Level 2 home charger install

Well, we put in a level 2 charger in our garage. Or rather Fineline Electric of Kent City MI, did it for us. 

The VW ID.4 does not come with a charger, although you have the option of purchasing a VW level 1 and level 2 home charging system, which we did. We also opted for a holster and cord rack (available from Amazon for 20 bucks).

This sort of makes sense, actually, since most folks will want a level 2 home charger in their home and you'd have to purchase one of those anyway. (Check out Car and Driver magazine's review of the different charging levels and what they mean us common folks.)

Fineline's electricians, Wyatt and Donalson arrived right on time at 8:00am and were done and back on the road well before noon. They were professional, prompt, respectful of the space and answered all our questions easily and with a clear sense they knew what they were talking about.

Naturally, we did a quick test and everything worked fine.

When installing your home charger give some thought to placement: some cars have a charging port in the front driver's side some in the passenger rear (like the ID.4). The old 110 outlet is located at the head of the garage by the man-door and we thought that a bit out of the way and requiring us to always back in to charge. Placing the charger midway down a side wall allows us to pull in head first  but can also accommodate an EV with a driver's side charging port.

Our first road trip

Today was our first truly out-of-town trip in the new car: from Grand Rapids we drove to Mcbain just east of Cadillac, MI. 

Leaving the garage fully charged at 100% and reading 304 est. miles, the drive took us about 90 minutes for a distance of 104 miles by which time the car was down to 55%! Bit of a shocker there but all part of this very serious learning curve.

After our family visit in Mcbain we drove into Cadillac and found the Electrify America charging station in the Meijer grocery store parking lot just off US131.

While I sat with Susie's mom while the car charged, Susie went into the store to pick up a few things and after about 20 minutes were were back up to 80% -- more than enough to get back home with plenty of juice to spare.

The charging station worked fine and we were especially pleased since we didn't have to pay -- VW owns EA and provides 3 years of free charging to new ID.4 owners.

Another nice thing about this latest experience is we now have a charging plan for our trip next month to Sault-Sainte-Marie, Ontario: stop at the EA stations in Cadillac and then in Gaylord (no cost) which will get us to our hotel in Ontario. 

Once in Ontario we have access to a charging station at our hotel so we'll be able to head off with a full charge for our return trip stopping in the same EA stations on the way home. But that's getting a bit ahead of our story. . . 

Charging surprises

For those new to EVs perhaps the one most peculiar aspect of electric cars center on the notion of "charging" the high-voltage battery that drives the motor. (Here's a superb introduction to EVs.)

While you can certainly find plenty of material in your research before making a purchase, there were two surprises in store for us: the lack of a standardized charger nozzle and the length of time it takes to charge using just a simple household (110/120v) outlet.

The charging nozzle puzzle. Well, it's less of a puzzle than controlled chaos. There is no single standard of charging nozzle used by car manufacturers today. Look at it this way: suppose you are still driving a gas-powered vehicle and you pull into a service station but the pump nozzles don't fit your car. You have to go in search of those stations that have a nozzle compatible with your vehicle make and model. That's pretty much what we're faced with right now. 

Anyway, what you need to know is:

For Level 1 and Level 2 charging, the most common plug used in North America is the J1772 or "J-Plug," which is a standard connector that is compatible with all EVs except for Tesla. In Europe, the Type 2 plug is the most common connector for Level 1 and Level 2 charging.

For DC fast charging, Tesla uses its proprietary plug, while Nissan and Mitsubishi use CHAdeMO. All other EV manufacturers use the Combined Charging System (CCS) or "Combo" plug. In Europe, the CCS2 plug is the most common connector for DC charging. (From EV-Lectron.com)

Second, the time it takes to charge your car can also vary widely, especially at level 1. The first time I plugged in our ID.4 into our garage 110/120 outlet (level 1) the car was down to about 36%. The app (and car infotainment system) informed me it would take 50 hours to charge to a full 100%! While usually keeping it at 80% is recommended, we're going up north on our first long-distance trip next Wednesday so I want a full charge. 

Lesson learned: keep the car plugged in every night to keep it topped off at the appropriate level. . .

While I plan to review a number of the handy charging apps for your smartphone, here's a quick look at the home page of the myVW app:

Update 5 July 2023

Since taking delivery it's been in-town driving with one short trip north of Grand Rapids to a family get together off Ten-Mile Road and occasionally hauling a load of stuff to be donated.

Anyway, here are my latest notes:

The car seems to wobble a bit on the grooved pavements favored on some highways but otherwise it handled well.

The Adaptive Cruise Control is very nice and works as promised: slowing the vehicle down before it gets too close to a slower car and speeding up again to the setting when I turned into the passing lane.

Plenty of storage in the back, especially with the seats down although the seats don't fold fully flat. Oh, and the front (leading) edge of the privacy screen is quite sharp when removing or replacing the screen. 

The charging cables and adapters that came with the car have not been used yet but one problem has been noted: the connector to the outlet which then plugs into the charging box is quite short so you will need to mount the box close to the outlet. 

Anyway, we're only down to a shade over 50% so I haven't needed charging yet.

One final note: the VW app for the phone (myVW) is handy for providing charging information, for letting you know if the doors are unlocked, various accessory plans along with a variety of other tidbits of data relevant to the status of the car such as it's location. I mean, it's especially nice to always know where the car is. . . 

Is the future electric?

It is for us. 

About a week ago the daily comings and goings of our everyday lives changed in an undramatic but profound way: we traded in our 9-year-old gasoline-powered Subaru Outback for a new Volkswagen ID.4 all-electric SUV.

Our experience so far has been limited to short trips in town; but that pretty much describes our usual driving pattern which went along way to inspire us to go electric. 

Anyway, the car (or crossover or whatever) is comfortable and very quiet. 

Over the coming months I'll be posting updates of our experiences with "going all electric" but a few things are worth noting about the ID.4: 

Since the batteries take up quite a bit of room along with the electric motor there is no spare tire. And speaking of tires, the rear tires are wider than the front thus eliminating the need for tire rotation. And this model is rear-wheel drive; AWD is significantly more money.

VW provides three years of fast charging (level 3) for free through the Electrify America app as well as three years of road assistance

The interior is quite spacious and easy to get in and out of (serious considerations for us older folks).  Oh, and everything seems to revolve around the vehicles software and computer center, which takes some getting used to. 

My only complaint so far is it would be helpful if VW took the same approach Apple does with its Genius Bar program in providing workshops for new iPhone, iPad or laptop users. Our salesperson Kevin was very knowledgeable to be sure and is more than willing to spend time with us as needed but having a dedicated couple of hours to work through the nuances of the computer system would, we think, be helpful indeed.

Our first major road trip will be later this month when we drive north to McBain, MI to visit some of Susie's distant relatives. We could probably get there and back on one charge but I plan to stop nearby in Cadillac to top off at an Electrify America station in the Meijer's parking lot. 

More of that later.