Recent content by genosensor

Thanks for this feedback. Just want to clarify that the replacement charger I installed was OEM from a Cadillac ELR, not a Chevy Volt.

Don't worry about the heater lines coming out at an angle on these chargers. There's enough play in the lines to make it work with the existing hoses.

This 2011 - 2015 Chevy Volt Hybrid Drive Motor Battery Pack Charger ELR 22799689 purchased off Ebay worked! https://www.ebay.com/itm/155418945110 Installing it was a major pain. The repair manuals are full of warnings of how you'll electrocute yourself, leaving no space remaining for any...

I've got a 2014 Spark EV with >120kMiles. Still has 70 miles usable range. The built-in charger has failed. (Fortunately, it still can be changed from a DC fast charger :-) Does anyone know where I might purchase an OEM replacement (GM part #24276660)? This is the 3.3kW, liquid cooled...

I purchased a new Spark EV in February 2014 with the older A123 derived cells. Range when new was between 80 and 95 miles in my case. 4.5 years and 65,000 miles later, range is between 72 and 83 miles. I have the fast charging option, which I use a 4 to 8 times a month for longer trips...

I'm very interested in this upgrade. Already spoke with Mike at DigiNow. Wish they'd do it up at eMotorWorks in San Carlos, but I'd drive to SoCal if I must...

Just another data point... I replaced the front stock EP150 tires with a pair of EP422 plus a couple weeks back. Quite happy so far. The car rides smoother, less jarring, even though I'm running 42psi all around. The flip side of that is that the tires feel a little "floaty" -- less...

First "upgrade" I did with my 2014 Spark EV was to replace the front headrests with leather A4 series VW Jetta rear head rests. $50 (leather!) from ebay. The look good and "drop in" with no bending. However, you'll need to cut down the posts of the VW headrests if you are shorter than 5' 8"...

The Spark's range estimator is uncannily accurate for me. However, I completely agree that it fails miserably if your destination is at a very different altitude. The "green goop" gauge is just an indication of the number of kWh left in the pack. We could wish it had more resolution, but its...

It started working again a few weeks ago. No idea why.

You definitely want to preheat the Spark in cold temps. The resistive heater draws 6Kw when fully engaged. [Consider that this car cruises at 65mph on only 12Kw!] I've found that the heated seats are more that adequate for outside temps down to 40F. They draw much less than 500W each.

We left ours parked in a carport without any power at all for 5 wks while we were vacationing. Just got in and drove home. In fact, the traction battery seemed not to have discharged at all.

Some observations I've made over the past year driving this little beast: 1) Just removing ones foot from the accelerator when the car is moving > 40mph or so in 'L' *will* cause the brake lights to illuminate. Steal a look in your rear view mirror while driving on the freeway at night. 2)...

I've only tried one level 3 station, but have charged there 7 or 8 times in the past year. They've repeatedly "fixed" the station. When it's working properly there is *no* requirement that the Spark's doors be locked or the car be off. In fact, you can monitor how much juice the charger is...

I routinely drive the 80miles from Santa Cruz to Walnut Creek over hwys 17, 880, and 680. Typically, there is about12 miles to spare when I arrive. Driving 63-65mph on the freeways. The Sparks "real-world" range without using climate control is >90miles. The resistive heater kills range...