Man where do I begin?. I went from having a good experience for the first 11 months or so, but the last few months have been a game-changer. From no longer have a 110 outlet to charge and now the dealer limiting charging, As of recent mid 40s temperature and EXTREME RANGE LOSS. The naked farting elephant in the room nobody has addressed except for 1 YouTuber. Driving the car 1 mile resulted in 11 miles used driving 15 MPH!!! WHAT THE F$%^%^&*(. I'm seriously freaking out now because the reliability of this stupid car is compromised. If anyone is considering buying this car DONT!! save your pennies and dollars for something else. If Most of all EVs behave like this then I hate to say it but it's not worth driving an EV. I only have 24,900 miles on the car and it's a 2015 lt2. I don't use the heater or my heated seats I take the beating of the cold weather and yet im rewarded with range loss galore.
14 months of ownership starting to regret Owning a sparkev
- Thread starter LiLspark
- Start date
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SparkE
Well-known member
LiLspark said:
Well, maybe you shouldn't expect that everybody has the same experience as you did? I haven't had any problems with EITHER of my SparkEVs (2016 that was crashed at 18K miles, and my current 2015 that currently has 18K miles as well. (Although I have read a poster here that saw a rather quick decline around 30K miles, on two 2015s).
I just have to point out a few obvious things. If you can't plug in where you live or work, buying an electric is a pretty stupid choice. (I have public L2 chargers available all over, but I live in Calif). If you live in a cold climate, buying an electric is not that smart either (you have to plan ahead and realize that you can lose 20-40% of battery capacity during the coldest months - but then I live in Calif, so I don't have much of a problem, I lose maybe 10-15%. And I *planned* for it, I did my research.) You also have to learn the difference between "percentage of battery full" and "estimated mileage based on current (and recent) conditions'. Guess what - a gasmobile gets poorer mileage when it is really cold too. And being able to leave the car plugged in overnight, and pre-warming the battery before leaving makes a big difference in "mileage" (per kWh). Again, don't buy an electric if you can't easily plug in. Duh.
So, pretty much you didn't bother doing enough research and are now unhappy. Well, yeah, you can get bit on the buttcheeks if you don't bother doing the appropriate research, in pretty much everything. Engineering, nutrition, child raising, education, gardening, ....
Ya live, ya learn. Get used to it. Maybe you have learned an important lesson from this?
SparkE
Well-known member
In fact, I tell my wife at least twice a month : just because it says 50 miles range (not fully charged) when you get in the car at 6 a.m. and the battery is at 45 degrees F, the car (battery) warms up and the mileage increases. Park in the sun during the winter. Sure you are only driving 40 miles - don't sweat it. It's *cold* outside and the battery is cold too. When you drive home in 3 hours and the battery has warmed up, you will get home with 30 miles or so. Don't sweat it.
MrDRMorgan
Well-known member
Sorry to hear about your problem but, before you sacrifice Sparkie to the junk gods, check a few things.LiLspark said:
First. Have you taken time to calculate or measure your current HV battery capacity? At 25K miles, I would expect it to be 15 kWh or higher. If it is much lower that 15, you may have a HV battery problem the dealer needs to look into.
Second. Cold weather in the 40s or lower will definitely affect your range - especially for very short trips and if the car has been sitting out in the cold all night. Longer trips will average out higher as the car warms up. It sounds like this may be your first experience driving Sparkie in temperatures in the 40s or lower. On cold mornings in the 40s I will see a significant drop in my mi/kWh which also impacts the GOM value on the display.
Just as a point of reference, I have been charging my 2014 Spark EV for almost 5 years using only the 120 VAC L1 EVSE that came with the car. My leased 2015 and my current 2016 Spark EVs were / are charged using a 240 VAC L2 EVSE in my garage or using a DCFC station. I see similar cold weather drops in these two cars too.
Suggestion: Give Sparkie a full charge, let it sit out in the cold over night and take it for a 10 - 15 mile drive while it is still cold outside. Keep an eye on the mi/ kWh reading on the display and make note of the changes. If you only see 2.0 mi / kWh and your HV battery capacity is 15 kWh, do the math. You have at best 30 miles of range before you call the tow truck.
Finally, you will continue to be range-challenged if you do not have or do not want to use DCFC quick charging stations in your immediate area.
That sucks, sorry. I can agree the range gauge gives me some anxiety. Not having a place to plug in and get the battery preconditioned in cold weather will kill the range in cold weather and cause some serious headaches in owning an EV with a small battery pack. Have you asked anyone if you could rent use of their outlet? Even if it's somewhere within walking distance. For us we only have 1 more month of cold weather before it's back to good weather. I'd say if you can stick it out just hang on until it's warm again or you can get access to an outlet. Also I would turn your seat heater on since it doesn't effect the main battery that much.
SparkE said:
well after living at a place for 6+ years and then being kicked out by a racist landlord I never planned on that happening. I had a 2nd gen volt for 36 months and had no problem charging that and the spark for the first 8 months ownership. when I had a 110v outlet. I live in orange county so its California and it acts like im at sub zero temps. There is no PRE WARM PRE Condition nothing on this dumb car. it's lacking finding a place with a garage and paying an extra fee for EV charging the car is laughable. I hope gm has some kind of warranty on the 8 year or 36k mile thing they have. Research was done well in advance before giving up the 2nd gen volt. im curious how a prius prime is now.
Kermit said:
Hi thanks for feeling my pain.. the place where i moved to im on a waiting list for a garage... and i have no clue when that will be. the dealer put we will tow your car at your expense sign and no overnight parking.. so it literally pray I find a spot to charge and walk home and walk back to pick up the car. the charging infrastructure is so prehistoric in so cal
its just freaking sad!. I can't even find a decent project to build an L2 portable solar generator. it just wouldn't work without costing 4k and the size of a backyard lol won't fit in a carport I just pray the weather comes back to global warming temps >Are you saying you can't plug in at home? And you own an EV?LiLspark said:
>Youtubers are a serious source of info?
>If the car was not plugged in and you started it up in Cold Conditions, it is using max power to the TMS to warm that battery pack, as designed.
The energy usage can be viewed on the energy 'leaf' page. It probably showed more 'Battery Conditioning' than 'Drive Power' for that drive you described.
The Guess-O-Meter is not a measurement of power used, the energy page shows that in kWh. That's how EV's display and/or guess at things.
>I think you mean 'range' is compromised, not reliability.
>If you plug in overnight and during cold weather, use Cabin Preconditioning and all the seat heat and cabin heat you want,, you'll enjoy this car a lot more. No need to suffer.
Mine works great in much colder conditions than you are experiencing,,,,, I'll bet...
But then, I plug in at home and at work during the 'Dead of Winter'.
In the warm weather, I only plug in once a day at a Free Public L2. ~50 mile round trip. Life is good! This chitty little EV suits my needs perfectly!
MrDRMorgan
Well-known member
What part of So. Cal are you in? Are you using PlugShare to locate potential L2 charging locations near you? If not, log onto plugshare.com and sign up. It is free and is invaluable in finding charging locations to fit your needs. you can set the filter for J-1772 locations. I would also suggest you set the filter for all vendors, especially ChargePoint, EVgo and Electrify America. I tried it and So Cal looks to be covered with J-1772 locations. You should be able to find one near your location but do not expect it to be free.LiLspark said:Kermit said:
Hi thanks for feeling my pain.. the place where i moved to im on a waiting list for a garage... and i have no clue when that will be. the dealer put we will tow your car at your expense sign and no overnight parking.. so it literally pray I find a spot to charge and walk home and walk back to pick up the car. the charging infrastructure is so prehistoric in so cal
SparkE
Well-known member
You can also set plugshare to show you "residential locations" - these are basically spots that *homeowners* with EVs have said "hey, if you're stuck, you can plug in at my place for a while". There may be several in/around your neighborhood that would accomadate you. ("Hey, my arsebite landlord kicked me out after 6 years and I now have no place to overnight charge. Can you help me maybe once a week?") If you find 3-4 people who will let you charge at their house once a week ... And I highly recommend trying to "carpool" : either offerring to drive someone who will let you park at their place overnight, OR driving to their place and leaving your car there (plugged in).
It turns out that there are quite a few nice people in the world. There were a few guys up here (one in Palo Alto, another in Martinez, one just south of Santa Cruz) that basically said "I put in way too much solar, and now PG&E is pretty much screwing me because they changed the rules and I am getting paid almost nothing for my electricity. Call me. I'd rather that you charge for free than I "sell" my kWh to PG&E for a few cents per kWh." They installed a L2 either out on the sidewalk, or outside next to their garage for people to use.
I see LOTS of homeowners charging EVs in my neighborhood - all you would have to do would be to politely ask if you could pay to use somebody's plug who lives down the street.
It turns out that there are quite a few nice people in the world. There were a few guys up here (one in Palo Alto, another in Martinez, one just south of Santa Cruz) that basically said "I put in way too much solar, and now PG&E is pretty much screwing me because they changed the rules and I am getting paid almost nothing for my electricity. Call me. I'd rather that you charge for free than I "sell" my kWh to PG&E for a few cents per kWh." They installed a L2 either out on the sidewalk, or outside next to their garage for people to use.
I see LOTS of homeowners charging EVs in my neighborhood - all you would have to do would be to politely ask if you could pay to use somebody's plug who lives down the street.
NORTON said:>Are you saying you can't plug in at home? And you own an EV?LiLspark said:
>Youtubers are a serious source of info?
>If the car was not plugged in and you started it up in Cold Conditions, it is using max power to the TMS to warm that battery pack, as designed.
The energy usage can be viewed on the energy 'leaf' page. It probably showed more 'Battery Conditioning' than 'Drive Power' for that drive you described.
The Guess-O-Meter is not a measurement of power used, the energy page shows that in kWh. That's how EV's display and/or guess at things.
>I think you mean 'range' is compromised, not reliability.
>If you plug in overnight and during cold weather, use Cabin Preconditioning and all the seat heat and cabin heat you want,, you'll enjoy this car a lot more. No need to suffer.
Mine works great in much colder conditions than you are experiencing,,,,, I'll bet...
But then, I plug in at home and at work during the 'Dead of Winter'.
In the warm weather, I only plug in once a day at a Free Public L2. ~50 mile round trip. Life is good! This chitty little EV suits my needs perfectly!
Hi Norton See my comment above about living at a place for 6+ years that had a 110v outlet.
youuber is this dude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ1gSbFqVSo j mcphink
no more plugging overnight as the dealer will have my crap towed at my expense!!! so hustle my ass and walk home from the dealer to charge this damn car. this car is definitely going uo for sale once I start saving up to get another used car.
thinksmall
Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2020
- Messages
- 5
I live in Portland Oregon and drive a 2016 with 22,300 miles showing 15.8 battery capacity on Torque Pro and can't charge at home and my Spark sits outside all the time. I use DCFC charge stations which are pretty numerous here. The Walmart a mile away has two evgo chargers and hardly anyone ever uses them so I can charge while doing my grocery shopping. I usually charge to 80% and see 65 miles on the GOM in the summer and around 52 this time of year. Temps here are in the high 30s at night and mid to high 40s during the day. I have never seen anything other than zero percent conditioning. When I fast charge the battery heaters come on for the first part of the charge this time of year but I have never seen them come on when not plugged in. If I am low on charge I just stop at a DCFC and in 10 minutes I am on my way again. I have a gas Kia Soul as a backup or for long trips.
Does your car have DCFS? If not you are screwed till you find a place to charge as the spark onboard charger is a bit pathetic. Yes, I have to pay for the charging but it is less than running my gas car. I didn't buy the Spark to save money. Loosing 11 miles of range in one mile at 15 mph seems like something is wrong with the car. I have gotten in the car at 7:30 in the morning and had to run the defroster for 5 minutes to clear the ice from the windshield , then driven 6 miles in city traffic and only used about 10 miles of range. LA should be the perfect place for an EV. You might want to get Torque Pro and check your battery capacity. I just got it working. The app is $5 and I use a blue tooth OBD reader I bought on ebay for $5.99 including shipping from the US. I use the Bolt PDIs. Good luck and I hope things work out for you.
Does your car have DCFS? If not you are screwed till you find a place to charge as the spark onboard charger is a bit pathetic. Yes, I have to pay for the charging but it is less than running my gas car. I didn't buy the Spark to save money. Loosing 11 miles of range in one mile at 15 mph seems like something is wrong with the car. I have gotten in the car at 7:30 in the morning and had to run the defroster for 5 minutes to clear the ice from the windshield , then driven 6 miles in city traffic and only used about 10 miles of range. LA should be the perfect place for an EV. You might want to get Torque Pro and check your battery capacity. I just got it working. The app is $5 and I use a blue tooth OBD reader I bought on ebay for $5.99 including shipping from the US. I use the Bolt PDIs. Good luck and I hope things work out for you.
didget69
Well-known member
Sounds like you may not have been a savvy consumer.
bnc
bnc
McPhink bought another Spark EV.LiLspark said:NORTON said:>Are you saying you can't plug in at home? And you own an EV?LiLspark said:
>Youtubers are a serious source of info?
>If the car was not plugged in and you started it up in Cold Conditions, it is using max power to the TMS to warm that battery pack, as designed.
The energy usage can be viewed on the energy 'leaf' page. It probably showed more 'Battery Conditioning' than 'Drive Power' for that drive you described.
The Guess-O-Meter is not a measurement of power used, the energy page shows that in kWh. That's how EV's display and/or guess at things.
>I think you mean 'range' is compromised, not reliability.
>If you plug in overnight and during cold weather, use Cabin Preconditioning and all the seat heat and cabin heat you want,, you'll enjoy this car a lot more. No need to suffer.
Mine works great in much colder conditions than you are experiencing,,,,, I'll bet...
But then, I plug in at home and at work during the 'Dead of Winter'.
In the warm weather, I only plug in once a day at a Free Public L2. ~50 mile round trip. Life is good! This chitty little EV suits my needs perfectly!
Hi Norton See my comment above about living at a place for 6+ years that had a 110v outlet.
youuber is this dude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ1gSbFqVSo j mcphink
no more plugging overnight as the dealer will have my crap towed at my expense!!! so hustle my ass and walk home from the dealer to charge this damn car. this car is definitely going uo for sale once I start saving up to get another used car.
didget69
Well-known member
Still have our 2015 Spark EV, now with 25k miles & still getting minimum 85 miles of range...
Stays plugged in all the time when parked, typically Level 1 home & daily 8-9 hours on Level 2 at office. Used DCFC 14x since car purchased in 2016.
Bryan in NC
Stays plugged in all the time when parked, typically Level 1 home & daily 8-9 hours on Level 2 at office. Used DCFC 14x since car purchased in 2016.
Bryan in NC
You hog an L2 for 8-9 hrs a day???didget69 said:
Not proper EV Etiquette.
My method is to plug in at noon at work and it is usually done around 3:30 - 4 and then move it away from the L2 when I get the txt from Chargepoint. Then I'll leave work around 5.
In the summer I only charge once a day.
So the car is at Full Charge for about 1-2 hrs a day. I only charge at a Free L2 near my work.
I find my car runs best on free electrons !
Plus there is the theory that it's best to limit time at 100%. At least that's how newer EV's are doing it with allowing it to only charge to 80% when not needed.
didget69
Well-known member
Two L2 charging spots located inside gated business facility, no other EVs on site...
Car also has hanger tag with cell number listed, plus Security guards know how to reach me in extremely rare instance that another EV comes to town... No calls in 3+ years .
And I'm the guy that does practice proper EV etiquette...
Bryan
Car also has hanger tag with cell number listed, plus Security guards know how to reach me in extremely rare instance that another EV comes to town... No calls in 3+ years .
And I'm the guy that does practice proper EV etiquette...
Bryan
MrDRMorgan
Well-known member
I found this thread to be quite interesting; especially in view of my most recent experience. Last weekend, my wife and I drove to our daughter's home in Roseville, CA - a trip of about 85 miles one way. It was a hot day so the AC was on from the start. I have made this trip before so I know where the "Spark EV friendly" DCFC charging stations are located.
Stop #1: Laguna Village in Elk Grove: could not initialize and charge on 3 of the 4 EA chargers. The fourth was occupied by another car. Drove back to Walmart in Elk Grove. 2 of 3 EA chargers had a dead screen. I was able to charge at the one working charger. Note: I have charged at both locations many times without any problems.
Stop #2: Walmart in North Highland, CA. Could not charge on one EA charger but did charge on another.
Stop #3: Parking garage in the City of Roseville: charged for 2 hours on a ChargePoint L2 charger without any problems and it was free.
Stop #4: Back to Walmart in North Highland - same charger worked without any problem.
Stop #5: EVgo DCFC in Galt, CA. This charger has always worked for me.
My point is this: Unlike a gasoline station where you can always fuel up, there is no guarantee you will be able to charge at every charging location along your route. PlugShare helps weed out the "dead" chargers - but not always. In Manteca, CA where I live, free ChargePoint L2 charging stations are just starting to become available. But, at 3 KWh per hour, I would have to park the car, start charging and either sit in the car for an hour or two or walk home and back again. The two closest DCFCs (EVgo) are 10 and 11 miles from my home and they are not always working.
I have both an L1 and L2 EVSE in my garage so charging overnight works just fine for both my 2014 and 2016 Spark EVs. But, out-of-town travel in my 2016 Spark EV, that requires one or more DCFC charging stops each way, is still is a BIG concern for me.
Stop #1: Laguna Village in Elk Grove: could not initialize and charge on 3 of the 4 EA chargers. The fourth was occupied by another car. Drove back to Walmart in Elk Grove. 2 of 3 EA chargers had a dead screen. I was able to charge at the one working charger. Note: I have charged at both locations many times without any problems.
Stop #2: Walmart in North Highland, CA. Could not charge on one EA charger but did charge on another.
Stop #3: Parking garage in the City of Roseville: charged for 2 hours on a ChargePoint L2 charger without any problems and it was free.
Stop #4: Back to Walmart in North Highland - same charger worked without any problem.
Stop #5: EVgo DCFC in Galt, CA. This charger has always worked for me.
My point is this: Unlike a gasoline station where you can always fuel up, there is no guarantee you will be able to charge at every charging location along your route. PlugShare helps weed out the "dead" chargers - but not always. In Manteca, CA where I live, free ChargePoint L2 charging stations are just starting to become available. But, at 3 KWh per hour, I would have to park the car, start charging and either sit in the car for an hour or two or walk home and back again. The two closest DCFCs (EVgo) are 10 and 11 miles from my home and they are not always working.
I have both an L1 and L2 EVSE in my garage so charging overnight works just fine for both my 2014 and 2016 Spark EVs. But, out-of-town travel in my 2016 Spark EV, that requires one or more DCFC charging stops each way, is still is a BIG concern for me.
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