discussion IX3

[m0lt3n]

I struggle to understand how these cars will work on long trips for example from Jhb to Dbn until there is an abundance of charging stations across the route (basically every petrol station needs to have 2-3 bays for EV charging minimum) for this to be viable. If i drive from JHB to DBN, i stop somewhere for coffee and the loo only, never to fill up because of how much time is wasted.

It seems odd to me that someone will choose to drive an EV to Dbn and wait 2 hours to charge in the current dispensation.

Dont get me wrong, I realise EVs are the future of motor vehicles, look at Europe and you see the adoption sky rocketing but there EV charging happens everywhere, with streets littered with them. So much so, that you dont need to look for them. Most mall parking bays are EV charging enabled, and almost all the streets I have seen have more than a few dotted along.

We are at least 5-6 years away from having this infrastructure rolled out here, ASSUMING they are not stolen daily.
And theres the rub, everything that just works elsewhere doesnt work here, because OMAIGOT SOUTHAH!

plenty chargers on that route, the infrastructure is already rolled out.

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So just have your lunch while you charge. If you want to make it work it will be easy, if you dont want to make it work, it wont.

 

[m0lt3n]

As to general iX3 discussion....for the other owners...

anyone managed to code the pedestrian acoustic noises out, or set to lower volume maybe?

 

[Mytfine]

I struggle to understand how these cars will work on long trips for example from Jhb to Dbn until there is an abundance of charging stations across the route (basically every petrol station needs to have 2-3 bays for EV charging minimum) for this to be viable. If i drive from JHB to DBN, i stop somewhere for coffee and the loo only, never to fill up because of how much time is wasted.

It seems odd to me that someone will choose to drive an EV to Dbn and wait 2 hours to charge in the current dispensation.

Dont get me wrong, I realise EVs are the future of motor vehicles, look at Europe and you see the adoption sky rocketing but there EV charging happens everywhere, with streets littered with them. So much so, that you dont need to look for them. Most mall parking bays are EV charging enabled, and almost all the streets I have seen have more than a few dotted along.

We are at least 5-6 years away from having this infrastructure rolled out here, ASSUMING they are not stolen daily.
And theres the rub, everything that just works elsewhere doesnt work here, because OMAIGOT SOUTHAH!

My friend, the ANC is already licking their lips at the BEE partnerships and tenders that rolling this infrastructure out will bring to them.

The only ones who actually be able to afford this ev revolution is high paid govt workers and high nett people. Us regular folk will almost certainly be motoring on with fossil fuels.

Typical example, my mate has an electric Jag SUV but his insurance is sky high, more than double a petrol vehicle. He tried to get rid of it after 2years and cannot even get settlement. Ev's are not thefuture until batteries can come down in price by at least 50% and can offer a standard of say 500km range.

 

[YozTruly]

The only ones who actually be able to afford this ev revolution is high paid govt workers and high nett people. Us regular folk will almost certainly be motoring on with fossil fuels.

This is only true for as long as someone is willing to invest in supplying those fossil fuels. I suspect as soon as the big markets move to EVs, the rest of the world, especially Africa, will have to make a plan to get their EV appetite up.

Typical example, my mate has an electric Jag SUV but his insurance is sky high, more than double a petrol vehicle. He tried to get rid of it after 2years and cannot even get settlement. Ev's are not the future until batteries can come down in price by at least 50% and can offer a standard of say 500km range.

Range also doesn’t seem to be the issue we make it out to be. Most of us want longer range based on “what if I want to go to X”, a place you visit once a year! People will just fly between big cities and most countries will find an alternative solution for the lack of range (e.g high speed trains, low cost airlines, luxury electric buses). I semi agree though, EVs are not the immediate future.

 

[Quick///M]

This is only true for as long as someone is willing to invest in supplying those fossil fuels. I suspect as soon as the big markets move to EVs, the rest of the world, especially Africa, will have to make a plan to get their EV appetite up.

Range also doesn’t seem to be the issue we make it out to be. Most of us want longer range based on “what if I want to go to X”, a place you visit once a year! People will just fly between big cities and most countries will find an alternative solution for the lack of range (e.g high speed trains, low cost airlines, luxury electric buses). I semi agree though, EVs are not the immediate future.

We had the same fear "range anxiety" but once you get you make it work! We don't do long distance travels anymore to KZN or CPT like mentioned that is a plane trip, besides I have 3 kids all of them on anything more than a 2 hour trip is actually what gives me anxiety.

The best thing for buying an EV is to wait for nice low mileage unit that has come down tremendously in price, up on auto trader there is a 2022 Audi RS E-Tron GT going for way less than half the retail price(edit* I maybe wrong on price but I saw some ridiculous figures on cars.co.za) with an option to extend plan to 2037 for R77 000! Now this is a monster of an EV based on the Taycan platform and it looks the part too!

Sad to say but EV values tank a lot after the first owner.... If you venturing into an EV just consider where your usual "charge" spots maybe within your immediate area and the commute to work, in addition install at least a 7 to 11kw AC charger at home, a plug charger (2 to 3kw) if you want to top up from your solar system. If you want to charge at 7kw from solar than you need a huge solar array because that 7kw alone goes to the EV, what about your home loads ? I have this discussion a lot with my customers.

Volvo's are also good buys, then there is BYD, Merc, Audio and BMW all come in at a high price when new... BMW are giving deals at 1% interest on select EVs, why ? Because they are simply not selling fast enough so if you shop around you can get good value out of an EV, in addition to that you get R10 000 charge card from grid cars when buying a BMW EV, a wall charger( which they arrange to be installed) as well as a standard plug charger (this should be the norm for most brands).

As @m0lt3n said if you want it to work it "will" work!

 

[mullerza]

We had the same fear "range anxiety" but once you get you make it work! We don't do long distance travels anymore to KZN or CPT like mentioned that is a plane trip, besides I have 3 kids all of them on anything more than a 2 hour trip is actually what gives me anxiety.

The best thing for buying an EV is to wait for nice low mileage unit that has come down tremendously in price, up on auto trader there is a 2022 Audi RS E-Tron GT going for way less than half the retail price(edit* I maybe wrong on price but I saw some ridiculous figures on cars.co.za) with an option to extend plan to 2037 for R77 000! Now this is a monster of an EV based on the Taycan platform and it looks the part too!

Sad to say but EV values tank a lot after the first owner.... If you venturing into an EV just consider where your usual "charge" spots maybe within your immediate area and the commute to work, in addition install at least a 7 to 11kw AC charger at home, a plug charger (2 to 3kw) if you want to top up from your solar system. If you want to charge at 7kw from solar than you need a huge solar array because that 7kw alone goes to the EV, what about your home loads ? I have this discussion a lot with my customers.

Volvo's are also good buys, then there is BYD, Merc, Audio and BMW all come in at a high price when new... BMW are giving deals at 1% interest on select EVs, why ? Because they are simply not selling fast enough so if you shop around you can get good value out of an EV, in addition to that you get R10 000 charge card from grid cars when buying a BMW EV, a wall charger( which they arrange to be installed) as well as a standard plug charger (this should be the norm for most brands).

As @m0lt3n said if you want it to work it "will" work!

Maybe its brand/model specific but I have not seen these massive drops in EV pricing. iX3 used prices are in line with the X3 2.0D of similar age and mileage, so you are just seeing the normal depreciation (any new car loses 20%-30% the moment you drive it off the showroom floor.)

All the BMW iX1 stock was snapped up when they launched their low interest rates (It was prime -5% BTW), this was right at the time I was shopping but I still preferred a used iX3 over a new iX1 despite the great finance deals.

You can set charging rates, you dont NEED to charge at 7kw, I charge between 3kw and 5kw depending on the load on my solar system. In fact you don't even need to install a dedicated AC charger if you are charging overnight from grid. In this scenario using the basic wall plug granny charger will work just fine.

 

[tamgoem]

Maybe its brand/model specific but I have not seen these massive drops in EV pricing. iX3 used prices are in line with the X3 2.0D of similar age and mileage, so you are just seeing the normal depreciation (any new car loses 20%-30% the moment you drive it off the showroom floor.)

All the BMW iX1 stock was snapped up when they launched their low interest rates (It was prime -5% BTW), this was right at the time I was shopping but I still preferred a used iX3 over a new iX1 despite the great finance deals.

You can set charging rates, you dont NEED to charge at 7kw, I charge between 3kw and 5kw depending on the load on my solar system. In fact you don't even need to install a dedicated AC charger if you are charging overnight from grid. In this scenario using the basic wall plug granny charger will work just fine.

Oh because a IX3 cost the same as a X3 20d when new.

 

[Quick///M]

Maybe its brand/model specific but I have not seen these massive drops in EV pricing. iX3 used prices are in line with the X3 2.0D of similar age and mileage, so you are just seeing the normal depreciation (any new car loses 20%-30% the moment you drive it off the showroom floor.)

All the BMW iX1 stock was snapped up when they launched their low interest rates (It was prime -5% BTW), this was right at the time I was shopping but I still preferred a used iX3 over a new iX1 despite the great finance deals.

You can set charging rates, you dont NEED to charge at 7kw, I charge between 3kw and 5kw depending on the load on my solar system. In fact you don't even need to install a dedicated AC charger if you are charging overnight from grid. In this scenario using the basic wall plug granny charger will work just fine.

The bigger cars definitely sitting for longer than they have anticipated, anything on a ix1 level we snapped up quickly. I have seen ridiculous interest rate deals on higher end models. ix3 sits in the middle and again seen some crazy interest rate deals on these as well, with all the perks I mentioned. Depreciation is inline but I am seeing quite a bit bargains online.

I also thought about using a plug charger overnight (overnight means no solar/pv power) but it takes forever I prefer the car be charged as quick as possible so I will always advise against that at the end of the day price per kw in your home is the same weather you use the plug type charger or wall charger, good thing you can set end SOC percentage via the app so if you want to save on the bill you can always set the car to stop charging at lets say 60 % and let the sun do the rest the morning after adjusting the amperage on the bmw Delta charger or the car itself to match your PV capabilities as you have mentioned

There are various scenario's to consider if there is one thing I will stress about, its the use of the wall charger over night instead of the plug charger, for me its just my OCD, if I need the car for what ever reason in the middle of the night or early parts of the morning I don't want to be worried about range because the plug charger is painfully slow.

 

[mullerza]

Oh because a IX3 cost the same as a X3 20d when new.

Specced to the same level the pricing was close when new. If you dont like EV, no problem, its not for everyone.

I just find it funny that the biggest detractors usually base they objection it on what they saw on youtube and not from personal experience. I used to be one of them but having made the leap and bought one I am a convert. As much as like my big ass V8 X5, that will most likely also be replaced by an EV in 4-5 years time.

 

[mullerza]

The bigger cars definitely sitting for longer than they have anticipated, anything on a ix1 level we snapped up quickly. I have seen ridiculous interest rate deals on higher end models. ix3 sits in the middle and again seen some crazy interest rate deals on these as well, with all the perks I mentioned. Depreciation is inline but I am seeing quite for bargains online.

I also thought about using a plug charger overnight (overnight means no solar/pv power) but it takes forever I prefer the car be charged as quick as possible so I will always advise against that at the end of the day price per kw in your home is the same weather you use the plug type charger or wall charger, good thing you can set end SOC percentage via the app so if you want to save on the bill you can always set the car to stop charging at lets say 60 % and let the sun do the rest the morning after adjusting the amperage on the bmw Delta charger or the car itself to match your PV capabilities as you have mentioned

There are various scenario's to consider if there is one there I will stress about use the wall charger over night instead of the plug charger, for me its just my OCD, if I need the car for what ever reason in the middle of the night or early parts of the morning I don't want to be worried about range because the plug charger is painfully slow.

There is a cost to install a wall charger if you cant DIY it (you typically get the actual charger free with the car), hence my comment.

Range anxiety was my biggest concern pre EV, to the point that I analysed a years worth of trip data on the X3 M40 it replaced (yup went from a stonking straight 6 turbo B58 to an EV and in the real world its almost as fast and as much fun to drive) and came to the realisation that in all that time there was 1 trip where the range would possibly have been an issue. Having had the car for 3 months now I realise just how unfounded even that worry was, 99.9% of your trips are probably under 100km for the vast majority of users.

How many times will you suddenly need to drive a few hundred km in the middle of the night? You are worrying about something that almost never happens. Even if it isn't fully charged, at 60% you still have 200+km of range. I dont charge overnight because I utilise my excess solar power, and the car is typically home for some time during the day on most days to allow me to do it. If I didn't have solar I'd just charge up to 80% overnight every night and my running cost would still be about 60% of the equivalent diesel car (nevermind the lower maintenance and servicing costs)

Again EV is not for everyone, especially in SA. Just pointing out a lot of the concerns expressed by people re EV are unfounded.

 

[Quick///M]

Specced to the same level the pricing was close when new. If you dont like EV, no problem, its not for everyone.

I just find it funny that the biggest detractors usually base they objection it on what they saw on youtube and not from personal experience. I used to be one of them but having made the leap and bought one I am a convert. As much as like my big ass V8 X5, that will most likely also be replaced by an EV in 4-5 years time.

Agree 100% to be honest I am really enjoying the car so far, its not as bad as people make it out to be, with enough chargers in my immediate area to keep us happy

 

[mullerza]

Agree 100% to be honest I am really enjoying the car so far, its not as bad as people make it out to be, with enough chargers in my immediate area to keep us happy

I'd love hear about your experience with the iX. Its always nicer to hear what someone thinks that actually owns and lives with a car vs a youtube review where the guy drove the car for maybe a few hours (and is often too scared to be very critical in case he does not get another car to review)

 

[tamgoem]

There is a cost to install a wall charger if you cant DIY it (you typically get the actual charger free with the car), hence my comment.

Range anxiety was my biggest concern pre EV, to the point that I analysed a years worth of trip data on the X3 M40 it replaced (yup went from a stonking straight 6 turbo B58 to an EV and in the real world its almost as fast and as much fun to drive) and came to the realisation that in all that time there was 1 trip where the range would possibly have been an issue. Having had the car for 3 months now I realise just how unfounded even that worry was, 99.9% of your trips are probably under 100km for the vast majority of users.

How many times will you suddenly need to drive a few hundred km in the middle of the night? You are worrying about something that almost never happens. Even if it isn't fully charged, at 60% you still have 200+km of range. I dont charge overnight because I utilise my excess solar power, and the car is typically home for some time during the day on most days to allow me to do it. If I didn't have solar I'd just charge up to 80% overnight every night and my running cost would still be about 60% of the equivalent diesel car (nevermind the lower maintenance and servicing costs)

Again EV is not for everyone, especially in SA. Just pointing out a lot of the concerns expressed by people re EV are unfounded.

It depends, were you a dumb dumb and got a MIni SE then you have actual range issues or a old i3/leaf you have real problems. I see quite a few I-paces for Polo money. Seems like a logical if brave choice if you want to dip your toes into the EV world. Should get 300kilos of range.

I did a 200kilo trip today in a BYD Han, and my airport taxi is going to be another EV of sorts. For commuting wasting fossil fuels is just silly.

 

[Quick///M]

There is a cost to install a wall charger if you cant DIY it (you typically get the actual charger free with the car), hence my comment.

Range anxiety was my biggest concern pre EV, to the point that I analysed a years worth of trip data on the X3 M40 it replaced (yup went from a stonking straight 6 turbo B58 to an EV and in the real world its almost as fast and as much fun to drive) and came to the realisation that in all that time there was 1 trip where the range would possibly have been an issue. Having had the car for 3 months now I realise just how unfounded even that worry was, 99.9% of your trips are probably under 100km for the vast majority of users.

How many times will you suddenly need to drive a few hundred km in the middle of the night? You are worrying about something that almost never happens. Even if it isn't fully charged, at 60% you still have 200+km of range. I dont charge overnight because I utilise my excess solar power, and the car is typically home for some time during the day on most days to allow me to do it. If I didn't have solar I'd just charge up to 80% overnight every night and my running cost would still be about 60% of the equivalent diesel car (nevermind the lower maintenance and servicing costs)

Again EV is not for everyone, especially in SA. Just pointing out a lot of the concerns expressed by people re EV are unfounded.

Agree!!! The main thing is utilizing the solar system to charge the car enough to cover your day to day driving, if you have that down it will be a breeze. I am actually adding more panels as winter is not good for east/west facing panels but during summer they over perform. So I have got a plan in place to add at least 8 more panels on the existing strings, and another 8 panels on a north facing side of the roof which gets sun from 7am to 2pm in winter (more in summer). Arrgh if I only planned better I would of considered a roof that was north facing, but alas back in 2000s none of that was a concern when house shopping and a solar system was not part of the plan. Even as a solar installer you gotta adapt I guess

How many times will you suddenly need to drive a few hundred km in the middle of the night? You are worrying about something that almost never happens

In my line of business calls to service clients pop up anytime so can be 10km away from or up to 200km plus, its really based on ones lifestyle. On average I have 60 to 80% available after sun goes down.

But glad you have it figured it just goes to show, with some changes in lifestyle quite minor in my opinion you can have a happy EV experience! On the bright side we never really have to pop into a petrol station again unless its for tyres or you "must" charge at a petrol station!

 

[Quick///M]

I'd love hear about your experience with the iX. Its always nicer to hear what someone thinks that actually owns and lives with a car vs a youtube review where the guy drove the car for maybe a few hours (and is often too scared to be very critical in case he does not get another car to review)

Ill be posting in showroom one of these days! Its coming!

 

[mullerza]

It depends, were you a dumb dumb and got a MIni SE then you have actual range issues or a old i3/leaf you have real problems. I see quite a few I-paces for Polo money. Seems like a logical if brave choice if you want to dip your toes into the EV world. Should get 300kilos of range.

True, but stupid is as stupid does. Cant help with someone buying the wrong car. Jaguar's have never had good resale!

Then you have the opposite where I have had someone tell me the iX3 was stupid because you cant drive to Durban without recharging, so I asked him when last did he drive to Durban and he kept quiet. Most people worry about edge case scenarios that may come up once a year and use that as a reason against EV. Again its not for everyone but do make an informed decision.

I have the luxury of trying out EV while having the backup of nice big ICE car in the driveway to use if needed. Previously I would have been very wary if it was my only car, now it would not bother me.

 

[Mytfine]

For the everyday commute an ev makes tons of sense, range is actually closer to the quoted spec if you sitting in robot to robot commute.

When it doesnt make sense

1. You live in a townhouse complex where you have no facility to have a wall charger so at least once or twice a week you are going to sit at a charging station and pay what i assume are premium prices for your power.

2. Long distance travellers, i.e more than 300km a day.

3. You a single car house hold so the car also doubles as the family holiday car.

4. You have petrol in your veins and and it hurts your brain to not hear a straight six or v8 when you put your foot down.

Whilst there are counter arguments for any of the points above, its horses for courses.

I do believe that once a viable non rare earth metal battery is developed and prices drop it will really take off, but until then its a niche market reserved for the very upper middle class.

 

[mullerza]

For the everyday commute an ev makes tons of sense, range is actually closer to the quoted spec if you sitting in robot to robot commute.

When it doesnt make sense

1. You live in a townhouse complex where you have no facility to have a wall charger so at least once or twice a week you are going to sit at a charging station and pay what i assume are premium prices for your power.

2. Long distance travellers, i.e more than 300km a day.

3. You a single car house hold so the car also doubles as the family holiday car.

4. You have petrol in your veins and and it hurts your brain to not hear a straight six or v8 when you put your foot down.

Whilst there are counter arguments for any of the points above, its horses for courses.

I do believe that once a viable non rare earth metal battery is developed and prices drop it will really take off, but until then its a niche market reserved for the very upper middle class.

1 & 2 agree, EV makes sense if you home charge most of the time, if you pay premium rates at a public charging station then the numbers are not as attractive
3. Plenty of charging stations around and you are going to be stopping every 200-300km anyway so no reason why your EV cant do your annual holiday trip
4. This is a big one and I used to think the same, but have you driven a good EV yourself? They are a lot of fun to drive.

If you prefer ICE then enjoy it!

 

[Mytfine]

1 & 2 agree, EV makes sense if you home charge most of the time, if you pay premium rates at a public charging station then the numbers are not as attractive
3. Plenty of charging stations around and you are going to be stopping every 200-300km anyway so no reason why your EV cant do your annual holiday trip
4. This is a big one and I used to think the same, but have you driven a good EV yourself? They are a lot of fun to drive.

If you prefer ICE then enjoy it!

On point 4 , yes i have. The acceleration is amazing but its just fast, it has no charm, no character, no sweet spot when the cams come on song, no blip of the revs when gearing down for the corner, no need to open the window when i hit a tunnel..... You get the point

 

[Quick///M]

On point 4 , yes i have. The acceleration is amazing but its just fast, it has no charm, no character, no sweet spot when the cams come on song, no blip of the revs when gearing down for the corner, no need to open the window when i hit a tunnel..... You get the point

For a performance car sure, for a SUV that you are using to commute definitely not unless you want a performance SUV, I am enjoying the peace and tranquility the ix40 offers, it brings about a calm to your drive its well insulated too. At first I was anti EV but wow after taking a leap of faith and buying it I am quite happy and so is the wife!

Going green is not about aural pleasure unfortunately