[MidasTouch]

Hello everyone!
I have a couple of questions that I haven't been able to find answers to dispite my research... I'm up north for the next two weeks and there are no dealers around so I'll have to figure it all out before I get back down to FL.

-Car is unlikely to ever be plugged in to charge. Any problems with this? To charge it can I just drive in sport mode for an hour on the hwy and the battery will be fully charged for city use? Will there be any problems with driving it like a honda civic or as a run around/economy car never plugging it in such?

-Can you hook up your iphone for music via aux cable or does everything have to happen thru the bluetooth on the command center?

-How does the sound system compare to a Bentley CGT?

-I've read most of the common build quality issues and problems/recalls on here but is there anything else I have to watch out for when buying a new one or is everything already done about that.

-I can't find the price for a White EcoChic w/glacier-tri tone interior i'm assuming this is something like a $10-15k package?




Thanks for your time and imput!

 

[WOJO]

If you can't plug it in.
I would go with Bentley GTC

 

[MidasTouch]

If you can't plug it in.
I would go with Bentley GTC

I've got quite a few other cars and this is never going to be in a garage to charge. I'm not buying it for the economy of it. This purchase is based solely on its lack of price, its looks and exclusivity.

 

[Nimisys]

it will work without ever plugging in, however sport mode will allow the battery to drop to 26 mile range and hold it there, but will not charge it further. eventually you will probably drain that range to zero miles (15% battery) if you're switching back and forth as you may not get enough regen to replenish the battery. long term, should not be any ill-affects, but battery only frequently will require recharging (you can use a good quality extension cable with the 110v charger)

don't use the USB port right now, but the BT or aux input jack are both ok

White Sand is a standard color, so no extra, the tri-tone is standard on EcoChic models, so you'll be paying the EcoChic vs EcoSport premium (which is about 3k, IIRC). a Diamond dust paint is 3000$, tritone interior is 2000$, IIRC

 

[marcus]

What's a "lack of price?" It has a price. If you mean low price, then I agree that the karma presents a tremendous value. I wouldn't buy it if I didn't have a garage... I'd build a garage.

 

[Charged in The OC]

Hello everyone!
I have a couple of questions that I haven't been able to find answers to dispite my research... I'm up north for the next two weeks and there are no dealers around so I'll have to figure it all out before I get back down to FL.

-Car is unlikely to ever be plugged in to charge. Any problems with this? To charge it can I just drive in sport mode for an hour on the hwy and the battery will be fully charged for city use? Will there be any problems with driving it like a honda civic or as a run around/economy car never plugging it in such?

-Can you hook up your iphone for music via aux cable or does everything have to happen thru the bluetooth on the command center?

-How does the sound system compare to a Bentley CGT?

-I've read most of the common build quality issues and problems/recalls on here but is there anything else I have to watch out for when buying a new one or is everything already done about that.

-I can't find the price for a White EcoChic w/glacier-tri tone interior i'm assuming this is something like a $10-15k package?




Thanks for your time and imput!

You've already had input on some of this. As far as driving the car using the ICE, I just drove mine 200 miles yesterday, which by definition means I was on ICE most of the time. It performed just fine and works and drives fine. So, that shouldn't be a problem. The only thing I've noticed is that after a long time on ICE ( I was stuck in LA traffic for 2 hours) the cooling fan runs after the car is turned off and won't stop even after 45 minutes. I assume this is another software glitch that they will fix.

 

[Deep Ocean]

Plug the car in, otherwise what's the point? I use a standard 110 volt plug in the garage and it charges up just fine overnight. Again, if you aren't going to plug it in you have a few hundred pounds of deadweight and are really defeating the purpose.

 

[Fabulist]

Plug the car in, otherwise what's the point? I use a standard 110 volt plug in the garage and it charges up just fine overnight. Again, if you aren't going to plug it in you have a few hundred pounds of deadweight and are really defeating the purpose.

There is no point in getting this car if you can't charge the battery at least some of the time. The 110 adaptor that comes withe car can be plugged into any home outlet and would fully charge the battery in 12 hours. With a good quality extension cord, you should be able to get the car charged even if you have to do this:

 

[Nimisys]

I assume this is another software glitch that they will fix.

Not neccessarily. There are 3 cooling loops within the Karma, one of which is for the Generater/Motors/Inverters/Charger, referred to as the Low Temp Cooling System. Vehicles after extended use actually see a coolant temp increase on shutdown, before they level off and then start to cool down. Because there is waste heat generated in the charging process, and the Low Temp Coolling system max temp range is 150f, those fan are going to come at times during a charging event anyways, but if everything is already hot from extended use, and you no longer have airflow over the radiators, those fans will be running for sometime.

Now if the fans comone with every charge event, and the vehicle does not charge up, then there maybe an issue, however in your case, it does sound like the car is operating exactly as it was designed to.

 

[Charged in The OC]

I assume this is another software glitch that they will fix.

Not neccessarily. There are 3 cooling loops within the Karma, one of which is for the Generater/Motors/Inverters/Charger, referred to as the Low Temp Cooling System. Vehicles after extended use actually see a coolant temp increase on shutdown, before they level off and then start to cool down. Because there is waste heat generated in the charging process, and the Low Temp Coolling system max temp range is 150f, those fan are going to come at times during a charging event anyways, but if everything is already hot from extended use, and you no longer have airflow over the radiators, those fans will be running for sometime.

Now if the fans comone with every charge event, and the vehicle does not charge up, then there maybe an issue, however in your case, it does sound like the car is operating exactly as it was designed to.

In the case I described, the car was not charging. I had stopped to have a meeting. Fan was on for the reasons you suggest. But 45 minutes later when I came out, fan was still on. Also, the radio would not go off either. So, I presumed something was stuck on and that it might drain the 12v battery, so, I opened the hood and did a hard reboot. That solved the problem and everything worked fine for the rest of the day and another 100 miles with ICE on.

 

[Karma31]

The real pleasure of driving the Karma is in Stealth mode. Find a way to plug it in even if it's an externally mounted rapid charger. I'm planning on having one installed at a satellite office I only visit 2-3 times a month even though financially it's not cost effective. Driving in Stealth is addicting. By all means, go for it!

 

[9xclubchamp]

I had the same fan and radio staying on issue, how do you do a hard reset?



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[Sparky168]

The real pleasure of driving the Karma is in Stealth mode. Find a way to plug it in even if it's an externally mounted rapid charger. I'm planning on having one installed at a satellite office I only visit 2-3 times a month even though financially it's not cost effective. Driving in Stealth is addicting. By all means, go for it!

Are you qualified for a free charger?

siliconkiwi
Owner: SE#76

Posts: 174
Joined: Oct 2011
Redwood City, CA
Links to electric car chargers
US only: http://Www.chargepointamerica.com

ChargePoint is supplying FREE (DOE subsidized) chargers for qualifying electric (including Karma) owners, and for me at least (in California), installation was subsidized by up to $1200, which paid for all costs excluding permitting. See the website for details.