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Another I-Pace user

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  rcomeau 
#1 ·
Hi everybody,
after two hybrid cars (both from Lexus) I've recently got myself a Jag I-Pace EV400.
I've been driving since March 2019, in Italy, and my biggest concern about EV in general is the almost total lack of a reliable charging infrastructure in my country.
 
#3 ·
Hi there,
I have been trying I-Pace since March 2019 and could summarize the electric car in one word: distress. Pure anguish, even at night, when the brain wakes you up by calculating kw/h, weights, aerodynamics, next destinations and ... imponderables "unexpected" when you are on board a car for work or leisure.
It makes no sense trying to fathom the typical day of the electric motorist, doing real miracles to prove to the whole world that even with a car of this type you can do everything - there are too many variables and too many unexpected uses of an automobile, to be able to trace a statistic of weekly use - it seems to me all too obvious.

However, reviewers, technicians and many Youtube stars are doing their best to make us take the "pill" - still very bitter today - of the imminent electric future; however, we are not even at the prehistoric electric period. Not a single "ingredient" available seems to be the right one to make that strange pill. In particular: the top-up network all over Europe is patched together at its best, not very reliable, in the hands of dozens of different managers and as many different methods of registration, membership, refuelling, etc. As if to make conventional gasoline to any distributor in the world one had to register first, through unreliable website, apps, etc..

Then there is the discussion of the false ranges declared by the builders: class action stuff, other than "new firmware" to install!
Not to mention the hateful on-board computer which, as the reviewers rightly say, continues to play "fortune teller", with the sword of Damocles of improbable autonomies calculated in real time. With a traditional car you just take a look at the fuel level, you are not a couple of times a day - with the electric you are travelling with an eye glued to that value, which dominates every dashboard. Distressing, I repeat.

Do we also want to add the absurdity of the "light foot", strongly suggested by many of the aforementioned reviewers ?! If you go slow, you forget about overtaking and ... you put yourself on a diet - so your body weight can have less impact on the energy required to move on board an electric car - autonomy is positively affected. So, whoever buys a Jaguar, a Tesla or an Audi E-Tron (with prices starting from 80,000 Euros) shoould drive them like a pensioner on a Fiat Panda?!?! It would be like suggesting to respect the speed limits to those who own a Ferrari Testarossa or a Lamborghini Aventador!

Then there is the subject of domestic top-ups. The so-called "wallbox" must absolutely be installed, in the almost vain hope of saving a few hours during the biblical night charging times. Then the house meter must be increased - at least up to 6 Kw. However, we will never be able to recharge our electric vehicle to the maximum power supplied by the meter, since domestic aplliances will always be privileged (refrigerator, cooking plates, oven, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.). The best solution - again according to the expert reviewers - would be that of a meter supplying at least 10/16 Kw in three-phases: leaving out for a moment the considerable increase in costs for this exorbitant electricity supply, cars like the Jaguar I-Pace would not benefit in any way. They ONLY use single-pahed charging at 7Kw/H!!!

The "brains" who designed it have opted for a single-phase transformer, which can absorb up to 7 Kw / h !!! In detail, this particular technical of Tesla's "rival" inexorably establishes its thunderous failure: in Italy and in Europe there are many 22 Kw recharging points (let's forget even those at 50 Kw / h and over); while Tesla manages to exploit almost all of them, the I-Pace is limited to those absurd 7Kw / h, forcing us to budget hours and hours for long journeys.

In summary, I-Pace seems to me only a toy too expensive, unnecessarily celebrated by the manufacturers themselves and by automotive marketing. There is nothing to criticize in terms of construction and finishing, indeed it is definitely a car that is too beautiful to collapse under the weight of all the limitations of use expressed in these considerations.

For the record, I have already 4 software updates installed and an (absurd) repair made to the charge door that had got stuck closed, without being able to reopen it even with a hammer. To date, consumption and performance have remained exactly the same!

Last but not least, with the heat in this month of June 2019 in Italy, I shouldn't rely too much on my air conditioner: the kilowatts would go away like grains of sand in your hands and ... an electric bicycle would have more range!!!
 

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#4 ·
I am not sure first why you got an EV if these are major concerns for you, seems like a bad choice. But most of the things you brought up really don’t line up with the reality of owning an EV.

I drive pretty normally, even aggressively. I use my AC here in the very hot DC/MD region. I am easily getting 220-240 miles of range. I live in MD/DC area where it is very hot and humid and this is not an issue. Unless you live in a house with very out of date wiring 7 KW charging wiring is trivial in most houses. And at 7 KWHr you have more than enough charging capacity at home.

The car itself can charge at 80 KWHr. But home wiring can not provide this and is cost prohibitive. But nothing is stopping you from charging at that rate except infrastructure in your country. Tesla built out chargers, but despite the constant false cry of “promoting EVs” they have purposefully made their charging proprietary. But with EU regulations I believe the charging situation is already changing in most of Europe, Italy may just be a little behind. Pretty sure you guys are not leaving the EU anytime soon!

We all have preferences, and mine is to drive an EV over ICE any day. No “politician” has brain washed me, nor have I been fooled by reviewers. In fact most days when I wake up I much prefer my I Pace or my i8 over my Alfa Romeo. Don’t get me wrong I love my Alfa, but its days are numbered.

So maybe consider selling your I Pace and grabbing a fun ICE car while they are still around. My Alfa can do around 180 miles before I have to fill it up again.
 
#5 ·
Bought my I-Pace in May 2019. Already put 3000 miles on it. Not a single issue, except slow responding informeint system. Also have 2017 F-Pace S with 30000 miles with not a single issue. Charge my car every night with leaving full charge in the morning. Never had any range anxiety. Car is used for 95 mile daily commute and running local errands. Getting 220 to 240 miles on full charge with AC on driving at 70 to 80 miles/hr on highway here in NJ. Saw full range go up by 20 miles after regenerative break recall update. Now I prefer driving I-pace over F-Pace any day, except I miss F-Pace growl from exhaust. I use Juice Box Pro40 home EVSE to charge with 50 amp circuit breaker and can charge at 40 amp. However since I-Pace has 7.7 kwh AC onboard charger
It charges only upto 32amp at max 20 to 25 miles range added per hour. I think if you use commercial charger with fast charging 50 to 100kwh DC charger. It will top off more miles per hour. Bottom line reset your expectations for BEV. Do not Recalibrate your brain how you drive EV vs ICE vehicle as it may have shortcomings. It is all part of growing pain of being early adopters for new technology. Enjoy happy motoring.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I am sorry to see your messages change from your first one which seemed optimistic to your total frustration only a few days later. I went from a Ford Escape Hybrid (2006-2010) to the Lexus RX450h (2010-2019) and am so far quite happy with the transition to EV.

I suppose infrastructure needed to be considered when you made your choice. I have been to Italy a few times and my first warning about the state of the electrical grid was the ban on electric kettles in the hotel room because of fire hazard. The rest of the world seems to have figured out how to put coffee makers and kettles in hotel rooms so I see your frustration (in fairness, it was ONE hotel in Milan and have found kettles since then). Homes in North America routinely have at least 33-50kW mains so adding a 7kW charger is a simple task (took my installer 1.5hrs, and most of that was running the wire in the wall). As for road charging, there are the 7kW "slow chargers" which were really meant for the plug-in Hybrids or for overnight charging (like the home ones). We (at least in North America) also have 50-100kW DC chargers in public (not as common, but growing) so we can charge quickly when on a trip.

The range advertised by Jaguar is pretty close to what I am getting. The reviews I saw on Youtube were generally accurate and helpful. I don't have a lead foot, but I don't spare the electrons when overtaking and this car can overtake very well. You seem to have taken range anxiety to its extreme. I definitely pay more attention to the range display than I ever did on previous cars, but I've only had out for 2 weeks. I took it on a 500km trip (each way) to Boston through the mountains and yes, I had to plan the charge stops a bit, but it was nothing too inconvenient and the power was definitely enjoyed climbing the hills. I just got back from a day trip (140km each way) and got back with range to spare. I have the 7kW charger and plug in every few days (takes 60 seconds of my time) and never waste time at the petrol stations. I'll save well over $30k over the life of the car in fuel and maintenance.

So, sorry Italy's infrastructure is still evolving to support EVs and maybe it is not yet ready for the revolution, but so far, my EV experience is that the revolution has arrived and it is going well over here.
 
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