They're here... Has anyone checked em out yet?

Is it really a road trip if you're limited to 300mi.? and at 70K??

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$45k sure…but I will keep my 210k mile 5 speed any day.

It's not for us, I think. I loved my Eurovan, but this thing can't really replace it. Nor is it a Microbus. They're after the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna customers who never owned a Eurovan, or even a vintage Microbus. Alas, it's probably too little, too late -- those people are already satisfied with what they have.

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On it being an EV: A 210 mile range isn't bad for a daily driver. I've been driving (and building) my own EVs since the 1970s, and that's plenty of range for 90% of my driving. But it would certainly put a crimp on long-distance travel. While charging stations are now common in big cities and along the Interstates in the US, they are still fairly rare in camping country.

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One option they missed is to cover the roof with PV panels. They wouldn't add much (I'd guess around 10 miles of driving per sunny day), but could power camping while parked nicely.

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Excellence does not require perfection. -- Henry James

But it *does* require attention to detail! -- Lee Hart

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Lee A. Hart

My hopes are dashed!? ?Maybe by the time these are on the used market there will be a upgrade replacement battery that will increase the range.?

> My hopes are dashed!? ?Maybe by the time these are on the used market there will be a upgrade replacement battery that will increase the range.?

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I feel the same way.

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There are two ways to build an EV. The first is the auto company way. Lots of steel, so heavy, so it need a big motor and lots of batteries to move it. Poor range due to all that weight. Expensive due to the sheer mass of materials.

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The second way is more like an airplane (or original microbus). Keep it small, light, and simple. Use high-strength composites, to halve the weight while keeping all the strength. Half the weight means half the motor and half the batteries for the same range and performance. Despite the higher cost of the composites, it winds up cheaper because all the rest of the parts are smaller and lighter.

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Excellence does not require perfection. -- Henry James

But it *does* require attention to detail! -- Lee Hart

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Lee A. Hart

A friend has a Cirrus: weighs 600 pounds dry. I gave my son a 1982 Rabbit for his first car. A sensible vehicle. Fun to drive. Simple. Now? A computer on wheels. I don’t expect an Id4 will be in the road in forty years.?

My 2014 BMW i3 was built that way--CRFP body panels made the car weigh half that of similarly sized vehicles.? Unfortunately, its somewhat quirky appearance limited its US sales (but Europe is crawling with them).? Also, by the end of its run, its EPA range estimate had quadrupled with advances in battery tech.? Unfortunately, BMW didn't offer battery upgrades, (there is a guy in the Czech Republic who does) so while I intend to keep the car forever, its first gen batteries currently limit its use to strictly erranding.? Also, not a big deal, but a warning for all in-vehicle technology, BMW ceased support of its driver app because the cell phone companies abandoned 3G tech) so there are no more nav or software updates.? In ten years of ownership, its only maintenance items have been new tires (3x).? At ~150k miles, its batteries are 85% of new.