[cornywright]

Hi thinking of buying a 2nd hand e golf , its done less than 10k , is there going to be any huge reduction in the battery life and performance than from new? I have been told i will get 150 mile easy. I am going to be using it for 110 mile round trip commute 4 times a week , 25mile A road , 25 mile motorway in Scotland, will i more than likely need to charge it before i make the return leg its sound like from the other posts it might be a tight one depending on the winter conditions and temperature. Is a EV vehicle not ideal for alot of motorway driving ? Cheers

 

[simon-g]

Cold and rain have quite an impact, a 100ish mile February motorway trip in streaming rain and just above freezing I got 3.2 miles/kWh (and I charged midway). There's about 31kWh usable so in theory about 100 miles in those conditions. Maybe a bit more, when the battery gets low it forces the eco modes, and in the last 11 miles won't give you much performance, or any heat or AC to make sure you can cover that distance. Way home, bit warmer, and dry and it was over 4 miles / kWh (124 miles).

The optional heat pump will help a bit if it has one, the standard heater isn't very efficient.

I wouldn't to do a fast 110 miles with heater on in scottish winter because you always want a bit of a buffer just in case. You can make it work with a bit of charging somewhere on colder/wetter days, or driving a bit slower on those days, but if you don't want to make that sort of compromise then I'd look to a bigger battery car like a Zoe ZE40 or the Citroen/Peugeot 50kWh cars.

 

[Diesel gate]

Hi thinking of buying a 2nd hand e golf , its done less than 10k , is there going to be any huge reduction in the battery life and performance than from new? I have been told i will get 150 mile easy. I am going to be using it for 110 mile round trip commute 4 times a week , 25mile A road , 25 mile motorway in Scotland, will i more than likely need to charge it before i make the return leg its sound like from the other posts it might be a tight one depending on the winter conditions and temperature. Is a EV vehicle not ideal for a lot of motorway driving ? Cheers

Its not the car for you, you don't want to be living on the edge every journey, one detour and your in trouble, it would be the same as putting two gallons of diesel in a car for that journey every day, the big difference is your not going to have to worry if the only charger within range is occupied or worse broken . If you drive it hard on a motorway in winter you will get around 90 miles with a buffer of about 10 miles, if your lucky.

 

[cornywright]

Do you know how much a heat pump is to fit if it doesnt come with one ?

 

[cornywright]

Thanks for the reply btw

 

[555djx]

Thread on the heat pump conundrum.

 

[Somex]

Do you know how much a heat pump is to fit if it doesnt come with one ?

Don't even think about retro fitting a heat pump, major cost!

 

[Jayne]

Do you know how much a heat pump is to fit if it doesnt come with one ?

Agree with the above re your journeys being a bit too tight for comfort in a golf, especially now there are bigger battery cars more readily available.

Heat pump can't be retrofitted.

 

[Geoff_S]

Hmmm, 110 mile is a bit borderline. I would only use mine for 120 miles or less if I didn't want the agro of using a public charger. Mine is only 10 months old, with a heat pump and I'm in the milder weather of the South East.

150 mile range? Driving like a pussycat avoiding motorways on a sunny day maybe, but certainly not easy.

 

[Tooks]

I have been told i will get 150 mile easy.

Whilst in theory you could get 150 miles, it wouldn’t be easy! Maybe at low speeds, in warm weather, but driving at motorway speed limits, no chance.

I plan on 120 miles from a full charge if I’m on faster A roads or Motorways, with me dropping my speed if appropriate to counter wind, rain, cold temps etc.

That still leaves me a buffer, and after a rapid charge to 85%, I’m good for another 90-100 miles with a buffer again.

It’s a good car, you just need to be realistic about the range, and 120 miles round trip without workplace charging is pushing a bit too close really.

 

[firetrax]

What's your budget? Perhaps a Zoe 50 would be more suitable for your use pattern?

 

[f1geek]

I agree with other comments. E-Golf has ~30 kWh usable battery pack. For all year round driving 110 miles without worrying about charging, you need a car with 40 to 50 kWh usable pack, and probably a heat pump if pack is on smaller side. If you, like me, don’t mind charging at your destination or en route, then e-Golf will work (get one with heat pump for sure). Used e-Golf pack should be fine, especially in cold climate like Scotland.

 

[tomb1963]

I agree with other posts: My son uses the new family e-golf once a week for his 95 mile round trip for work without any range anxiety: but I would not want him to do it in the depth of winter despite having a heat pump fitted: I think I'd plumb for a Zoe or a Leaf.

 

[Arianto Nugroho]

It's also depend on the time you can spare for the journey and the route itself.

If you can spare an extra 30 mins and there's a reliable fast charging station on the way, then it's all good

 

[smartn]

I'm a big fan of my e-golf but just wouldn't risk it for that sort of regular commute. One thing to bear in mind is the trip is at the limits in winter already and all it would take would be a road closure or minor diversion (something that happened to me but I just got away with it). I like to have about an extra 20 miles left over at the end of any journey for any unknowns. Also, the charger infrastructure still has a long way to go with reliability so you always need a bit spare.

 

[ElectRick]

For the first year of ownership, I had a 90 mile dual carriageway round trip commute in my e-golf. I didn't plan on using it in the depth of winter but fuel saving against my fossil burner was too great to pass up. In the winter, I settled on a routine of leaving 10 minutes early and plugging in to a rapid charger at the services near work while I grabbed a coffee. This added at least 40 miles ready for the return trip, also had the advantage of missing the worst traffic and not having to worry about hypermiling it all the way.
Could that be an option if you are dead set on the e-golf?

 

[srichards]

Zoe 40 would be a better choice.

Is there any chance of reliable daily destination charging?