Ivan Jue is an Acterra EV Ambassador who knows a thing or two about electric vehicles — in fact, he’s been up to speed on EVs since 2011, when he became a very early EV adopter. When I spoke to him recently, Ivan helped explain their broadening appeal and offered some insight on the current EV market and what’s coming next. Our conversation has been lightly edited and condensed.

Wendy: What’s your day job?

Ivan: I am a full time residential realtor, covering the San Francisco Bay Area and especially the South Bay.  I am also an adjunct business professor for Cerritos College (located in Norwalk, CA, in LA County), so I travel to SoCal from NorCal periodically.

How long have you been an EV driver? 

Over 12 years.  My family was among the first chosen by Nissan to be in a photoshoot for their Japanese publication of “EV adoption” years ago. I also helped design the early Blink charging network for Level 2 and ChaDeMo at the San Jose Cisco campus. 

What was your first EV like? 

In 2011, range and useability were pretty different.  The Nissan LEAF was initially marketed as a “100-mile” EV, but EPA found it to be a 73-mile EV.  But even so, with all the local commutes and drives in the Bay Area, we still did 44K miles in just 30 months! Back then, it was harder to find charging stations. It was before apps like PlugShare existed. To find out the status of a charger we talked to one another; we actually used group texts. 

How does it compare to your EV use today?

The expansion of the fast charging network, and faster EV charging speeds over the years has made a world of difference!  After owning the LEAF, I moved to the 2017 Chevy Bolt Premier, and it was a great car for several years. I went from a 73-mile range on a ‘11 LEAF, to a 238-mile EV range on the Bolt. 

In 2021 I elected to accept GM’s buyback offer on the Bolt (due to the recall) which was a complete refund offer, and I got a VW ID.4 Pro. The 2021 ID.4 range is 260 miles. But going from a 90-minute fast charge on Bolt (5% to 80%) to 30 minutes on the ID.4 (same percentages) has made a huge difference to me on useability.

What’s the longest trip you have taken in it?

Mostly I use my ID.4 for work (client and property visits across the Bay Area) and errands. I travel to SoCal every 3-4 months (faculty visits, vacation, road trips, etc). 

The longest I’ve driven in a day on the ID.4 is nearly 500 miles (San Jose, CA to San Ysidro, CA).  This was last year in 118 degree weather, and the entire round trip was nearly 1500 miles spanning several days of college visits around SoCal.  So yes, it was a lot of driving.  It took 3 charges (using one of the standard formats, the combined charging system, or CCS) on the way down to San Diego, and multiple CCS charges along the journey, but the car worked very well, and each fast charge took less than 30 minutes.

How did you choose the ID.4? 

The $41K VW ID.4 Pro was a great value, even in base trim.  It was very comfortable with lots of interior space. And I saved a lot of money with rebates. I paid $29K in net cost  after factoring in big rebates (including the $7,500 Federal tax credit plus state rebates in California—$800 PG&E rebate, $1,500 Clean Fuel Rebate, $2,500 CA Sustainability rebate). This made for a stunning value at the time compared to other comparable makes like the Tesla Model Y or the Mustang Mach-E. 

For my work, I also wanted a vehicle that didn’t stand out when I visited different neighborhoods. The VW looks like a regular SUV, which is a benefit. Also I liked the ground clearance, since in the SF Bay Area, there are steep inclines that could scrape the undercarriage of a typical car.

Funniest charging story?

I actually was at an Electrify America charger during a live Acterra Q and A event!  So the people watching the Zoom got to see my car (and hear the sounds) of the ID.4 as it was fast charging.  And I actually got other EV drivers fast charging (a Mach-E owner, an e-Tron owner, a Taycan owner) on video as well!

What’s the most fun feature of your current EV?

VW’s Travel Assist feature is great.  It’s VW’s equivalent of Automatic Cruise Control (ACC) with lane centering and detection of your distance from the vehicle in front of you.  It’s never “phantom-braked” on me, and works very well for stop-and-go driving or highway driving.  

What’s something unexpected about driving an EV that you’d like more people to know? 

I’d like more people to know about the economic benefits of EVs. For people thinking about an EV: It’s not just about “saving the planet.” Actually you can also save a lot of money.  Off-peak rates for charging are a great benefit, and when I do charge at home (on a PG&E “EV-A TOU” plan), it’s at night, and easily done. I don’t miss the bi-weekly gas station visits! If you think about it, gas prices are high, approaching $5 per gallon. Gas-powered vehicles (I used to drive a Sienna van for the kids that got at most 20 miles per gallon under optimal conditions), when they’re sitting in stop-and-go traffic during a commute, those things just drink so much fuel.  With an EV, when you stop (at a light or in traffic), you stop consuming energy. Gas vehicle maintenance is expensive, with oil changes now running at about $100. Then there’s smog check and catalytic converter theft. These become a cumulative effect. Rarely have I seen the dealer on either my Bolt or ID.4, and EV maintenance costs are so minimal. Then there’s the incentives, the tax credits, and the rebates. So the equation is really different for electric vehicles. 

Any other advice for new or would-be EV drivers?

My best advice for anyone going on a road trip is to always check the PlugShare app, and filter charger ratings to 8+ out of 10 to find the most reliable ones. Be sure to check user comments (it is a crowd-sourced app). This has saved me so many times, and luckily I’ve had very positive experiences on many road trips. And having other charger accounts—EVgo, ChargePoint, Tesla, and Electrify America would also be very useful.  As a backup, you can use these other networks (note: Tesla’s SuperChargers with Magic Dock are expected to grow). If expecting to use Level 2, bring the actual ChargePoint card, as some Level 2 chargers are buried deep in parking garages, and phone activation won’t work due to poor cell coverage.  

I’ve heard horror stories about dealerships unable to fix EVs due to parts shortages, or technician experience. But personally, I haven’t come across the challenge of an incompetent dealer.  

Many people forget that an EV is still a car, so that also means checking tires and tire pressures.  I’ve seen people have blowouts over the years from lack of tire maintenance or from checking tire condition.  

Chevy announced it’s pulling the plug on the Bolt. What other models would you recommend?

As an alternative to the Bolt, Model 3 and Y prices have come down a lot. The Model 3 will continue to drop as the Highland refresh is due very soon, so outgoing Model 3s will continue to be discounted. 

The ID.4 Pro and the new “Standard” model continues to be a great value — since you still can get the $7,500 Federal tax credit, and free fast charging. But the Ioniq5 (even with no Federal tax credit) is also getting competitive with discounts now. The Ioniq6 is also worth a look. 

Mach-E prices have also gotten discounts. Compared to some other makes, the standard model has a lot of nice built-in features. 

The Blazer EV is due in a month (dealers are starting to get pre-order deliveries now), and the Equinox EV (the official replacement for the Bolt) is coming this fall. And since both (along with Mach-E) can work on NACS (this stands for “North American Charging Standard”), they can be great alternatives if you can wait.  Both will have Chevy’s new EV battery, the Ultium, and will charge much faster than the Bolt. There is also some talk that Chevy might reintroduce a Bolt that will feature the Ultium. For people interested in smaller, great-value EVs, the Mini Cooper EV is out now and Fiat is coming back with an updated version of the 500e.

What do you love about your EV?

Lots to love about the ID.4: Solid built quality, great fit and finish, very comfortable ride, large cargo area, great ground clearance, very stable in heavy crosswinds, fast charging speed. The only issue on the ID.4 is the somewhat slow infotainment system, and VW app.  I got used to it, and thankfully the car has CarPlay (which does work quite well). 

Something many folks don’t know is the ID.4’s ridiculously small turning radius.  The turning circle is even smaller than on my Chevy Bolt, allowing me to do U turns in narrow streets that I couldn’t do in other cars. 

The free, three-year fast charging perk was an unexpected benefit. Most of the 38K miles I put on the ID.4 were from the local CCS charger, and I still have 1 more year to go of this perk!

How did you hear about Acterra? 

I happened to meet Acterra staff member Ariane at an EV event 3 years ago…and I was hooked from there!  I also learned about food sustainability at Acterra, and I look forward to introducing Acterra to Cerritos College (which happens to be a huge culinary school) about ideas on teaching food sustainability practices. 

What does being an EV ambassador mean to you? 

It means a lot.  As President (and founder) of a local chapter of Business Network International (BNI), I’ve often mentioned my participation with Acterra to my group as well as other BNI chapters. I’ve also advertised Acterra events to members of my BNI chapter, and they have also come to visit as well. I’ve also talked about EV adoption and charger installation with my retail students at Cerritos College (some of my students happen to be in managerial roles and property managers for retail chains in SoCal). As an Ambassador, I mostly try to simplify the dizzying amount of information and jargon out there, and also help dispel the mis-information about EVs.

Now that EVs are more mainstream, you can see that there aren’t as many CCS chargers available and people almost have to fight over them. So it’s a huge change that in the news, the major manufacturers (like Ford, GM, Rivian, and more) are all switching to NACS-style (or compatible) charger ports, which will open up a lot more Tesla supercharging locations for everyone to use. 

Why is that such a good thing? 

For charging, it’s all about reliability, ease of use, availability, and convenience. More and more people will be considering EVs. Also, EVs have a low cost of charging — one more advantage for someone willing to change.

Professional realtor Ivan Jue lives in the South Bay with his family. As an Acterra EV Ambassador, he volunteers his time and vehicle at EV Expos around the Bay Area, sharing his experience with would-be EV owners. Acterra welcomes current EV owners to join the ranks of the EV Ambassadors to help accelerate the shift to electrified mobility.

This post was made possible in part by funding from a grant from Electrify America.