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A driving distance of 204 miles... It's too little.

9K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  JC Mann 
#1 ·
1463
The biggest thing I missed before I bought a car was the driving distance. 204 miles... I thought this was enough to get between the charger and the charger on a long trip. However, it was not enough in the current charging infrastructure. Also, due to the characteristics of the electric battery, I did not think of the decreasing driving distance in the winter when the temperature drops. If you want to buy e-tron now, think carefully. Everything is a satisfactory e-tron except driving distance.
What do you think?
 
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#2 ·
For any prospective buyer I would recommend doing thorough research before signing up on your new car. This is more important if you never owned an EV before. This site is great for that research. For me the e-tron range was the only major negative that I found when selecting which car to buy. My travel profile means that for the majority of daily journeys, 80% real world range is good enough, even in UK winter climates. Charging infrastructure in the UK is manageable and improving.
 
#3 ·
For me, buying etron was a choice between a rock and a hard place
Etron has poor range, Tesla did not figure out quality yet
I chose etron
Like it, except for longer trips
Hopefully, by the time I need my next car, there will be a quality offering with 300 miles of range or more
 
#5 ·
Like others, I was balancing distance with build quality. I have a second ICE vehicle to use as backup if needed, so got the ETron with the idea that it would be primarily short distances and very easy being able to charge, since you don't have to go to a gas station. However, this is my first EV and I have been surprised at how sensitive the battery is to cold temperatures. I think this issue is severe enough that some buyers might be brought up short by the realization. EPA should post mileage estimates for Charging Capacity AND Distance under both "standard conditions (say 75F)" and "cold weather conditions (say, 25F).
 
#7 · (Edited)
A lot of us have been disappointed by winter range. All vehicles lose range in winter but because EVs start off with a reduced range in comparison to ICEs it is more noticeable (and preheating whilst not plugged to mains electric steals a few kWh).

Personally if I were to start afresh I'd probably still go for the etron (maybe the 55 instead of the 50). Its too good at what it does. The range isn't an issue for me 90% of the time.

The Mustang Mach E seems like a good contender and ticks a lot of boxes that me and my family want from a vehicle. Merc. EQC, ID4 and Skoda Enyaq all also compete on paper. These are new models though, EQC excepting, whereas the etron isn't and yet for me the etron still holds its own.

Those 10% of times where range is problematic the fast charge rate and flat curve makes up for it.
 
#8 ·
I was taken aback by the drop in efficiency between the summer and winter. Fortunately the car had enough range margin to still be fine - actually comfortably so, and I reckon the efficiency would have improved over a longer drive. But I can see how those with less margin would be less satisfied.
Clearly the cars we use these days are very much prototypes / development models. I know what to look for in future and the makers know what they have to do...
 
#9 ·
Same with others. Love the e-tron for all day to day and 99% of our current driving needs. On anything long distance, we wouldn't use an EV, even with longer range. We don't really want to plan out routes and factor in having to stop for an hour at a time for recharging etc. So for us it was never really expected to be a viable long distance hauler. We have a PHEV for those needs, but obviously not everyone has that ability.
 
#10 ·
We have a PHEV for those needs, but obviously not everyone has that ability.
We currently have a VW Passat (one of the evil ones) for that 'one journey in a hundred' but we find that we need it far less frequently than that. We plan to get rid of the Passat and, when we feel uncomfortable with the e-tron's range, we'll simply hire something suitable. It doesn't seem sensible to own a substitute ICE and pay for it doing next to nothing.
And, to be frank, a PHEV is not the vehicle you should be using to do long range stuff in. The electric range of these things is around 30 miles so you'd be on fossil for the vast majority of such a journey while carting around a flat, heavy battery and a dead weight electric motor.
 
#11 ·
Newbie e-Tron owner ( should arrive early May) - but longtime EV owner here.

The Tesla forums are exactly like this thread......cold weather really affects range. It's not just the cold battery. Denser air, less traction, and cabin heat all hurt range. I'm in the "banana belt" of Canada, southern Ontario, but we still see January and parts of December and February below freezing. Without pre-conditioning, short trips can suck up to 50% of range, be it Audi, Tesla, Hyundai, whatever. Longer trips will drive it down to a 25% loss. The only way to beat this is to pre-condition the car's cabin and battery while on a landline. You can also lower the cabin temperature to, say, 18C, 66F, and use the heated seats to save a bit of range.

Every winter the Tesla forums are filled with threads from the Canadian Prairies (gets really cold there), Finland, Norway, and the US Midwest, bleating about their range issues. These are vehicles with 300+ miles (500 KM) range. So, all EV owners are a bit snookered in the winter. Also, Tesla batteries must be warm, or they won't charge. My understanding is that Audi batteries start rapid charging much faster.

Of interest; I put my Tesla HPWC (to be replaced with a J-1772) and NEMA 14-50 plug on Plugshare. I live in a rural area, with limited charging options in almost any direction. Spring/summer/fall I get a few passers by, and customers ( I own an equestrian facility ) use the free electrons. In winter, I usually get at least 6 panicking EV owners contact me to make sure the EVSE is available to them. They've miscalculated their range, due to cold weather, and are going to brick their cars. I tell them to come on in, charge, and have a coffee, and use the wifi in the arena viewing room for an hour or 2. Sometimes I even pop in and join them. If anyone here ever gets stuck in Dufferin County, Ontario: PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

So, precondition, and plan for a significant decrease in range, regardless of car manufacturer.
 
#15 ·
I have found that the range has been very manageable in both my previous 2019 Etron and my current 2021 Etron. The longest trip that I have made in either was the 3rd week of January 2021 from San Antonio, TX to Winter Park, CO and back. The only issue I saw was a major headwind on the way there on I70 in Kansas. This caused me to slow down a little, but I easily made it to the next charger. I expected the range to plummet going up and down Berthoud pass, but it held strong. I was quite impressed overall. I charged on the ElectrifyAmerica network the whole trip until I got to Winter Park. The only Level 3 was a ChargePoint in Fraser, CO and it worked great. On a side note, I had an MMI issue that caused my NAV to have errors. I had to reset the MMI about every 45-120min. AoA is aware and my dealer is replacing the 5f module. Additionally, I found out how to enable “prefer” ElectrifyAmerica chargers after the trip. This would have been helpful for my trip, as I had to select each charger manually. After owning a 2013 Nissan Leaf, 2013 Tesla Model S P85, 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV, 2019 Audi Etron, I find the 2021 Audi Etron to be nearly perfect. There are a handful of quirks, like not allowing us to determine the rate of charge (32amp/40amp) and not letting us run the HVAC camper mode style... What I can say is Audi is definitely interested and listening to customer feedback.
 
#16 ·
How many more miles do you practically get in a 2021 compared to the 2019? I did my first long (long for my 2019 e-tron) trip from Dallas to San Antonio and back. The range was not an issue though closer to 300 miles would have avoided an additional stop. Just have to plan an extra 15-20 minute stop since the Electrify America chargers are not exactly where you want them. I ended up charging when I still had 70 miles of range since the next fast charger was exactly 70 miles away and I could not risk it. So I ended up spending 15 minutes to get to 80% charge and head to the next stop. Charging was not as bad as I expected it to be one was at a Walmart and another was at an outlet mall.
 
#18 ·
I agree, but I new that when I bought mine. I only take a few trips that I have to change away from home. EA has recently stepped up their game on replacing bad charging stations. They recently installed one in Key West Florida. This will take care of my planned trip to there. Tesla seems to have the longest range, but the Etron appealed to me more.
 
#20 ·
Great call out, I haven't been brave enough to purchase one. My understanding is that the adapter only works with home and destination chargers and that you can't use it with Superchargers.

Additionally, if you ever have an issue with an EA charger I highly encourage you to call them as soon as possible. I have found them to be extremely responsive with diagnosing charging issues and bringing stations back online. They operate their support line 24/7 and I tested this on my trip to Colorado earlier this year.:coffee:
 
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