[thunderpanda]

Hi guys,

I just started looking for an affordable, used EV and came across one that's currently being auctioned off near me.

It has 27,000 miles, seems in great shape.

The issue is that it doesn't run, currently gives a "Limited Power Mode" warning when an attempt is made to start it.

Since it's at an auction, I don't have the ability to do any additional troubleshooting without buying it. Right now the price is pretty low, though I'm sure it will climb.

I have another car and am happy messing around with it for a while to try to get it to work. I usually buy beaters and fix them up, though I've never had an EV.

Is this a terrible idea? Is this error the kiss of death for a car like this, or do you think it's something I could likely troubleshoot and fix?

 

[thunderpanda]

Thanks for the helpful info, guys. I'm sort of assuming that the battery was killed and it would need to be dropped and each cell manually recharged, which sounds like a lot of work.

You might want to check what the parts will cost and availability. I have heard stories that the battery will cost more then the car...seems to be the biggest expense...do you have a scanner to see why it is showing this error?

If it required a full battery replacement, it would not be worth it to me. But if the battery can be resurrected, that's what I would do. From what I've read, it normally should be able to do so. The charger and just whole integrated system may be finnicky (read: horribly designed), but that doesn't mean the cells are shot.

I would get a scanner if I bought it, but I can't get access to the car unless I buy it since it is at auction. So for now I can only speculate.

 

[thunderpanda]

Sorry I skipped that part:

That error in itself is definitely not the kiss of death, since a perfectly-functional 500e that just needs to be recharged will also not run, & will show that warning.

However I'm suspicious of it showing regenerative braking, which only happens above 6mph in "D" mode & "ready", not at the displayed "--" mph in "--" drive mode & "not ready".

Ah, okay. Thanks for that info!

The auction has gone up quite a bit and is probably beyond my range at this point, so sadly I will probably not be bidding. I'd love to know what luck the winner ends up having with it though!