Why buy this car? First off there is the obvious advantages to having an electric car. But that aside, the car really drives great. It has plenty of power and pick-up, 400 lb/ft of torque to be exact, which makes it totally capable merging and keeping up to speed on the freeway. And with the standard sport mode, it packs plenty of fun at the expense of more battery of course. The drive is extremely smooth and with new sound insolation technology put into the EV, not only is it silent outside the car, but also almost road-noise free on the inside. The interior is very space-ship like, very much like the Volt, but also much more simple. Everything in the car is aimed at helping you drive more efficient and use less battery.
The car gets a range of 82-miles but if you drive efficiently and follow all the tips, you can get much more than that. As of now, I'm getting a little over 90 mile average. After every charge and trip, it will show you on the dashboard how many miles/kilowatt hour you are getting. And with a 19 kilowatt battery, between 4 and 5 m/kh is very efficient. I plug-in the car every night and there is plenty of time and charge until I drive again in the morning. There is even a scheduling system included that allows you to put in the time you leave in the morning and it will tell you when to plug it in or will delay when it begins charging and start on its own to make sure it has a full charge by the time you scheduled you would depart. It will also tell you what time it would finish charging if you were to plug it in right then. Therefore if the120-volt wall charger works with your schedule, then it is well worth it. You can even put in the times of each season when the grid is the most strained and the car will avoid charging during those peak hours to avoid shortages and lowering charging costs. Once again, the car is helping you stay efficient and continuing to help you save money.
Details on charging, driving style, interior, and exterior will come soon in separate posts.
Congratulation! Thanks for posting and interested in how you and Sparky get along over time. Are you driving in "Drive" (coasting) or in "Low" (more lift throttle Regen)?
ReplyDeleteWell right now I've been experimenting on which one I get better efficiency on so I've been going back and forth but Drive works better when I'm doing less stopping and starting. It's better in low for that. It's more fun in Drive (I can use the sport mode) too so I use that when I know I'm not going to do much driving that day.
DeleteSounds like a nice little car. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the new car. Keep us updated on all the stuff you learn about it. Must be nice not to have to use gasoline or stop at gas stations.
ReplyDeleteOne quick question. You said: "And with the lease, all you will have to pay for are oil changes and tires."
With EV's, you don't need to do oil changes right?
Actually you do need oil changes. The oil is used in helping to cool the battery in some way. I know, I wasn't sure either but apparently that's what it does.
DeleteThe Spark EV battery has a thermal management system, like the Chevy Volt, so there may be a coolant change. The motor and transmission does use oil to lubricate and coll, so there could be such a change, but probably after many years of service.
DeleteRead the Owners Manual to get the correct schedule.
Since any oil in the Spark will not be subjected to the heat or contamination of a gas engine I can't imagine why it would need to be changed sooner than maybe 100,000 miles or so.
DeleteI have read the owner manual and there is a "electric drive unit fluid" that lubricates the motor and transmission. And it is changed after 97,500 miles. The Spark EV also has coolant for the battery and electronics which is also changed after 150,000 miles.Here is the online version of the Owner Manual:
Deletehttps://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals%20and%20Videos/02_pdf/2k14spark_ev.pdf
Congrats on your new car. I'm considering one myself but my 12 year old ICE car is still going for now. The next few years look exciting. With my nearly 50 mile round trip commute and occasional side trips that approach 75 miles I am leery of the range for now. Perhaps in a few years 100+ will be the norm. I also hope Telsa can produce a more affordable car with the range of the Model S.
ReplyDeleteI did hear that a Tesla Model X is in the works and is due for production around 2015 or 2016. It is more of a crossover and will be their entry level car at around $30,000 with all the Tesla range technology included. And also keep in mind the growing charging infrastructure, especially with Tesla's new battery swap coming out that can be used on all cars. And soon the fast charging will be available for the Spark giving a 80% charge in 20 minutes so maybe the Spark will be worth it in the near future.
DeleteActually the Model X should go on sale near the end of next year, but it is not the $30K vehicle, that will be the Gen3 sedan and wont come out until 2016-2017. The Model X will be built on the Model S platform and be in a similar price range, probably a little more since it's an SUV.
Delete@SparkGuy: the Model X will not be in the $30,000 range: It will be priced almost the same as the Model S. The 4th Tesla model is putatively the one that will be priced in the mid 30s, But I am betting that the price is AFTER the $7500 federal tax credit. Gen 1 was the Roadster, gen 2 is Model S and Model X (same platform), and gen 3 will be some new spaceship!
Deleteas for the battery, it is not oil, but a coolant mixture.
BTW, I don't know if this will hold true for the Spark, but the DOE did an efficiency test on the Volt on-board charger and found the charger to be a little more efficient when charging at 240V. you can see the study here: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/avta/pdfs/phev/efficiency_results_chevy_volt_onboard_charger.pdf
Congrats,
ReplyDeleteYou're going to love that fast little bugger. Enjoy the ride.
Cheers
Peder
80,000 sunshine powered miles.
Thanks I'm looking forward to it. And I see you also have a blog on your Honda Fit EV. I was actually trying really hard to get one and even looked all the way out to San Francisco for one but California is all out. I found this car and am glad I was still able to go electric.
DeleteCongratulations! I wonder why you mention that the legroom is tight in the rear. I am six feet tall, and I sat in the rear easily in the ICE version. Maybe you are a basketball player, or had the from seat shifted back all the way.
ReplyDeletePost your range as much as possible, because I knew that 90 miles was easy to reach, but you can try for the 100 mile range. I cannot buy a Volt because no local dealer will sell it, but they sell the ICE Spark, so I expect to get my own Spark EV by next year.
Ya I did realize that once I moved the front seats up a little more I did get much more legroom and the more I drive, the larger the interior feels. It's deceivingly small from the outside. And I am starting to approach the 100 mile range mark as I begin to mellow out my driving style. For the first couple days I did have a little fun with the sport mode. But now I am starting to get 4.6-5.2 m/kw which equates to about 87-97 mile range and improving.
DeleteCongrats on your Spark EV! I can hardly stand the wait for them to get to Texas. I've already been waiting over a year and have driven the gas model. You say it's quiet out on the road, but have you compared it to the gas model? I ask because the gas model is a bit loud and I'm hoping they used more insulation on the EV.
ReplyDeleteThere is extra insulation in the EV model I know and with the silent electric motor, you can't even tell its on. Especially if you have the A/C motor off, it is virtually silent inside and out.
DeleteWhat is the owners manual recommended maintenance schedule for the
ReplyDeleteEv and how much does it cost. Thanks in adVance for all your input.
I'm curious as to the total lease cost. I know the article mentioned that your monthly rate was $225 per month. Does that include tax? How much did your family have to pay initially, including tax, title, license? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate all of the information that you have shared. Thank you for the hard work!
ReplyDeleteIf your original chevrolet warranty has expired, you can still protect yourself from unexpected repair costs. Purchase an official General Motors Protection Plan and GM service contract from your authorized provider.
Congratulation for sharing your post.Tesla and Elon Musk
ReplyDeletewww.youtube.com/watch?v=SrzMdoKPPaA
How many kWh of use should the Cmax Energi get?
ReplyDelete