Yikes, the pressure!
Sorry, but I only got the same test drive as the other journos- not for the day, though I see now how the tweet could be interpreted that way. (Just meant that it was happening today, not that the car was mine all day.) I drove for 'bout 30 min, but at 9am in LA- so unfortunately can't speak to anything involving high-speed driving, or really even what "real world" range is, outside of city traffic driving. For those familiar with the area, we drove a loop up PCH to Sunset and back down to San Vicente- so some moderate hills and such, and up to ~50mph or so, and both accelerated well up to that speed (and presumably beyond) and took the hills enthusiastically. But in part because I didn't do freeway or long-range driving, and since so many others are doing "standard" car reviews, it's not really in my plans to do one. That said, I did come away with some impressions of the car as an experienced EV driver, and I'll write those up. In the meantime, I've got answers to many of the questions on that list, so will start with those...
1) What are the switches on the dash to left of steering wheel?
The top 4 have mainly to do with toggling between different informational displays on the IP behind the steering wheel, re-setting the trip odometer, etc. The black ones below disable traction control, override the charging timers (if set), adjust the headlights, and turn off the infamous added noises.
2) Where did they hide connectivity for iPod/USB/Aux?
Center console, below radio/nav display. Top left is USB, top right is iPod, and the two bottom ones are for heated seats in the cars that are equipped that way.
3) Back-up camera: color, and yes, feed comes up automatically on reverse. Clear, bright image- sorry, no pic; I was too busy driving!
4) When 1st deliveries, and how many in Dec.? Sorry, still no details on this one.
5) What happens during hard acceleration whilst in eco mode? Does it disengage entirely or is there a temporary performance increase similar to "kick down" in an ICE car?
Neither, exactly. "Eco" mode involves a bit more regen, but does not actually limit power output- it just creates more resistance in the pedal. So if you floor it, you'll get the same power output as in regular mode- but it doesn't switch out of Eco mode, and resumes "Eco" behavior upon letting back up on the accelerator. While in that mode (and not trying to power through the extra resistance), it felt about like driving a RAV to me- still totally kept up with traffic, just wasn't going to blow the doors off anything.
6) Does L1 charging still allow for pre-conditioning?
Yes. In fact, you can also pre-condition while not plugged in at all. Not sure how much "extra" would go into the pack on L1; I think it would depend on how hard the HVAC was working based on conditions at the time. Also asked if while not plugged in there was a time/power use limit (in case one forgot he'd turned pre-con on and got sidetracked for an hour) but while Mark Perry expected that the engineers had probably considered that, he didn't know the answer.
7) When will 6.6kW charging be available?
Not for a few years, it seems. Sounds like it's not been officially decided but seems to be a Gen II thing. Also seems pegged to when the TN plant will take over production, which would make sense since overseas standard is 3.3. Don't know if Gen I's will be retrofittable and at what cost.
8) What is the hump in the rear cargo area?
I couldn't see the pic that was referred to, but the only "hump" I saw was a squared-off one directly behind the rear seats. Underneath is the on-board charger.
9) Usable pack is widely reported as 24kWh, but what is the actual size?
Well, it seems that the actual size is 24kWh, and that they can go "pretty much right down to zero" if needed.
10) Interior dimensions- Mark said they were available, so I'll post a link when I can get one.
11) Do brake lights come on w regen in either mode?
Nope, not during coasting (they do with brake pedal engagement even if technically still in regen) but I gotta say that the regen isn't strong enough that I see this as a problem. It's about the same as the production EVs of the 1990s, even in Eco mode.
More to come...
chelsea
