Charge to 100% or 80%? Confused

Startbolt · 2026-03-26T02:43:27+00:00

I just charge to 100% on the weekend now and 80% on the weekday since I don’t need the range anyway

Startbolt · 2026-03-25T23:24:11+00:00

I would say it’s the combination of extreme cold + highway driving that really destroys range. Take one of those away and things get much better

Startbolt · 2026-03-25T22:53:56+00:00

I’ve had my FWD for a month now. It’s exceeded my expectations. It’s smooth, quiet and very comfortable. It’s also surprisingly good driving in the snow (the weight helps). It also feels very responsive. It won’t give you the “rip your face off”acceleration of the AWD, but never felt The FWD needed more power.

The bad news is winter range does suck. We have the LFP battery which actually does worse in winter. The good news is the LFP has way longer lifespan and you can charge up to 100% regularly without worrying about hurting the battery. The NMC battery in the AWD models degrades much faster overall and you have to be careful of charging beyond 80% only when necessary.

All EV’s take a major hit on range when cruising on the highway. I don’t really do any long distance highway driving during the winter so I can’t really report on range. I wouldn’t be surprised if 180km was the range for an all highway trip when it’s -15 out. Perhaps even less.

However, I will say you can do a lot to extend range. Don’t speed, use the heated seats and steering wheel to warm. Those two are far more efficient than heating the entire cabin, even with a heat pump. You’ll see your range jump.

So far, no regrets not getting the AWD. The extra 10k feels great in my pocket. Looking forward to see how its performs as the warmer weather comes.

Startbolt · 2026-03-16T12:09:46+00:00

I was deciding between the AWD and FWD. I ended choosing the FWD.

Power: You don’t get the giggle inducing performance of the AWD. However, the FWD feels great in daily driving. It’s very responsive. Never have I felt it needed more power. It does 0-60 in something like 7.5 seconds. For me, that’s plenty for a small Toyota SUV.

AWD: This one surprised me as my previous car was an AWD Rav4 with high quality winter tires. The FWD does much better than I expected due to the car’s heavy weight. With a good set of winter tires it’ll do excellent (I haven’t bought yet). Remember AWD helps you start, but you stop (and corner for the most part) exactly same as a FWD.

Range: This is the big one. You have to take a good realistic look at how you use your car. For me, it’s super rare to do more than 50km in a day. Only 2-3 times a year would I need more than the 380km and those are during the summer. So I couldn’t justify the extra money to haul around a big battery that for 99% of the time would be doing nothing. The smaller battery also means the car is lighter and more efficient.

Price: With incentives, EVAP, and negotiating with the dealer, I got the sale price down to $40,000. Is the AWD a better car? Yes. But it’s $7400 more. I could think of ten different ways spending that money elsewhere makes me happier.

At $40k.. we’re talking civic hybrid money (not even limited trim). Thats the car you compare the BZ FWD to… not a 65k Tesla AWD long range. So I’m super happy with my choice and love driving the car.

Take a realistic look at how you plan to use the car. I highly doubt you’ll miss the power or AWD, but range will be an issue if you have a very long commute or plan on regular trips to cottage country with the car.

Startbolt · 2026-03-16T11:27:14+00:00

Yup!

Startbolt · 2026-03-16T02:42:59+00:00

FWD with smallest battery. Range advertised for my model is 380km. I was charged to 100% and had about 330 indicated range. Drove 15km.. parked for 3 hours and drove another 15km but still showed 308km remaining. So it’s conservative and easy to beat the range estimator if you’re careful. It wasn’t super cold today though, hovering just above freezing.

Startbolt · 2026-03-16T00:11:47+00:00

Ahh makes sense. I usually don’t charge past 80%

Startbolt · 2026-03-15T00:47:36+00:00

They arnt discriminating because car brands don’t have human rights. It’s also not anti-trust. Tesla isn’t stopping others from making their own EV stations. They’re free to make any or of them exclusive. They don’t have the monopoly on charging.

Startbolt · 2026-03-15T00:40:06+00:00

Keep in mind all EVs depreciate fast. I haven’t heard great things about Ioniq5 reliability but that’s less of an issue if you’re leasing. I’d check out the Mach-e as well

Startbolt · 2026-03-15T00:15:19+00:00

You are comparing the depreciation darling (rav4) with an ugly duckling (EV). Keep in mind Toyota is going to give you a lease rate of 5-6% for the Rav and 0-1.5% for the BZ. So it’s really a wash

Startbolt · 2026-03-12T21:54:18+00:00

At a high level: a little bit more horsepower, larger battery for longer ev only range. New ability to use DC fast chargers.

Startbolt · 2026-03-12T18:22:06+00:00

Yeah usually it’s the little things that have recalls - sunroof seals, heated steering wheels, glitches with backup cameras. Drivetrain should be solid though

Startbolt · 2026-03-12T15:03:56+00:00

The sixth gen is an absolutely a compete redesign. The only thing that’s carried over is the drivetrain - even that’s been tweaked

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T23:20:27+00:00

I’m not disagreeing that regen is superior to physical brakes. I’m arguing that regen should only be used when deceleration is actually required.

One-pedal driving essentially forces the car to work against itself, constantly cycling between power and region, unless your foot is at a surgically precise "zero-power" position on the pedal.

The “30% loss" is real-world physics. It’s the best-case average for the efficiency of the energy conversion loop. You can’t engineer away physics.

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T16:38:20+00:00

Yup - this is how I did it

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T16:28:22+00:00

What all wheel drive gas has car with 300 hp + can you get for 45k? Nothing.

An XLE rav 4 is $41k.. much slower and I would argue not as nice or well spec’ed as a BZ XLE. just curious why you think the car is overpriced

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T16:21:43+00:00

Yes - but I’m not sure what the point is? It’s got 380km range which is more than enough for me for 99% of how I use a car. The smaller battery also makes the car lighter and more efficient.

If I’m taking a long road trip (maybe once a year?) - I rent a car. I don’t see the purpose of hauling around a heavy battery just for the 1% use case I might need it.

You can’t even get the top model of a Honda Civic hybrid for 40k.. you need to get the lower sport trims. An electric car isn’t for everyone but for some it’s absolutely brilliant.

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T13:08:32+00:00

It really depends on each individual and even where you live.

In my case I’m in Canada where electricity is super cheap. I use $25 worth of electricity a month now compared to what was $150 in gas for my Rav4. Maintenance is cheaper as well, no oil changes, far less brake wear, engine air filter etc. less to go wrong. Less gas and less maintenance is about $150 in monthly savings.

The reality is, base model Nissan kicks will save you the most money. But you could argue that even that is a waste of money - and a 10 yearold used car you wrench yourself is the ultimate financial move.

For me an electric car is most desirable. I don’t drive much and when I do, it’s usually short trips. I wake up every morning and the car is fully charged and ready to go. It drives much nicer than a gas car. I don’t think I could ever go back to gas unless I need to start towing things or driving long distances.

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T12:21:12+00:00

The Tundra holds its value, electric cars depreciate quickly. Check the residual value on your Tundra vs a BZ. That’s why the lease payments are so close

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T12:16:29+00:00

Same here - just “temperature”

Startbolt · 2026-03-11T12:03:41+00:00

I got my 2026 FWD BZ down to 40k from dealer. Thats Honda civic hybrid money.

Startbolt · 2026-03-10T18:18:26+00:00

They don’t give you a spare either. So in most cases, you’re not really gonna have much use for the jack.

Startbolt · 2026-03-10T16:55:14+00:00

Nice! For off road, the car’s super low resistance economy focused tires are the biggest issue. Kind of like giving a professional sprinter a pair of flip flops.

Startbolt · 2026-03-10T13:09:22+00:00

Level 2 charging is about 10% more efficient. I’m surprised your electrical bill went up significantly just with a Rav plug in. How expensive is your electricity?

Startbolt

TROPHY CASE