Bought a VW ID.4

Looking forward to hearing about your impressions and real-world range after a few months with it. Best of luck.

 

I like the ID.4, but am holding out to see how much of a performance increase the AWD version has. A software update to reduce the screen lag seems likely.

 

I think I would be more interested in a FWD than a RWD since the majority of the braking energy is handled in the front, so I would guess that the overall efficiency may suffer from the loss of regen 'opportunity'. That would be why I would prefer to wait for the AWD version, as I anticipate that it may have better regen (thus efficiency). And also less brake wear in the long term. I'm not interested in the difference in acceleration.

 

I may be misinterpreting what you’re saying, but the Clarity provides regenerative braking beyond what is experienced with the paddles and chevrons. Applying the brake pedal utilizes regenerative braking, almost exclusively. A couple of exceptions would be a panic stop and at speeds below ~5mph, when coming to a complete stop.

It is unlikely that there is much difference, between the two vehicles, in their ability to recapture kinetic energy.

 

Not sure if I know enough to agree with "almost exclusively" or not, but regardless one other exception is when the battery is near full.

And it isn't clear if weight shift to the front during breaking affects regen ability depending on drive axle... as noted it probably doesn't matter under most normal/relaxed braking situations.

 

There have been charts posted that display the current being sent to the batteries while applying the brake pedal.

As for the full battery scenario, it is excess regenerative energy that is triggering the ICE to run. That energy is generated when the brake pedal is applied. I don’t know how other vehicles handle that situation. It could be viewed as a lost opportunity, but not for the lack of available energy. The Clarity simply has nowhere to store that energy when the battery is fully charged.

 

It began as an apples to oranges comparison. If the discussion is the “built in” level of regenerative braking when removing the foot from the accelerator, it will most likely be an apples to oranges comparison between two different cars.

This does not mean that there are lost opportunities for capturing regenerative energy with the Clarity. You’ll just have to coast for a greater distance with 4 chevrons or apply the brake pedal to slow the car more aggressively. To put it a different way, if you bring both cars to a stop from 60mph in 30 seconds, they both will have recaptured roughly the same amounted energy. It’s just that one does it with more of a single pedal driving style and the other does it with 2 pedal driving.

 

Looking forward to your reports on the ID.4. Good luck with it. How much of an issue is the infotainment screen lag right now?

 

David, Congrats on your new car. I hope you don't live at someplace cold and have the heat pump option for ID.4. I heard VW had to give refunds in Europe because the heat pump couldn't pump enough heat in cold winter.

 

I'm surprised to learn about these refunds. Isn't it well-known that heat pumps don't work when the ambient temperature gets really cold? That's why the ID.4 (and all EVs AFAIK) include a resistance heater to warm the cabin on those really cold days. Was the ID.4's resistance heater also inadequate?

I can't tell when my EV's heat-pump passes the baton to the resistance heater, but my EV keeps me warm on the coldest days. As with my Clarity, I love the ability to precondition the interior before I exit my house, too.

 

VW must have enough chips to ramp up ID.4 production. A quick search on Autotrader is showing many Pro and Pro S models appearing in dealerships. Looks great with a black steering wheel/column.

 

Congratulations on the new ride. 70 miles on the Clarity......wow!!!!

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