I am moving out-of-state, and because Honda cannot service the EV out-of-state, I have to return the car. It is actually a pretty good deal. I don't have to pay any early penalties, and ending the lease won't hurt my credit. However, returning the vehicle is easier said than done because of one big roadblock - The Dealership.
I didn't start to realize how much trouble the dealership would be until last month when the car indicated that it needed to go in for service ("Maintenance Required Soon" lit up the dash board every time I started the car). When I brought it in, the dealership had no idea what to do with the car including the man "certified" to work on the vehicle. About 5 different employees asked if my EV needed an oil change, and one of them actually argued with me when I said it didn't have oil let alone an engine to change it from!
Six hours later, they had finally found the maintenance instructions (AKA - rotate the tires) and told me it was done. However, it was not done. They forgot to clear the maintenance indicator and didn't wash the car. I pointed this out and it took them nearly another hour to figure out how to clear the indicator.
The irony of it all came to a head at the checkout window. The clerk invited me to attend the dealership's open house, with the "selling-point" that the dealership would teach owners more about their vehicles. Someone needs to teach the dealership first!
They never did wash the car.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Getting the Word Out
The other day, Honda announced that they were drastically reducing the lease price of the Fit EV. Since then, people have actually started to recognize that the Fit EV exists! Yesterday, a woman stopped me at Trader Joe's. She had read about my car in the newspaper and wanted to get my opinion before she got one. People at work have also started to notice and ask questions.
I admit that I have been a little jaded about the Fit EV since seeing how fast the quick chargers were, but after talking to people about the pros and cons of the car, I have been reminded of why I leased it in the first place. Unlike every other EV (excluding Tesla Model S), this car is a lot of fun to drive! I love the acceleration, handling, and visibility. Plus, my daily driving rarely takes me beyond its range.
Would a quick charge upgrade be fantastic? Of course. Is it a deal-breaker? Not yet.
I admit that I have been a little jaded about the Fit EV since seeing how fast the quick chargers were, but after talking to people about the pros and cons of the car, I have been reminded of why I leased it in the first place. Unlike every other EV (excluding Tesla Model S), this car is a lot of fun to drive! I love the acceleration, handling, and visibility. Plus, my daily driving rarely takes me beyond its range.
Would a quick charge upgrade be fantastic? Of course. Is it a deal-breaker? Not yet.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Driving Modes
What I love most about the Honda Fit EV are the three driving modes: Sport, Normal, Econ. Add in the two gearing options, D (allows coasting) & B (regenerative braking always on), and I have 6 distinct driving styles to play with.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you can drive efficiently and economically in any of the modes. In reality, the Normal and Econ modes are just restrictive settings that allow the driver to only use a fraction of the car's performance (think 'governors' on ICE engines). Sport mode is the least prohibitive, and can be considered the truest representative the the cars capabilities.
I am still surprised by how readily the car accelerates from a complete stop. I tend to use this mode when I am sitting at a stop light and need to change lanes before the next light. It is super easy to beat any other car off the line - without having to squeal the tires or have the engine roar. It is also great when I enter the freeway, as I can get up to speed well before reaching the end of the ramp.
That said, driving all the time in Sport mode can become a real headache. The car accelerates so quickly that my wife complains of whiplash. In order to "cool it" in this mode, I have to be very light on the pedal, and extra conscientious with my speed. So, while it might seem ridiculous to have the restrictive settings of Normal and Econ mode, they come in handy more often then not.
I pride myself in being able to drive as aggressive as anybody, but pride myself even more in being able to drive as smooth than anybody, and that is what I like about Normal and Econ. When driving a typical ICE car, if I am too light on the pedal, the transmission kicks a little bit between gears. This car, on the other hand, has no gears to jump between, so going up and down a range of speed in Econ mode is as smooth as butter. Be warned though, driving Econ in the B gear allows only very slow acceleration. Econ also inhibits the other functions of the car - like the climate system - to conserve power, but it isn't a big deal. I tend to use Econ mode the most because I like to see how much efficiency I can get.
Normal mode is programmed to give drivers the feel of a regular car's speed and acceleration, and does that just fine. My wife uses it the most, and when I want to good no-muss no-fuss drive, Normal mode is what I use.
Lastly, the D gear and B gear are quite different. D gear is like a normal car. I can accelerate freely, and when I take my foot off the pedal, the car coasts. When I depress the brake, regenerative braking is activated with little lag. B gear on the other hand, has regenerative braking on the entire time, so it decelerates as soon as I take my foot off the pedal. I like it when driving around town and in heavy traffic, because I can stop on a dime when I need to. It is a pain when driving uphill though, because it saps power even when my foot is on the pedal. I only wish B gear would only turn on regenerative braking after I remove my foot from the pedal.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you can drive efficiently and economically in any of the modes. In reality, the Normal and Econ modes are just restrictive settings that allow the driver to only use a fraction of the car's performance (think 'governors' on ICE engines). Sport mode is the least prohibitive, and can be considered the truest representative the the cars capabilities.
I am still surprised by how readily the car accelerates from a complete stop. I tend to use this mode when I am sitting at a stop light and need to change lanes before the next light. It is super easy to beat any other car off the line - without having to squeal the tires or have the engine roar. It is also great when I enter the freeway, as I can get up to speed well before reaching the end of the ramp.
That said, driving all the time in Sport mode can become a real headache. The car accelerates so quickly that my wife complains of whiplash. In order to "cool it" in this mode, I have to be very light on the pedal, and extra conscientious with my speed. So, while it might seem ridiculous to have the restrictive settings of Normal and Econ mode, they come in handy more often then not.
I pride myself in being able to drive as aggressive as anybody, but pride myself even more in being able to drive as smooth than anybody, and that is what I like about Normal and Econ. When driving a typical ICE car, if I am too light on the pedal, the transmission kicks a little bit between gears. This car, on the other hand, has no gears to jump between, so going up and down a range of speed in Econ mode is as smooth as butter. Be warned though, driving Econ in the B gear allows only very slow acceleration. Econ also inhibits the other functions of the car - like the climate system - to conserve power, but it isn't a big deal. I tend to use Econ mode the most because I like to see how much efficiency I can get.
Normal mode is programmed to give drivers the feel of a regular car's speed and acceleration, and does that just fine. My wife uses it the most, and when I want to good no-muss no-fuss drive, Normal mode is what I use.
Lastly, the D gear and B gear are quite different. D gear is like a normal car. I can accelerate freely, and when I take my foot off the pedal, the car coasts. When I depress the brake, regenerative braking is activated with little lag. B gear on the other hand, has regenerative braking on the entire time, so it decelerates as soon as I take my foot off the pedal. I like it when driving around town and in heavy traffic, because I can stop on a dime when I need to. It is a pain when driving uphill though, because it saps power even when my foot is on the pedal. I only wish B gear would only turn on regenerative braking after I remove my foot from the pedal.
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Cost of Driving
One cool feature on the Honda Fit EV, is that it shows me the average Miles per kWh that I am getting. Currently, I get about 4 miles per kWh (if I didn't use Sport Mode so much, my efficiency would be higher).
Where I live, I am charged 6 cents per kWh of energy usage. If, for instance, I want to visit my grandmother who lives about 25 miles away, I would make a round trip of 50 miles. That trip, considering my average driving efficiency, would cost me 75 cents.
Compare this to my other car, the VW Jetta Sportwagen (No, it isn't a TDI, but I wish it was!). My Jetta has been averaging around 23 miles per gallon. The gas price today for 87 octane is $3.84 per gallon, so the trip would cost me $8.35. That's $7.60 more than the EV, or in other words, over 11 times more expensive!
To extrapolate, if I drove both vehicles 12,000 miles, and didn't factor any other costs like maintenance (which hurts the Jetta more than the EV), I would pay $2,003 for the Jetta's fuel (@23 mpg), and $180 for the EV's electricity.
Let's take it a step further. Let's assume that I keep both cars for 7 years, which is average for a lot of Americans these days. With all other factors kept constant, I would end up spending $12,764 more on the Jetta than the EV (fuel alone).
Where I live, I am charged 6 cents per kWh of energy usage. If, for instance, I want to visit my grandmother who lives about 25 miles away, I would make a round trip of 50 miles. That trip, considering my average driving efficiency, would cost me 75 cents.
Compare this to my other car, the VW Jetta Sportwagen (No, it isn't a TDI, but I wish it was!). My Jetta has been averaging around 23 miles per gallon. The gas price today for 87 octane is $3.84 per gallon, so the trip would cost me $8.35. That's $7.60 more than the EV, or in other words, over 11 times more expensive!
To extrapolate, if I drove both vehicles 12,000 miles, and didn't factor any other costs like maintenance (which hurts the Jetta more than the EV), I would pay $2,003 for the Jetta's fuel (@23 mpg), and $180 for the EV's electricity.
Let's take it a step further. Let's assume that I keep both cars for 7 years, which is average for a lot of Americans these days. With all other factors kept constant, I would end up spending $12,764 more on the Jetta than the EV (fuel alone).
Monday, November 12, 2012
The Sound of Silence
The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, requires that all EVs emit sound to warn pedestrians. The Fit EV meets those requirements, but from the inside, the extra noise is incredibly quiet. It is further lessened on the inside, because the sound system has a "noise cancelling" feature.
Additionally, the microphone for hands free calls works very well. It picks up my voice and filters out road noise well enough that people on the other end of the call don't realize that I am driving. People actually tell me that I sound clearer than when I use the normal handset outside the car.
I wish, though, that there was more sound insulation against road noise. Any silence gained from eliminating the constant drone of an engine is replaced with the drone of the tires. This is especially the case on the freeway, and the stereo's noise cancelling can only do so much.
Speaking of the freeway, I used the horn for the first time the other day to alert a distracted driver that veered into my lane. The horn sounded just like a scared baby gazelle. It was quite sad, but at least it gave my wife and I a good laugh.
Additionally, the microphone for hands free calls works very well. It picks up my voice and filters out road noise well enough that people on the other end of the call don't realize that I am driving. People actually tell me that I sound clearer than when I use the normal handset outside the car.
I wish, though, that there was more sound insulation against road noise. Any silence gained from eliminating the constant drone of an engine is replaced with the drone of the tires. This is especially the case on the freeway, and the stereo's noise cancelling can only do so much.
Speaking of the freeway, I used the horn for the first time the other day to alert a distracted driver that veered into my lane. The horn sounded just like a scared baby gazelle. It was quite sad, but at least it gave my wife and I a good laugh.
Tall Car, Little Ground Clearance
The Honda Fit EV looks a lot like the regular Fit, but is taller to make room for the battery underneath. At some angles, it almost looks like a small van. The front of the car also has a big chrome smile; something the normal Fit lacks. It's a happy car :)
Image provided by: MotorTrend (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/alternative/1207_2013_honda_fit_ev_first_drive/photos/)
The link provided above has MotorTrend's gallery of the Honda Fit EV, plus some comparison photos of the Honda Fit. The Fit EV is a little taller as I said, but also a little lower. I discovered this the first day I drove the car home, and am reminded of it every time I pull in and out the the driveway - the driveway is just steep enough that the splash guard under the car scrapes. It is a horrible sound to hear, especially when driving a brand new vehicle!
I have since learned to take driveways at an angle, which spares me and the car of any more scraping. Fortunately, there is just enough clearance to go over speed bumps without any problem. So, at least I can avoid the ridiculousness of taking every speed bump at an angle like some sports car drivers have to do.
I have since learned to take driveways at an angle, which spares me and the car of any more scraping. Fortunately, there is just enough clearance to go over speed bumps without any problem. So, at least I can avoid the ridiculousness of taking every speed bump at an angle like some sports car drivers have to do.
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