Last November my wife and I got serious about looking for an EV. We commute 80 miles a day round trip and were tired of always having to stop for gas. We live in Maine, so we had to do some driving to find dealers who had some EVs to test drive. After checking out a few other manufacturers offerings, we chose the ID4. We were more comfortable with it as a "transition" from gas to electric car because it didn't feel like we were being pushed out of the driving experience like we did with Tesla and Mustang, and the screens were not as obnoxious as some of the other vehicles. So we got ourselves on the waitlist and fall tuned into winter and winter turned into spring. War and supply chain issues made it clear that were were not making any progress on the waitlist and by May I started to get impatient. That is when our dealer told us they were selling the 2021 floor model we test drove. Even though it didn't have all the bells and whistles we had put on our order, we jumped at the chance and snatched it up. Since taking ownership of it about a month ago we have put 2k miles on it without any issues. There has been a bit of a learning curve, but online videos and having a physical owners manual we could consult helped a lot. Since this one already had nearly 1000 miles on it from the dealership, it came to us pretty well broken in. We installed an Electrify America home charger so we can charge at night instead of trying to use the slow level 2 chargers found in the wild - which are the best that is currently available in this part of the world. This fall we will head down to Portland and try out the only EA fast charger in the state to see what we are missing. Until then, charging at night works well for us. We calculated our costs for electricity and compared it to what we would have paid for gas over the same time. Turns out we saved $500 on gas alone this month, even when you factor in the energy cost of charging at home. Looking forward to seeing how the RWD handles in our winter driving conditions and the reality of maintenance costs are over the next 12 months. But so far we are very happy with our new car.
Persistence pays, or at least it did in this case. Enjoy your new(ish) EV and big grin when passing those gas stations
I feel so fortunate that we purchased our ID.4 a year ago - back then there was decent supply in CA with no wait list. The only maintenance cost is to check the brakes and tires once a year. I just had my one year checkup and the brakes still have alot left on them. Being in Bay Area CA, there is a good network of Electrify America level 3 chargers (three within a 5 mile radius), so we rarely charge at home and didn't want the expense of installing a level 2 at home. We are mostly very happy with this car. My only complaint is the infotainment system - it is slow, glitchy, and not very intuitive. I look forward to the software update that they tell me is coming this year.
Hey Maine Guy, Welcome to the ID.4 club. Just in case you need it, and you may know this by now, but there is a second EA fast charger in Maine along Route 1 in Kittery. My wife and I have had better charging sessions in Kittery than at the Scarborough (Portland area) EA chargers. Have fun. If you see a Dusk Blue Pro S AWD with Maine plates, that could be me. Hopefully EA will install a couple new chargers in Maine in the next year or two..or three.
That one might be a little easier when we make a run to Boston. Thanks for the heads up. If you are up around Bar Harbor and see a white Pro with lobster plates, that could be me.
We love Mount Desert Island and go there often (not in the summer, however, too busy.) We'll look out for you. There are several Tesla destination charges so our Tesla Tap adapter comes in handy on the island. By the way, if you can get to Seabrook NH on your way to Boston, the Electrify America charger station there is very reliable. We head to Mass to visit my son's family and have used it often.
Greetings and welcome Maineguy. Well we have had our ID 4 for 14 months and had the 3OK miles checkup recently. Glad to say everything is running great. We drive 170 miles round trip 4 x a week. So the miles do really add up. I can't begin to say how much money we have saved with the ID 4. Quick note on level 3 charging with EA. Depending on how low we take the battery (Between 20% n 15%) it takes a between 30 to 45 mins. We bought the 48 AMP Wallbox and it takes between 3 1/2 to 4 hrs to charge the car to 80%.
Hello MaineGuy Sadly I really don't know. I only get permission from my daughter to drive the ID 4 every so often, LOL. My daughter is the one that drives the car full time, to n from the University. Has for gas we are pretty close or pass your $500.00 a month. Has for the home charging. We will reach the $80.00 mark this month. Last month was again $80.00.
