[RubiconJoey]

For anyone curious about the fuel savings, here's a calculator that should help you make some rough estimations. It takes into account fuel/electricity cost, mileage driven in stop-and-go, long trips and a couple other things. I found it pretty useful when comparing plug-in hybrids.
https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=phev1Prompt

Here's a comparison of some various PHEVs against my wife's old Honda HRV. It should be noted that I was conservative with my driving habits and we've consistently done better than the EPA estimates in the 45e.

[CarFan78]

Originally Posted by RubiconJoey

For anyone curious about the fuel savings, here's a calculator that should help you make some rough estimations. It takes into account fuel/electricity cost, mileage driven in stop-and-go, long trips and a couple other things. I found it pretty useful when comparing plug-in hybrids.
https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=phev1Prompt

Here's a comparison of some various PHEVs against my wife's old Honda HRV. It should be noted that I was conservative with my driving habits and we've consistently done better than the EPA estimates in the 45e.

Thanks. This is a great calculator and easy to follow!

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

he is familiar with the 45e. he's up in Alaska and found out after-the-fact that the high electric rates aren't advantageous over fuel, so he has mostly negative things to say about that and other things he's see as 'limitations'. plus, he doesn't compromise his driving style to fit the PHEV design. i don't blame him; it appears just a poor purchase decision, though his comments do come across a bit troll-like sometimes

Hmm. I however do respect him/her for being honest and willing to admit 45e was not the correct purchase decision after he actually has some real experience with it. very rare honesty. It is far more useful than the other extreme “45e is the best thing happened since slice of bread” kind of comment, also far more useful than the “imagine the of course” types of feedback, with 0 real life experience feedback, that we have seen.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by eelnoraa

Hmm. I however do respect him/her for being honest and willing to admit 45e was not the correct purchase decision after he actually has some real experience with it. very rare honesty. It is far more useful than the other extreme “45e is the best thing happened since slice of bread” kind of comment, also far more useful than the “imagine the of course” types of feedback, with 0 real life experience feedback, that we have seen.

that’s why I said I don’t blame him for the ‘sour taste’ he’s left with, but to say it’s “no fun” is completely subjective.
maybe “troll” was a bit harsh, but safe to say, he posts more negative comments about the 45e than not

[CarFan78]

I have a couple final questions.

1. Did anyone get an extended warranty? If so, what company did you use?

2. What Level 2 chargers do you recommend? I am looking at the Chargepoint, Juicebox and Emporia.

[jad03060]

I did not choose for an extended warranty.

There's a bunch of threads on EVSEs. It would behoove you to check with your utility company to see if they're offering any benefits for particular ones, then you have to decide if you want a smart one, or a basic one...they both will recharge the vehicle just fine.

[lenox80]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

“risk corridor”

what risk? from the regenerative braking system? how do you mean?

no, regenerative braking can’t be disabled, but the only way to get traditional coasting is to drive in Hybrid Eco Pro mode

speaking to the pedal feel itself when braking… it’s normal; there’s nothing special just because it’s a regenerative system. not to offend, but you do know how a regenerative braking system functions and its purpose, correct?

My understanding is that it can have a different feel to the passenger when stopping. The person that will be in the passenger seat is susceptible to motion sickness and has had major spinal procedures. We drove the X5 with the luxury seating and it was quite comfortable for them, but I cannot find any PHEVs to sample and it’s a risk for me to commit $75k if it causes any motion sickness. The $75k and motion sickness is the risk corridor I was hoping to close off and I suppose I can’t without driving it with them in the vehicle.

[jad03060]

I owned an i3 and now the 45e. The i3, if you didn't learn to drive it well initially had some very aggressive regenerative braking. It took me maybe 5-miles to figure out how to drive it smoothly, but some never did until they dialed it back in a s/w update. The regeneration on the 45e is nowhere near as aggressive. It feels more like a manually transmissioned vehicle when you lift off...not aggressive unless you downshift.

Most vehicles these days with an automatic transmission switch to coasting when you lift off, the 45e in most modes does not. In fact, I'd prefer to have more regeneration. On the i3, if you timed it right, you could mostly avoid using the brakes most of the time...that's much harder to do with the 45e, partly because it has more inertia, but mostly because the regeneration is dialed back considerably. I'd be really surprised if you found it too abrupt.

[RumblePhytonic]

I like the hybrid /hybrid eco pro mode choices. You can default to either. I would not want more auto regen. If I want to slow more but still be in region mode the gauges shows you the threshold you have before actual disk brakes kick in as you push the 'simulated" brake pedal you are using.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by RumblePhytonic

I like the hybrid /hybrid eco pro mode choices. You can default to either. I would not want more auto regen. If I want to slow more but still be in region mode the gauges shows you the threshold you have before actual disk brakes kick in as you push the 'simulated" brake pedal you are using.

this is incorrect. of the two drive modes, you can only default Hybrid, not Eco Pro. so let’s say you’ve been driving in Eco Pro mode then turn off the vehicle. when you start it up again, what drive mode is it in?

ANSWER: Hybrid

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by lenox80

My understanding is that it can have a different feel to the passenger when stopping. The person that will be in the passenger seat is susceptible to motion sickness and has had major spinal procedures. We drove the X5 with the luxury seating and it was quite comfortable for them, but I cannot find any PHEVs to sample and it’s a risk for me to commit $75k if it causes any motion sickness. The $75k and motion sickness is the risk corridor I was hoping to close off and I suppose I can’t without driving it with them in the vehicle.

understandable. the regenerative braking system is not so jolting like someone slammed on the brakes if that’s what you’re wondering. mind you, I’m not your passenger status/post major spinal surgery, so I can’t definitively say if it’ll be an issue for him/her. regarding motion sickness, that’s something that you can directly mitigate. as mentioned earlier, if you gradually release the brake pedal, you can achieve smooth operation.

i have a small lumbar herniation and tear, and the braking system has never impacted me negatively. I would say seating directly impacts my comfort more than the regenerative braking system’s resistance (again, I actively prevent the vehicle from jolting). that being said, i highly recommend the multi contour seats that have a lot of more points of adjustments than the standard sport seats.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by CarFan78

I have a couple final questions.

1. Did anyone get an extended warranty? If so, what company did you use?

2. What Level 2 chargers do you recommend? I am looking at the Chargepoint, Juicebox and Emporia.

1) I got wheel and tire road hazard warranty through Fidelity (not the retirement company). it’s already paid for itself in 2 years and a couple flats and one curbed wheel later

2) I had the Emporía first then switched to the JuiceBox 40 because i got a rebate on its purchase and annual account rebates through my electric company. I liked the Emporía while I had it

[760Lifan]

If you're considering a PHEV and want the deal of your lifetime, get a Grand Cherokee 4xe by the end of the year. The one I got has a $70K MSRP. Leased it for $775/month after $12,000 discounts/rebates.

Chrysler Capital is applying the $7,500 tax incentive directly to the deal which made this possible.

[Scientifix]

Originally Posted by jad03060

I owned an i3 and now the 45e. The i3, if you didn't learn to drive it well initially had some very aggressive regenerative braking. It took me maybe 5-miles to figure out how to drive it smoothly, but some never did until they dialed it back in a s/w update. The regeneration on the 45e is nowhere near as aggressive. It feels more like a manually transmissioned vehicle when you lift off...not aggressive unless you downshift.

Most vehicles these days with an automatic transmission switch to coasting when you lift off, the 45e in most modes does not. In fact, I'd prefer to have more regeneration. On the i3, if you timed it right, you could mostly avoid using the brakes most of the time...that's much harder to do with the 45e, partly because it has more inertia, but mostly because the regeneration is dialed back considerably. I'd be really surprised if you found it too abrupt.

I had leased a 2015 i3 and I can totally relate to what you are saying. I absolutely loved the aggressive regen and used to mostly do one pedal driving. The i3 was as one of the most fun cars I have ever driven - it was like a go cart with super fun handling.

[lenox80]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

understandable. the regenerative braking system is not so jolting like someone slammed on the brakes if that’s what you’re wondering. mind you, I’m not your passenger status/post major spinal surgery, so I can’t definitively say if it’ll be an issue for him/her. regarding motion sickness, that’s something that you can directly mitigate. as mentioned earlier, if you gradually release the brake pedal, you can achieve smooth operation.

i have a small lumbar herniation and tear, and the braking system has never impacted me negatively. I would say seating directly impacts my comfort more than the regenerative braking system’s resistance (again, I actively prevent the vehicle from jolting). that being said, i highly recommend the multi contour seats that have a lot of more points of adjustments than the standard sport seats.

You're 100% right about the seats, they are amazing and a must have. I just can't find any PHEV's to drive and I have a short window to do this.. The other big concern is I keep cars for 10+ years and I could see that battery causing all kinds of issues in subsequent years. I suppose that's why I'm here, to see if my thinking has any shortcomings.

[jad03060]

FWIW, I had my i3 for about 7+ years, and when I sold it, the battery range was within 10% of the original capacity. The logic on vehicle charging plus the cooling capacity and rates is better than that on something like a cell phone. With the PHEV, you have a very significant backup for anything lost in battery capacity. IOW, I'm not worried about it. I might be surprised, but I hope not.

[RickObe]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

this is incorrect. of the two drive modes, you can only default Hybrid, not Eco Pro.

However, you can easily code Eco Pro as the default startup mode using BimmerCode.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by RickObe

However, you can easily code Eco Pro as the default startup mode using BimmerCode.

true, but coding isn’t available to everyone nor does everyone want or know how to code, so it’s best to state what’s available in the vehicle without taking extra steps or modifying

[Guy Fleegman]

Originally Posted by lenox80

You're 100% right about the seats, they are amazing and a must have. I just can't find any PHEV's to drive and I have a short window to do this.. The other big concern is I keep cars for 10+ years and I could see that battery causing all kinds of issues in subsequent years. I suppose that's why I'm here, to see if my thinking has any shortcomings.

I stand (or sit, I guess) with most of the other responders. 10 months in on my 45e, the regen "coasting" really isn't all that noticeable unless you're paying close attention and it's far from abrupt.

Question: when driving a non-EV car, how does your passenger respond to normal braking when, say, approaching an intersection? In my experience, applying the brakes is more jarring than letting the car slow down by regen coasting. I have come to prefer it. I'm confident that after a few weeks driving the car you'll have a good feel for managing the deceleration.

However, nobody has raised the issue of the Adaptive Cruise Control with Driver/Traffic Assist. When activated the car will slow down and stop on its own when approaching a stopped car from behind. But it will maintain its designated speed until it gets within a few car lengths then brake pretty aggressively. It always freaks my wife out going 40 to zero in, like, 3 seconds, so I generally deactivate that feature in those circumstances (which you can do by lightly touching the brake pedal).

[RubiconJoey]

Originally Posted by CarFan78

I have a couple final questions.

1. Did anyone get an extended warranty? If so, what company did you use?

2. What Level 2 chargers do you recommend? I am looking at the Chargepoint, Juicebox and Emporia.

1. No warranty for me. Most of them are scams IMO.
2. I looked at the Chargepoint, Juicebox and Wallbox. Was ready to pull the trigger on the Wallbox, but decided on the Autel MaxiCharger. It was signifcantly cheaper at $447 on Amazon. Looks to have very similar features (most of which I don't need) and has a remote cable holster (which I like).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

That said, here's a great resource for comparing multiple chargers. The link is for the maxi charger, but the page has reviews for almost all chargers on the market.
https://insideevs.com/reviews/623242...harger-review/

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by Guy Fleegman

…
However, nobody has raised the issue of the Adaptive Cruise Control with Driver/Traffic Assist. When activated the car will slow down and stop on its own when approaching a stopped car from behind. But it will maintain its designated speed until it gets within a few car lengths then brake pretty aggressively. It always freaks my wife out going 40 to zero in, like, 3 seconds, so I generally deactivate that feature in those circumstances (which you can do by lightly touching the brake pedal).

the vehicle does seem to wait until last minute to brake. as long as an unassisted driver sees the oncoming stopped vehicle, he/she could slow the vehicle down more gradually, but if they don’t see it in time, the aggressive braking will be just the same, so could just be trading one scenario for another.

[Guy Fleegman]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

the vehicle does seem to wait until last minute to brake. as long as an unassisted driver sees the oncoming stopped vehicle, he/she could slow the vehicle down more gradually, but if they don’t see it in time, the aggressive braking will be just the same, so could just be trading one scenario for another.

Right, and either way this might be a problem for the OP trying to avoid abrupt changes in speed.

For my own sanity, I rarely let the car stop on its own in normal situations. There have been a couple of times when approaching stopped cars at an intersection I was waiting for the car to start slowing down but it just wasn't. Glancing at the dashboard I saw that the drive/traffic assist indicator was grayed out even though it had been active moments earlier. I was able to brake in time only because I was paying attention. It was an "oh sh*t" moment, no doubt for the guy ahead of me too.