The car lives at the airport, but never gets to fly!

- I added a TxTag for the car so that you can take it on tollways. Just let me know if you use it and I can add it to the invoice. - I realize these cars are not computers, but read the FAQ. Seriously, read the FAQ. - No smoking, no pets, no smoking pets. - Bring the Fiat EV back the way you picked it up, basically clean, full of juice (or charging) and ready to go on another adventure - Please do not plan on taking the car out of the city (Austin). Georgetown? different city. Waco? Also a different city. If you need help identifying cities that are not Austin, just let me know. - The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that deep down inside we ALL believe we are good drivers.

• I love driving this car - can I drive it anywhere?

  If you stay in town you'll almost always be near a charger. Austin Energy and Chargepoint have done a great job of installing chargers. If you drive the car out of town, be aware of the availability of chargers to help you get home. There are some places, like LaGrange, that I simply will not drive a fiatEV. Then there are some that are challenging. Wimberly and Georgetown a charger deserts. Your best bet is to play it safe and upgrade to a Bolt if you really need to get out of town.

• What's a DC Fast Charger?

  DC Fast chargers are the fastest available charger, similar to Tesla Superchargers. There are not many of them, but more and more every day. Here are the important things to know about DC Fast chargers: 1 - They do not work with Fiats. This is important. There are no adapters, its just not gonna happen. 2 - They show up different in charge maps. In ChargePoint they are square. In google there is a graphic on the left that says “ CHAdeMO” 3 - They are big. Much larger than L2 chargers. And they have lots of lights on them. None of this matters as much as #1 above

• How do I charge this thing?!

  There is a plug in charger in the trunk that works off any standard wall plug. Its called an L1 charger, which means it takes more than all night to charge the car. It’s much faster to use an L2 charger - you will find L2 chargers all over the city on the ChargePoint network. Some hotels have L2 chargers you can use. To charge, use the Chargepoint card. You wave the card in front of the charger and wait for the card to authorize. You’ll hear a “click” and the handle will be ready to plug in. L2 chargers charge the car in about 3-4 hours.

• Are there any quirks to the Fiat EV? Anything I should know?

  Yes! To start the car, you turn the key all the way as if you are starting the engine. You’re really not, but I guess Fiat likes you to imagine you are. If you leave the lights on, they will go off when you turn the key off. For some strange reason they will still draw power. Not much, but they do. Very odd. The messaging is a little strange. Maybe its an english translation, but don't take the messaging too literal.

• Can I make it to (the Magnolia Silos, San Antonio, Dallas, etc)?

  Only the truly ambitious and patient can do roadtrips in a Fiat EV. I strongly discourage you from trying. Bolts can go to any of the popular day trips, but I highly recommend a charging plan. Let me know and I can help.

• Anything I should know about the ChargePoint chargers?

  Yes! I learn more about the chargers in Austin every day. Here’s some important things to keep in mind... Some chargers are free, but in paid parking garages. You are not exempt from the parking fees, and you are responsible if you incur parking fees. If you need help understanding a specific charging station just ask and I will help. You can use other chargers - you are not limited to Chargepoint. Some hotels have chargers you can use for free. Fiats and Bolts cannot use Tesla chargers. In the ChargePoint app Tesla chargers show up differently than standard L2s If you have any questions about a specific charger, feel free to reach out to me and we’ll figure it out together. I am slowly learning all the chargers in Austin and can help.

• This is too much to read - don't you have a video that explains everything?

  This is a nice video from fiat that really explains everything... https://youtu.be/Zm8U5V6jrfU The only thing it doesn't cover is how to use ChargePoint. This guy does a good job explaining things: https://youtu.be/qN0Taj9CJ9k

• Where are the chargers I can use?!

  There are four ways to find them. 1 - By far the easiest is to use google maps (not apple). Just search for "ChargePoint" and you'll see all the chargers. 2 - You can use the ChargePoint website: https://na.chargepoint.com/charge_point search for "Austin, TX". 3 - The Chargepoint app is super helpful if you want to download it. It’s really the best way to navigate the charger network. 4 - PlugShare is an app that shows all chargers, including private chargers that are available to the public. but be careful - the app also shows private chargers that are not open to the public. tricky!

• I drove 2 miles and the range went down 10 miles! What's wrong?

  Range is a calculated value. That means that the car is trying to calculate the range based on your driving. Most fiat 500e fans and owners call it "the guess-o-meter" because it fluctuates so much. Its calculated on your current driving plus the driving history over the last couple trips, so it might not be accurate for what you are doing. This becomes more important when its hot out. Just like you run the AC to keep cool, the car has a system to keep the batteries cool. It runs when its hot out. I drive these cars all the time and I use the % charge to understand the range. Its the green bar on the left of the dash.

• The charge is below 20%, should I worry?

  Yes! Life is too short to risk stranding the car, and once you're below 20% the risk is very high. You should already be planning to charge when you hit 50%. That doesn't mean you have to charge right away, but at that point, you should at least know where your next charge is. At 20%, planning doesn't really matter and you should just charge immediately.

• The wall charger in the trunk takes forever. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

  Yes! A particularly smart driver figured this out. There is a yellow adapter in the trunk with the charger. If you can use that adapter to plug into a dryer plug, the car will charge must faster.