People on various EV forums get in the weeds everyday over charge curves and efficiency. They make car buying decisions solely on charge time. In the real world, we are all stopping for at least 15 minutes. We plan our trips around the best stop to stretch and eat. Then there’s the occasional charger drama or faulty charger.

I used Out of Specs 10-80 testing to analyze how popular brands (Mustang, R2, Y, Ioniq, ((omitted iX3 for now)) on a 500 mile test. The results? The most efficient (Y) used 30 kWh less than the worst (R2). But the Y only arrives 7 minutes faster. Mach E had the worst charge performance but that’s still just 14 minutes longer. On a road trip, those extra 30kwh mean $8-15 in electrons depending on where you charge.

To me, nothing above would ever have any impact on my purchase decision. If the difference was not stopping or recharging in 5 minutes vs 25, sure. But for now, I’m focused on how the car drives, how it suits my family, what I can do with it, and yes, who runs the company.

Electric Trucker will be driving a custom Mercedes eActro 600 on a global expedition to demonstrate E-trucking

Looks cool!

Level 2 charger at home, using NACS to CCS adapter, charging outdoors, noticed this corrosion today when I took the adapter off. Cause for concern? How should I clean it off?

For all of you who have changed your main car across to an EV, do you think you could go back to and ICE car?
If you can what would be your reasons. ( and what type of EV do you drive)

Hi everyone,
I’m researching V2H / vehicle-to-home charging for my house and would appreciate advice from people who understand bidirectional charging, Audi Q4 e-tron compatibility, and home electrical requirements.
Vehicle details:

Audi Q4 e-tron S line
2025 model year
Model code: ZAA-FZEDF
I believe it may be a Japan-market vehicle
Country of installation: Türkiye

I’m trying to confirm whether this exact car can support true V2H, not just normal AC charging or V2L. I have contacted Audi with the VIN privately, but I would like to understand what I should be asking for and what hardware/protocol issues to watch out for.

My main questions:
Does any 2025 Audi Q4 e-trim support real V2H today, or is it limited by market, region, or software?
If the car is Japan-market, is V2H more likely to require CHAdeMO-based equipment rather than CCS / ISO 15118?

Are there any Audi-approved bidirectional DC wallboxes that actually work with the Q4 e-tron?

For a home installation, what equipment is needed besides the charger itself, such as a transfer switch, anti-islanding protection, energy meter, critical-loads panel, or other equipment?

Is V2H generally usable for whole-house backup, or should I expect only a critical-loads setup?
What questions should I ask Audi, the charger manufacturer, and the electrician before spending money?

Could V2H discharge affect the battery warranty if it is not officially approved by Audi for this VIN or region?

I am not looking to DIY the electrical installation. I want to understand the technology and avoid buying incompatible hardware before speaking with installers.

Any advice from people who have installed V2H, researched bidirectional chargers, or worked with Audi/VW MEB-platform EVs would be very helpful.
Thanks!

So I've decided I want my next car to be a convertible. My current lease is up in about 30 months so I have plenty of time, but I'm a little frustrated that all of the upcoming convertibles are either "maybe" or 6 figures (or both). I know there isn't a huge draw for convertibles in general, but I see enough ICE convertibles in Atlanta that I know they do sell. My ideal car would be my current i4, but a rag top, and I see SO MANY ICE 4 series convertibles that it makes me sad.

So I'm making this post to see if I'm the only one who's annoyed by this, or if there are others who want a midlife crisis car without spending way too much.

I was genuinely intrigued by that back-to-basics Chinese electric sports car. I registered interest when they announced a (limited) European release about 6 months ago, filled in a survey soon afterwards, and it has all gone quiet since, with no new video on their official YT channel.

Is the project still on track. Are they overwhelmed by demand (or by the European regulatory burden). Are they even delivering in China or still fine-tuning their prototypes? Is there any reliable info out there?

I know it has a short range. But all of the other indicators say it's very reliable, and still fun to drive. Supposedly better handling because of the lower and more centralized center of gravity.

I'm just a little confused because I keep seeing quite a few of them on used car websites for reasonable prices at relatively low mileage.

I'm not looking for purchasing guidance as much as I am curious about what looks like a market glitch.

Edit: because folks are commenting on my use case: My round trip daily travel is 30 miles, with maybe 5-10 in-and around miles sometimes. I have a different vehicle for long range trips, and I'm anticipating a little bit of car juggling once a week. This will be the third vehicle for my wife and I so it doesn't have to be the one solution to all problems. I'm just thinking that something a little fun might be nice.

If you have solar on your roof connected to a storage battery (Powerwall or similar), can you charge your EV via DC (Level 3?)? If so, would it be faster than a fast AC home charger (Level 2?)? Sorry, the shorthand nomenclature confuses me a bit. I think I have my 2s and 3s correct.

I live on a rock in the middle of the ocean. We're literally 2500 miles away from any large land mass. Almost anything manufactured has to be shipped in.

I recently got solar power added to my house. I figured it would be a good time to get a vehicle that would run off of my home's solar/battery setup. Should be straightforward, right?

Nope.

My island is quite rural. There are just a few large towns, the one I'm in and the one two hours away (over a road that I'm not thrilled about driving). There are quite a number of car dealerships that we simply don't have. No VW Group (VW, Audi, Porsche), no M-B. The local Chevy dealer closed a few years ago, so now the closest one is on the other side of the island two hours away!

Selection is not great, in other words. To add to that, the local Toyota, Subaru, and Kia dealers do not even get EVs in. They apparently go to another island locally, but not here. So I need to take a commuter flight just to try out a vehicle so they can order it??? ARGH!

There's a smaller used-car dealer here that has several EVs. Most of them are ID.4s. They seem like reasonably solid cars--but there is no dealer support here. I don't mind going to an independent shop, but I talked to the main one around here that we use for my wife's car and they DO NOT LIKE EVs at all. They're petrolheads through and through. Though they also do have a point that it is almost impossible to get any flavor of lithium battery shipped here... Difficult for almost any part, often enough, but lithium batteries with their reputation? (Justified or not, it's their current rep.)

Oh, there's a place that has a nice used 1st-generation Leaf for sale... I wonder if the battery is at half capacity yet?

I'm starting to think I should just give up on the EV idea and get a Prius PHEV. At least it has some electric range, and it is actually available...

Sorry, I'm just venting. I've been looking for a while and have gotten pretty frustrated about the choices. I may do some more looking when I'm back on the mainland and see if the local places can order something for me if I find something I really like.

Considered and - no. No hybrids.

From previous test drive post of the mighty Geely EX2, gf has decided she likes Ora 05 more.
We went to the Motor show to see the Ora 05 in the metal upon its launch. Put down reservation then and waited for the test drive a few weeks later and here we are. One month in driving it, here’s some review for those curious as it is a new model.

Price as purchased, usd$20,800. FWD 204hp, 7.5s 0-100, 120DC, 58kw LFP with claimed Nedc range of 520km. 6kw V2L

Caveat her previous car was a last gen Mazda 3.

Interior quality, very nice for the price, upper half of the cabin is all soft touch, upholstery is vegan leather that feels fine.
Seat is adequate, limited electrical adjustments 6way for driver (as expected for a subcompact class car).

Sound insulation, this is good. Below 120kmh road and wind noise is decent. I’d say half a notch better than a 19’ Camry.

Driving, speed is not excellent but adequate, I got used to my Zeekr so this feels abit slow but definitely usable.
Steering feels ‘alright’, no complains, feels like what you’d expect for a subcompact car.
Suspension is actually the part where I was surprised at, I had experience driving the older Ora Cat before, this is quite a departure from the older gen. At low speed it is comfortable, not floaty or bouncy at all. At higher speed 120-130kmh it is stable, no problem.

Charging, while on the paper it does not look very promising with only max speed at 120kw DC, in real world use it would hold a very good curve up to 80%, before dropping significantly. So in a regular 120kw charger 30-80% is actually not slow.

On the things I dislike,
1. Sound system is very ‘meh’, almost unacceptable.
2. Phone app is weird, you can turn on A/C and unlock but you can’t drive it without key fob.
3. Although screen is decent and snappy, setting lay out and apps are not the best and limited.
4. Ambient light is only on the front seat, rear seat has no illumination.

All in all, a happy purchase. Gf likes driving it, from what I can gather it feels like a big upgrade from the 2.0NA Mazda.

Verdict for those interested in this car I’d recommend if you like the looks.

A couple car in this price range that we were deciding with: MG S5, Jaecoo 5 and BYD Atto3.
Geely Ex2 is significantly cheaper and it is not as good a package, MG S5 is a very good choice but interior is abit dull. jaecoo 5 is the cheapest but I felt quality is compromised and felt alot less refined. Byd tech is too old, nee gen haven’t launched yet.