I don't mean to be difficult I do agree with nearly all of what you've said above, but I would like to offer a perspective from a snowier clime. Please note that we've only had our eGolfs for a couple of months so we haven't had them in sub-freezing weather yet; the following is based on previous experience from our ICE cars.

Around here, it is often useful to be able to heat up the windshield before you drive. This is especially important if you have to park your car outside in an area of the country where it can snow. It's worst when you get a freezing rain, which can build up a thin layer of ice directly on the window glass - scraping it when the glass is cold is a tiring and time-consuming process. It's much easier when the glass is warm enough to melt at least the lowest layer of ice - then it can be scraped off easily without much trouble.

Sometimes after you've scraped off the frost and start driving, if the windshield is still cold, a frost can start to form on it again immediately as you drive. Using the windsheld washer can sometimes help temporarily, but will often make matters worse when it in turn will freeze on the windshield (despite having "anti-freeze washer fluid") and will obliterate your view totally. I've had to pull over and re-scrape multiple times if I drive before the car has warmed up enough.

Occasionally, even when it doesn't snow, the temperature can be cold enough that moisture from the driver's body (breath, or maybe if your hair is still damp from a recent shower) will create a frost on the *inside* of the windshield and side windows. This can most easily be cleared off if both the glass and the interior air are somewhat warmer than the 4 degrees F ambient air temperature, and it's best done before you start driving.

For a third case - I wouldn't do this just for myself, but I can see where a driver might want to make the car comfortable enough for a passenger, just to be polite; either take the chill off a bit in freezing cold weather, or run the A/C for a bit when it's 95 degrees and humid. Again, I wouldn't do this for myself but would consider it if taking a passenger.

The beauty of our cars is that this can be done from electric power (and if plugged in it can be done without reducing available range), instead of burning fossil fuel (at least directly). I don't know how many hundreds of times I've seen and silently scoffed at a car sitting in a driveway on a chilly morning, clattering away at high idle while its owner presumably sips his last cup of coffee in the kitchen, just so it can be nice and toasty when its owner eventually hops in.

But in general I agree with you 99.9% - when it's cooler, I'd rather dress for the cooler weather and not have to spend power on climate control; or at most use the heated seats instead of heating the whole cabin. When it's warmer, I prefer to drive with the windows open instead of using A/C.

 

[phr00t]

If it were just me in the eGolf, I'd dress up and deal with it. However, I've got two young kids sitting in the back. I'm not going to make them suffer in the cold.

Looks like hitting the "Start" button ahead of time, and letting the heat run while plugged in, is the free & universal solution.

About the windshield -- I purchased a windshield cover that you place on the outside. This should keep the snow, ice & frost off.

 

[JoulesThief]

If it were just me in the eGolf, I'd dress up and deal with it. However, I've got two young kids sitting in the back. I'm not going to make them suffer in the cold.

Looks like hitting the "Start" button ahead of time, and letting the heat run while plugged in, is the free & universal solution.

About the windshield -- I purchased a windshield cover that you place on the outside. This should keep the snow, ice & frost off.

In the 1960's, I walked up hlll, 1.2 miles, each way, rain or shine, grades 1-6 to elementary school. And that was taking the short cut. Times have changed. It's not suffering, it's building character.

 

[miimura]

If it were just me in the eGolf, I'd dress up and deal with it. However, I've got two young kids sitting in the back. I'm not going to make them suffer in the cold.

Looks like hitting the "Start" button ahead of time, and letting the heat run while plugged in, is the free & universal solution.

About the windshield -- I purchased a windshield cover that you place on the outside. This should keep the snow, ice & frost off.

I think you'll find that your strategy isn't going to work. No only will the car shut down a minute or two after you get out, I don't think the heat and A/C work when the start button is pushed while plugged in. I think you will have to use the CarNet preconditioning function to get the desired result.