After a year of watching the solar production and our electricity use, we decided there is enough excess solar electricity generated to cover charging an electric vehicle (EV). In other words, time to replace the 2001 Honda Insight and the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with a single EV.

We need something that can tow a trailer both on the farm (for when the tractor isn't working) and on the road (to take the riding mower in for service, for example).

We spent most of 2025 comparing what was available (online) and finally decided to test-drive a Volkswagon ID-4 (with tow package) in December. Then the hubby spent the next few months looking for a 2024 model in our price range. Oh, did I mention that this is the hubby's project because he will be doing most of the driving of it. He found one in Minnesota that looked good, we purchased it and had it shipped to us.

Background

The hubby and I are like minded when it comes to vehicles. (SO thankful for that!) We don't see any reason to have the latest, biggest, most popular, etc. vehicle and trade them in every couple of years. And therefore, (barring any accidents, etc.) we find that we drive a vehicle until it is on it's last legs and then we donate it/them. Both the 2008 Dodge and 2001 Honda would be donated to our local National Public Radio (NPR) station (take that stupid Republican dictator-enablers!).

We focus on what is best for our needs and the best fuel efficiency that we can afford. "What we can afford" has been the key factor for a long time and we don't see any reason to change that even when looking for an EV.

It's probably not necessary to point this out because if you have read anything on this website you already know that I am what is known as a "True Blue Environmentalist". Also, hubby and I don't like our money going to corporations that are focused on greed and political manipulation. It therefore won't surprise you that we avoided Tesla vehicles like a plague.

Most 'affordable' automotive brands in the USA are new to the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon. It would have been nice to "buy USA" but compromises must be made and the hubby and I separately came to the conclusion that Volkswagon (VW) and the ID-4 model specifically were for us. We saw many 2023 models available for sale online and discovered there had been a problem that was fixed with the 2024 model (of which there were few available). So no to the 2023 model and yes to the 2024 (or 2025 if the price worked).

Buying the ID-4

It was late December when we found the closest VW dealer had a 2024 available to test drive. We braved the salespeople (oy vey are they a pain in the ass) and finally were able to get in the vehicle. Nice car. Nice test. Not the price we wanted to pay, we were not interested in financing, we were willing to walk away. We walked away. Multiple contacts from the salespeople and the hubby held firm. Turns out that particular VW dealership (or maybe all of them, I don't know) was not discounting the multiple 2025 ID-4s they had on the lot because they were not adding 2026 models until the 2025s sold at the full, new car price. Well, bully for them. LOL.

Hubby continued his search for what we wanted at the price we were willing to pay. He ultimately found the car we purchased at a dealership in Rochester Minnesota. It is still under warranty, so buying it used (sight unseen - other than lots of photos and walk around video) was not a big deal. Such is life after covid and the era of carvana, et al. There was a learning curve regarding having it shipped, getting the MN title and getting it changed to a MO title, etc.

	Any new-to-you vehicle is a learning experience. Changing from an internal combustion engine to electric motor(s) is a big change. Understanding the battery systems (yes, there is still a 12-volt battery besides the 'fuel' battery) is helpful. Understanding that this machine is basically a wheeled computer we THOUGHT we comprehended, but it turns out it is WAY more than we ever considered. VW requires you to use their app with the car for full access to information, updates, recalls, etc. And my phone is new enough to use the app; but hubby got to (translation: had to) buy a new phone since he is the primary driver. (Unexpected cost.)
	Using the "key" is interesting. Also kind of scary when you can lock your car using the app and find the key is inside the car. Luckily, our first time doing this was when the phone/app was outside the car and it's also possible to unlock the car from the app. Charging the battery/fuel is very easy and we intentionally had our at-home charging station installed before we chose a car so we would have exactly what we needed to charge at home. (Electricity created by solar panels equals FREE fuel when charged at home.) We don't intend to need a commercial charging station any time soon but the VW app shows the location of applicable ones across the country.
	As soon has hubby had the new phone and downloaded the app, he discovered there was a major software update for this car required and covered (paid for) by VW. We also found that the 12-volt battery needed to be replaced (separate issue). As I mentioned earlier, USA dealerships are playing catch-up on EVs so hubby had to call various VW dealer service departments to find one that could do the update. The closest VW service couldn't schedule it for MONTHS. The next closest (Molle at 103rd St in KS) said no problem bring it in BUT it could take a couple weeks because it is a BIG software update. Good thing we had not donated the van yet.
	It turned out that they had to send it to an Olathe service department but that wasn't a problem and we got the car back from Molle in about a week. The only glitch was VW insists on the 12-volt battery VW sells and it was back ordered (no generic battery for this car). We could drive the ID-4 until the battery arrived. It was a few weeks after we got the car back that the app said there was a problem caused by the battery and luckily Molle had just gotten the new battery delivered. It should have been a simple thing to replace the 12-volt battery, right? No. It has to be 'conditioned' in the car. Took a couple of days. Then a system check threw up a ton of check system messages that had to be cleared. One of them was "LOW ENGINE OIL". oh dear, I think the codes have not been updated. LOL
	The primary EV mechanic was on vacation and they had to wait for him to get back to interpret the codes et al. Surprisingly, Molle gave us a loaner (we had been doing a great deal of back and forth driving for these under warranty service needs) since we would be without a car for several more days (the van had been donated by this time). We've had the car back for a week now and all seems to be well. We had to reset all our preferences both on the app and in the car itself. They are obviously stored in the 12-volt battery since we didn't have to do that after the big software update.

Obviously, we haven't had it long enough to work out the kinks or give an opinion about it beyond the fuel efficiency that makes us both SMILE.

If I had to list issues at this point, they would be different from the hubby because I haven't driven it yet. As a passenger though:

• The screen and selection stuff between the seats on the dash is tilted toward the driver and you can't shift it, so to set anything for myself I have to lean over the console and angle my body in a contorted way to see and or make selections. Everything is geared to the driver (who shouldn't be messing with the screen while they are driving, in my humble opinion).
• The 'auto drive' features which are basically the car "seeing" the lines in the road and whether you are behind someone makes the ride a bit jerky if the driver is relying on them to stay in a lane and stop.
• I do like that you can set the space between you and the car ahead so the VW slows down to stay at that distance (or speed up as well). Hubby likes to stay too close to the car ahead for my sanity.
• The window buttons are all in the driver's control. I can only adjust my window. So I have to ask him to adjust the windows behind us. And speaking of windows, the pressure on my ears is horrible if the window opening balance is the slightest bit off. I tend to like the back windows open, but OUCH in this car. So we end up with windows closed and using the climate control system. Figuring out how to get enough air flow and fresh air so the air pressure doesn't hurt my head has been challenging.
• The chairs are SO easily adjusted: up/down, forward/back, tilt, lumbar support. This model even has seat cooler and seat warmer features (not a fan personally, but hubby likes it). Once your preference is set and assigned to the driver's account info, when you open the door the chair shifts to a position that makes it easiest to exit the vehicles. And the same when getting in, after you sit down the chair shifts to your preferred settings.

The hubby used the VW to tow our 2-axle trailer for the first time recently. He had to get a different ball hitch to be sure the tongue of the trailer stayed level. Hubby said he likes that the rearview camera shows the hitch so positioning the car under the trailer. This is a big deal because the rear window is so tiny and not at all helpful in that way. Hubby said it was a really smooth drive with the trailer. Generally, towing uses substantially more electricity. Hubby charged the battery to 100% before leaving to be sure he had enough fuel to get home. We were pleasantly surprised that towing the empty trailer used less fuel than we expected it would.

VW recommends only charging to 80% unless you have plans to travel and then only charge to 100% just before you use the vehicle.

State Fuel Tax/Alternative Fuel Surcharge (AFS)

Here's something you should be prepared for when getting an EV: in Missouri you have to pay a yearly tax in January -- OOPS, sorry a SURCHARGE is what they call it because they think we can't tell the difference. Anyway, in January there is a FEE/tax because the EV doesn't use gasoline; it uses an Alternative Fuel, and therefore we don't pay the 'per gallon' tax at the gas pump that everyone does who uses gasoline/diesel/etc. This year the fee is $150. Because we didn't put our EV on Missouri roads until May, they prorated the tax amount to $110. (150/12=12.5*4=50 (jan/feb/mar/apr). So mathematically the FEE should have been $100, but MO is bad at math so they said it equals $110. Yes, I'm being pissy; so tired of MO and their shit.)

The fuel tax in MO right now is $0.295/gallon. Let's make the math easy because who knows how much each person's gas tank holds. When you fill your 10-gallon tank you pay $2.95 in fuel tax (10*$0.295). If you have a super-energy-efficient car (like, for instance, my SmartCar) you might get 45 miles per gallon which on a 10-gallon tank would be 450 miles per tank. Math: $2.95 tax divided by 450 miles equals $0.0066 tax per mile. That's not bad. Let's say you drive on average per year 15,000 miles. You then spend $98.33 on the gas tax for that year. Math: $0.0066 times 15,000 equals $98.33.

Of course, let's say you drive a gas-guzzler (say, 10 mpg) and have a 40-gal tank. You also drive on average per year 15,000 miles. Math: $0.295*40=$11.80 per tank. 10 miles per gallon (10*40=400 miles per tank). $11.80/400=$0.295 tax per mile. $0.295 times 15,000 equals $442.50. You spend $442.50 on the gas tax for that year.

Let us use an nice round number for the price of gas to do a final comparison on fuel costs per vehicle: $5.00/gallon of gas(diesel or whatever fossil fuel).

SmartCar: $5*10=$50 per tank (gas without the tax is then $4.705*10=$47.05). 15,000 miles divided by 450 miles per tank equals 33.33 tanks of gas. $50*33.33=$1,666.67 for gas in total of which $98.33 is tax. The gas price (regardless of the tax price) is $1,568.34 for the 15,000 miles in a year.

Gas Guzzler: $5*40=$200 per tank (gas without the tax is then $4.705*40=$188.2). 15,000 miles divided by 400 miles per tank equals 37.5 tanks of gas. $200*37.5=$7,500 for gas in total of which $442.50 is tax. The gas price (regardless of the tax price) is $7,057.50 for the 15,000 miles in a year.

Generally, the gas tax is supposed to pay for road repairs and things related to that kind of maintenance. I honestly have not investigated what Missouri uses it for. Currently (June 1, 2026), the Govenor and MO Republican Congress want to give us a gas tax 'holiday' of 7 months to help with the price of gasoline. They won't be giving a refund of the January charged alternative fuel surcharge during that 7 months. They think people are stupid and will be SO happy when the price of their gas goes down $0.295/gallon; not realizing that that money won't be available to do the maintenance etc. it's supposed to pay for. End of rant.

Look, I don't mind paying a tax to keep roads etc. maintained. It's actually nice to know exactly how much I'm paying into the fund with the EV. And now I know how much I contribute with the SmartCar per year.

We invested in an EV and we produce more electricity than we use (it goes into the grid to be used by someone else at whatever price the electricity company charges them while we get a credit equal to what we would have had to pay if we had purchased that electricity). As long as we continue to produce more than we use, the electricity that charges the battery in the EV costs us $0.00. Even if we drive 15,000 miles in a year (locally, charging when we get home) our fuel cost is $0.00. Our AFS is $150 per year whether we drive 10 miles or 30,000 miles in a year.

Below is an easy comparison of the costs detailed above so you can figure out how long it would take to cover the cost of buying an EV because you aren't spending the fuel costs associated to your current vehicle. (*Of course, if you aren't using free solar energy as your electricity source, you would have to insert the actual cost per kWh and how many kWh you use in a year.)