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Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 5:41 am
by Peter-E
Greetings!

My name is Peter, and I picked up my e last Friday.

I've wanted one from the moment I first saw it, but sadly had to wait a while for second hand prices to come down. It's an ex-demo with around 7600 km or 4700 miles on the clock. My previous car was a Jazz hybrid, which is a very good car, but the e simply is just so much more (except when it comes to practiality haha). To me it is still the coolest EV I've ever seen, and one of the coolest cars in general on sale today.

During these first few days I've done about 70 km (43 miles) of motorway, a 30 km (19 miles) commute and a few km of local joy-riding ;). As expected it's an absolute hoot to drive! The only annoying thing, which I didn't notice during the test drive, is the infamous interior rattle on poor road surfaces and certain short/hard bumps and potholes. I've read several forum posts on this matter, so I'm hoping to resolve the issue easily and speedily...

Yesterday I wanted to try the nearby Fastned fast-charger (picture below). It charged from about 37% to 80% in 40 minutes, which was a bit disappointing, but maybe also due to winter conditions? At that time in the morning it was only 0°C... Later I charged the battery at home to 100% and a predicted range of 179 km (111 miles). After a short drive returned home with 95% and... 179 km of range left. Outside temp was about 3°, so all in all quite pleased with the range so far!

There seems to be tons of useful info on this forum already, so I'll be checking it out regularly, and hopefully I'll be able to contribute some of my own experiences too :)

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:28 am
by MattHero
Welcome and congratulations on choosing the best colour ;)

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:51 am
by nyx
Thank you for including both km and miles! Very considerate :)

Regarding charging speed, I’ve resigned myself to assume roughly 1 minute per percentage point added. No idea if that’s the actual average I’m seeing. It also helps to be in a mindset of not minding too much if it takes a while 😁 Watch something on the HDMI or go for a walk. It’s not the right car for minimising time at chargers on longer trips so might as well make the most of it.

There’s some info for new owners here: https://hond.ae/new-owner/

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:12 am
by Peter-E
Thanks for the link. Some things I knew, other I didn't, so very useful!

Indeed I will do most of my charging at home, and I was aware of the slow "fast" charging of the e, so I'm not really bothered by it. I did bring a Playstation classic with me to test the HDMI connectivity, but sadly forgot a 230V adapter, so ended up playing with Android Auto and the infotainment system. Also considering getting a chromecast to watch Netflix...

It's all just so exciting! :D

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:17 am
by Peter-E
MattHero wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:28 am Welcome and congratulations on choosing the best colour ;)
Thanks!
At first I liked blue the most, but now I think a bright colour is actually better because it contratsts with the black elements. White is a no-go for me, and this yellow fits the perky design perfectly!
I've seen few heads turn already :)

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 9:03 am
by nyx
Regarding Chromecast, I didn’t have any luck with that and an iPhone I’m afraid. It couldn’t stream from the phone and use it as its hotspot at the same time. I think it’s different on Android or if you pay for the car’s own hotspot.

I’ve been meaning to add a page to hond.ae about HDMI streaming devices. I tried a few. Currently using the Firestick.

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 10:02 pm
by nyx
nyx wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 9:03 am I’ve been meaning to add a page to hond.ae about HDMI streaming devices. I tried a few. Currently using the Firestick.

Now added: https://hond.ae/products#hdmi

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 5:46 am
by Peter-E
nyx wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 9:03 am Regarding Chromecast, I didn’t have any luck with that and an iPhone I’m afraid. It couldn’t stream from the phone and use it as its hotspot at the same time. I think it’s different on Android or if you pay for the car’s own hotspot.

I’ve been meaning to add a page to hond.ae about HDMI streaming devices. I tried a few. Currently using the Firestick.
Thanks for the heads-up on chromecast. I remember reading a (Belgian) review mentioning a hdmi streaming demonstration with chromecast, so maybe like you said it works better with Android...

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 9:13 am
by londiniumperson
I can confirm that the Google TV dongle (which is effectively a Chromecast) works on Android.

When I get a chance I’ll see if it works using an iPhone. It’s strange that you can’t use an iPhone as a hotspot with the Chromecast, do you mean connected to the car and the Chromecast simultaneously?

Re: Hello from Belgium

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 3:12 am
by Peter-E
londiniumperson wrote: Tue Apr 05, 2022 9:13 am I can confirm that the Google TV dongle (which is effectively a Chromecast) works on Android.

When I get a chance I’ll see if it works using an iPhone. It’s strange that you can’t use an iPhone as a hotspot with the Chromecast, do you mean connected to the car and the Chromecast simultaneously?
Great, thank you!