We just picked up our Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Speciale yesterday, which is our first EV. As many might know the E-CMP platform it's based on doesn't have tremendously high range or fast charging so we wanted to see how a busy errand day looks with such a car.
First after we picked it up we headed to my family about 75km away, the range estimate was dead on and we arrived with 76% charge, at which point we plugged in our EV Buddy 3 Pro to get a few % and see how it all works.
Then I used the new car as an excuse to drive my mother to work, another 35km that only took about 4% because the regen is surprisingly effective on the hills so we arrived back with 80%.
Then we decided to go to the recycling center and get rid of a bunch of garbage, the Junior is surprisingly spacious with the back seats folded down but I will admit I'm used to having more space especially for tall items laid flat in my S5 Sportback. However it did it like a champ, and then we drove back, stopping at Subway and had lunch.
After lunch we decided to grab groceries so first we drove to our usual LIDL but then I realized having checked the apps in the past I made a mistake because there's another one that offers LIDL Plus charging which I wanted to try. So after an additional 20km detour we arrived there with 81% and plugged it in. After 35 minutes of shopping we got back to the car with a full battery and paid 4.- CHF. Looking at the app it was probably full after ~16 minutes @40kW.
After unloading the groceries at my family's house, since I'm in the midst of moving, we loaded the Junior with furniture and drove it back home, almost 100km with highway stretches where we intentionally drove 140km/h to see how it does. A/C was on since it was a hot day and we were already sweating from the furniture disassembly and loading two cars.
We arrived with 75% from about 95% so the range estimate was again almost perfect, and what we found when we got home and took my dog for a evening walk is once we got back he wanted to get in the car all on his own. I opened the door and he just jumped in (last pic) which he never does with my ICE – I'm guessing due to noise and vibrations.
We're renters so we don't have our own charger, but we currently have it plugged in the one of about 15 nearby public chargers provided by the grocery stores, electric company and a few others. It's still way cheaper than gas and as I'm combining it with my dog's walks it doesn't feel like an additional chore, instead it lets us actually walk him in a few new areas that are too far to walk to.
As for the car it's more fun than it has any right being. Alfa did a great job making the steering very direct in the Junior compared to its siblings. It's very driver focused, the seats are comfortable although the massaging is weak, and the infotainment works perfectly with three of our Android phones which is what we wanted. The sound system is quite good compared to rentals but of course not a match to the S5 or the loaners I got from my dealer.
What I will say is the cost cutting is visible. Only the driver has an electrical seat with massage, the rear is very minimal with no grab handles or cup holders in the doors, and the roof trim is cheap. But the touchpoints are good and I'm surprised that the dash looks as solid as it does for the price point.
I definitely hope Alfa Romeo uses this to make their own "proper" EV that doesn't suffer from sharing the platform with an ICE/hybrid model (no frunk) and we get a Q4 model, otherwise I can't really see the justification in spending an extra $15k they ask for the Veloce. A Tonale size EV would be my dream Alfa Romeo right now.
PS: Yeah I'll stop charging from 75-100% once we've figured out the routine and the chargers.
by Dan6erbond2