Potential buyer from Iceland [Updated! Order is in! :D]

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Verone
Posts: 168
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:52 pm

Post by Verone »

Hello there!

Firstly, apologies for registering if you're not supposed to if you don't own an e! Also, apologies if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move it if needed!

I've been shopping around quite a bit for an EV and generally as a petrolhead (ironic when talking about an EV, I know) the best advice and experience tends to come from enthusiasts and people who actually live with cars on a daily basis.

There's been god knows how many hours of sitting in front of my computer watching reviews and test drives of the e, I've even taken one for a drive from my local Honda dealer here in Reykjavík. I'm about 95% there on pulling the trigger with buying one, but I've seen a few second hand ones for sale here in Iceland already that only have between 5,000 and 20,000 kilometers on them which seems weird given the fact that the charging infrastructure over here is pretty solid, and in large parts, free.

I've always stuck with Japanese cars, my first car was a Honda in fact (good old EK Civic Coupe), but I switched to Nissans, then Subaru when I moved over to Iceland 10 years ago for the all wheel drive in the winter.

I'd love to move back to Honda with an e, but I'm just wondering what they're like to live with on a daily basis. My main concerns are range, and battery performance in low temperatures.

I've seen the stats from Honda claiming 220km range, but I've heard owners are experiencing lower returns per charge and I'm wondering if that's why so many are going on sale in Iceland after being driven such a short distance. I have a 10km commute and the ability to charge at work for free (no charging at home, I live in an apartment block). It's mainly a highway drive at 90kph with a short stint downtown at 30-50kph. I also take the odd trip out to see my boyfriend's family which is about a 40km trip, (80km round trip) also at highway speed (90kph). My main worry here is the lower than average temperatures in Iceland and whether that will affect battery performance. It can get down to a good -10c here without issue, sometimes -30 when you factor in wind chill, so I was wondering what owner experience has been like during winter, and how they tend to handle snow and ice?

Another question floating around my mind is the choice between the standard e and the advance. I can see the trim level differences with a few extras, but do the extra heated parts make the difference? I'm guessing for me in the winter, that'd be a yes. I'm thinking the Advance with 16" wheels is the way to go.

Just kind of wondering what people's experiences are like with them in general, if there's been any experience of reliability or build quality issues (not expecting that, given it's a Honda). I've lurked a bit on these forums and read quite a few threads, but interested to hear from owners!

Any info is much appreciated!
Last edited by Verone on Tue Aug 30, 2022 6:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Icelandic Advance Limited Edition in Premium Crystal Red on 17" rims
Registered May 2023
Home Type 2 Charging & Free Work Type 2 Charging! Woo!
ODO - 8750km

FMIB
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2021 4:11 pm

Post by FMIB »

Low temperatures will have a significant impact on range, apart from the fact that the battery is less efficient at low temperatures, you will have a significant draw from the heating elements to keep you cosy.
On the few days I have used the e in temperatures around 0 DegC, the range from a full charge could be as low as 60 - 70 miles.
Since you can charge at work for free and your return commute is 20km, the range on most days should not be an issue for you.
I would opt for 16 inch wheels as you say and with a decent set of appropriate winter tyres, the e should be ok to drive in snow and ice, provided its not too deep. I have read that many people who own EV's say they deal with winter weather very well, possibly due to the low centre of gravity and their heavy weight.
I have owned mine since Sept and being my city car has not done many miles, however the quality is very good and I have not experienced any issues, so for me its been 100% reliable.
However, if you regularly have to deal with snow of depth and ice, I would look towards an AWD EV, probably an SUV to give more ground clearance.
Maybe some of the Honda e owners from Northern Europe or Scandinavia can give you a better perspective on real world range in such low temperatures and drivability in snow and ice.
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Reuben80
Posts: 551
Joined: Mon May 25, 2020 3:29 pm
Location: Malta

Post by Reuben80 »

I don't remember if the non advance model have heated seats or not, but if you live in cold weather it helps to have seated seats and wheel. They use much less energy to keep you warm. Driving the E in that cold weather and highways is going to drop the range by half and will take longer to charge too. The charging speed is never as the official one. You will wait 1hr from 10% to 80%. I don't have experience in cold weather because luckily I live in a warm country. I do 220km with full charge but in the city only.
I am very happy with it and want to keep it for 10 years.....
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keithr
Posts: 448
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:30 pm
Location: Dorset, UK

Post by keithr »

I would guess that the frameless windows might be annoying in such a cold climate, if the windows keep freezing to the door rubbers so that the windows can't move down when you open the door (and maybe that stops the door being opened?).
zemdega
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:45 pm

Post by zemdega »

keithr wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 1:59 pm I would guess that the frameless windows might be annoying in such a cold climate, if the windows keep freezing to the door rubbers so that the windows can't move down when you open the door (and maybe that stops the door being opened?).
Actually it's directly opposite :D I have car with frameless doors and when they freeze you can easily open the door as rubber gives in a bit but then when you want to close it you can't :D There was few times when I was driving kid to school holding the door :lol:
FMIB
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2021 4:11 pm

Post by FMIB »

zemdega wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 4:08 pm
keithr wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 1:59 pm I would guess that the frameless windows might be annoying in such a cold climate, if the windows keep freezing to the door rubbers so that the windows can't move down when you open the door (and maybe that stops the door being opened?).
Actually it's directly opposite :D I have car with frameless doors and when they freeze you can easily open the door as rubber gives in a bit but then when you want to close it you can't :D There was few times when I was driving kid to school holding the door :lol:
On the e, when you unlock, the front windows lower a few mm and when locking close a few mm. I think what keithr is saying is that when unlocking, if the window is frozen into the seal and won't lower the few mm, the car won't unlock.
I think this can be overcome by using the preheating of the car via the app for 15 or 20 mins prior to setting off.
Of course it uses more battery, but if you are charging daily at the office, then you will still have sufficient range for your commute, plus a toasty car when you get it in.
zemdega
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:45 pm

Post by zemdega »

FMIB wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 4:33 pm
zemdega wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 4:08 pm
keithr wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 1:59 pm I would guess that the frameless windows might be annoying in such a cold climate, if the windows keep freezing to the door rubbers so that the windows can't move down when you open the door (and maybe that stops the door being opened?).
Actually it's directly opposite :D I have car with frameless doors and when they freeze you can easily open the door as rubber gives in a bit but then when you want to close it you can't :D There was few times when I was driving kid to school holding the door :lol:
On the e, when you unlock, the front windows lower a few mm and when locking close a few mm. I think what keithr is saying is that when unlocking, if the window is frozen into the seal and won't lower the few mm, the car won't unlock.
I think this can be overcome by using the preheating of the car via the app for 15 or 20 mins prior to setting off.
Of course it uses more battery, but if you are charging daily at the office, then you will still have sufficient range for your commute, plus a toasty car when you get it in.
It's the same what I was trying to say. When I'm unlocking the car and window is frozen it doesn't lower but I can open the door. But as it's not low enough I can't close it. I'm sure it's the same in e.
turntoport
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:54 am

Post by turntoport »

Verone: we have a 'std' e; it has heated seats but not heated steering-wheel; in the temperatures you often get there, the wheel heater would be very nice. Everything else on the advance is, imo, not worth paying for, especially the self-parking, which is slow and unreliable (2/4 fails when we tried it). The extra power of the advance you'll not really be able to use, as power is only of benefit at higher speeds: the max torque of the std and advance is the same, so at lower speeds acceleration should be the same. Regarding range; as others have discussed in different threads, one way to optimise this is to use the car pre-heat (up to 30 mins) timed/switched to operate until you want to drive away: If you do this while plugged-in, you'll get a warm car, warm battery and thus better range. Your 80km round-trip should be comfortable from 80% -90% charge, with little risk to the battery longevity, even in the cold weather. Std or advance: (imo) the advance looks better on the 17" wheels; 16" wheels look good on a charge-yellow body, as they match the bilious-wasp-colouring.
Good luck!
MaXPainT
Posts: 117
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:34 pm

Post by MaXPainT »

Welcome to the forums! I have driven my E 500+ km in total so far so I am not as experienced user as others here, but my scenario is somehow similar to yours so I will chip in with my opinion.

My commute is 23km to work one way (so around 46km per day in total). Half of it is in 95km/h speed. In minor minus (up to -10) with pre-heating for 20 minutes, it takes around 24% of charge. I am rounding it to 30% so I can go without charging 3 days in a row. Please mind that I am keeping my E in a garage both at home and at work, so I don't have to defrost it. I am using heating seats since heating the cabin takes 35km from the range (the car shows you the number). Imho, if you are not gonna hammer it all the time while having a sauna inside and a vulcanic eruption bringing the temperature down to -30 outside, you should have no issues with the range on your trips.

Mine is advance. Heated seats is all you want from the advance model (unless you need the 230v socket to utilize your E as a backup power source). Electronic rear view mirror and heating steering wheel are not worth it. Heated seats save you range so you might as well think that the advance has a bigger range :)

Mine is on 17" wheels while the one I had on a test drive had 16". If a could I would trade the 17" to 16". The ride is much softer on the 16" and you get more range. The 17" are not that much more better looking to be worth the sacrifice.

After visiting Iceland there is only one point I would be concerned with the E - the popping handles. Again, mine is always in a garage, so no experience dealing with frozen handles, but the locking and unlocking sensors on them are finicky which may lead to a daily frustration trying to operate it. Your hands are cold? Wont open. You have recently washed the car and the sensor is still wet? Wont open. The moon is bright? You better get that damn remote and close the car that way.

The car has many unnecessary half-baked gimmicks which you will have to pay for and never use. But the ride is superb and the looks... Well I've got a thumbs up from a random stranger while driving it, so yeah, it is a special car. If you are willing to accept that, then get it :)
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Verone
Posts: 168
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:52 pm

Post by Verone »

Well, I finally did it. Made the decision and ordered my e today.

I've spent the time since I created this thread watching pretty much every review video I could find on YouTube, taken two test drives, done range math, procrastinated, had pre-purchase range anxiety and thought about the switch from ICE to an EV.

I was also worried about whether my parter would fit in it comfortably (he's knocking on 2m tall), so I took him on a test drive today to see if he could get comfortable in it. He absolutely loved it and really enjoyed driving it too, so the order is in.

Since the standard version is no longer being sold in Iceland (seems like it's not being sold anywhere), I've gone for the advance, with a few additional options.

Went for the console and door sill illumination, the front lip, as well as a good set of fitted rubber floor mats and a boot liner (because the weather here is very Icelandic). I was indecisive about what wheel size to go for initally after hearing the range stuff, but in the end, decided to go for the standard "gas burner" 17s as I've been hearing them called, purely based on how they look. I wasn't keen on the other 17" options. Couldn't decide on a colour either, and was torn between white, black and blue, so I made the decision for the white in the end (given I loved how the prototype looked), with the thought that if I get bored of the colour down the line I can wrap it.

I'm planning to see how many kilometers I can rack up on the thing and I'll keep it until it dies (my longest running car so far was an Impreza with 680,000km on it - rest in peace), so it'll be interesting to see how long it lasts.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who answered questions in my thread here - I did a lot of research and hearing from owners on these forums and in this thread has really helped.

Lurking here and looking over tech issues, warranty stuff and suchlike has been absolutely amazing, so thanks so much for such awesome and open discussion.

Now the long wait begins, it looks like it'll be January before I get the car delivered, but I'm looking forward to it, and no doubt I'll be posting here a lot more. This community has been super valuable in making the decision.

I do have a few more questions if anyone can help?

- The My Honda + app isn't available in Iceland, it's no biggie and not a dealbreaker, but has anyone tried sideloading the APK onto a phone in a country that's not supported, and seeing if they can get it working?
- When you ordered you car, was it supplied with both the granny charger and the type 2 cable? Just curious!
- On delivery day, is there anything specific I should check over? Any common issues that people have seen when they've taken delivery of the car? (I'll be checking all the usual stuff but this is my first EV so I'm a bit apprehensive)

Really looking forward to it! :D
Icelandic Advance Limited Edition in Premium Crystal Red on 17" rims
Registered May 2023
Home Type 2 Charging & Free Work Type 2 Charging! Woo!
ODO - 8750km
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