Hi All,

I'm new to the site. I drive a 2014 Fit EV. I've been hanging out over on a FitEV forum which sees about 3 posts per month, so I thought I'd come over here, say hello and see who's here.

Cheers!

Scott

 

Welcome. I've always been intrigued by the FitEV (or any EV for that matter). What kind of range do you get and how long does it take to charge? I am still holding out hope that the Fit will eventually add a hybrid and/or PHEV model.

 

Hi GoBucky,

Range is highly variable. In the summertime I get about 88 miles. But it depends on how you drive. Highway driving can pull that number down to 65 or 70. AC use has some effect as well (but not nearly as bad as the heat!).

In winter the range suffers. The car has lithium titanate batteries, which are supposed to work well in the cold. Nevertheless, the car usually estimates 40 miles or less when the weather is below freezing. This winter it dropped down to 0 Fahrenheit and I saw an indicated range of about 20 miles. However I've always found that if I drive reasonably, those estimates always turn out to be very conservative. For example at one point I saw a 20 mile range. I drove 18 miles, and it was down to about half charge and indicated that it had another 18 miles left in it.

The range limitation isn't as bad as it sounds. It's a pain sometimes and if we didn't have another car in the household (an accord) it'd be a problem. But for my daily driving, it's fine. My commute is just four miles each way, so even in the dead of winter it's not an issue.

Charging takes three hours on a 240 volt charger or 12 hours if you plug it into a wall socket. One thing I discovered after getting it is that charge time isn't as big a deal as I imagined. Most of the time the car is parked. So there's plenty of time to have it charge. In fact, I use the wall socket charger at my house, because it's never really been a problem. (I have the 240 volt charger in my trunk so I can use it at a few places I visit which have 240 volt outlets.)

The driving experience is great, and I'd totally recommend a pure electric over a hybrid. Other than the range issue it's just a better way to drive. Power delivery is linear and smooth. It's so easy to modulate power and dial in just the right amount of torque, even mid-corner. I definitely hope the expand the program and produce a new EV with more range and more power.

Scott

 

Welcome.
Thanks for the info.
How much did it cost you to have this car and what are the terms regarding you having to return it?
Does it make any economical sense for a typical money conscious consumer at this time?

From what you described, this car can never be the first and only car for anyone so it sounds like it is an expensive toy to have (or a luxury secondary car that one MAY WANT to drive, but has other options if needed).

Do you know if Fit Ev's parts are available for the general public (e.g. tail lights, interior parts, bumpers, etc)?

I am getting an average of 41 mpg with my mixed driving mode in LA. I like the idea of electric vehicle but the severe limitation of the battery's range does not allow me even remotely consider purchasing such a car. Not to mention that the battery replacement would eventually require substantial investment, eating any and all savings one saved on fuel.

What were you main motivations to buy this car? Why did you not chose the prius, the volt, or other hybrids?

Welcome to the forum.

 

That's quite a disparity in range. That cold weather must just suck the life out of your battery. We have 2 cars so we could always take the 2nd car on vacations and longer trips, but doing that would mean we miss out on the efficiency of an EV and would spend a lot on gas. Eventually, when there is a vast infrastructure of quick charging stations in place throughout the country, and range is greatly improved, EVs will probably be the norm rather than the exception (think the Jetsons).

 

Lyman,

I'm scratching my head over the drastic reduction in range you have seen in the winter. Do you know why ?

Can you distinguish elective electric loads, e.g. cabin heating, from usable battery capacity ?