Article for Spark EV forum.
GM has clearly moved on, and we should too.
2014 Chevy Spark EV
In the U.S. the Spark EV will have a base price of about $32,500, but is eligible for the U.S. federal rebate of $7,500, so its effective MSRP is around $25,000.
“Our engineering team was able to accelerate [Spark EV] development and reduce development cost by sharing many of the systems and components we use in the Chevrolet Volt,” remarked Pamela Fletcher, Chevrolet Chief Engineer of Electrified Vehicles.
Tiny terror motor
A technical tour of the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV by Larry Nitz, affectionately known as GM’s “mad scientist” when it comes to electrifying vehicles, revealed that one of the major learnings from the Volt program was that people really love that “liquid acceleration” sensation afforded by an all-electric powertrain -- no downshifting, just pure uninterrupted forward motion.
“So, when it came to do (the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV), we said let’s ramp that up a bit.”
Result: An electric motor that produces 400 lb-ft of torque -- more than a Porsche 911! The little Spark EV can zoom from zero to 60 mph in under 8 seconds.
The 110 kW (130 hp) motor and its single-gear drive unit (or transmission) were completely engineered by GM in North America, marking the first time a U.S. automaker will build an entire electric powertrain for a modern EV in its own country.
In addition to the torque, the motor is notable for its compactness. Nitz said a comparable 100 kW “industrial” motor would be five times the size.
GM has clearly moved on, and we should too.
2014 Chevy Spark EV
In the U.S. the Spark EV will have a base price of about $32,500, but is eligible for the U.S. federal rebate of $7,500, so its effective MSRP is around $25,000.
“Our engineering team was able to accelerate [Spark EV] development and reduce development cost by sharing many of the systems and components we use in the Chevrolet Volt,” remarked Pamela Fletcher, Chevrolet Chief Engineer of Electrified Vehicles.
Tiny terror motor
A technical tour of the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV by Larry Nitz, affectionately known as GM’s “mad scientist” when it comes to electrifying vehicles, revealed that one of the major learnings from the Volt program was that people really love that “liquid acceleration” sensation afforded by an all-electric powertrain -- no downshifting, just pure uninterrupted forward motion.
“So, when it came to do (the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV), we said let’s ramp that up a bit.”
Result: An electric motor that produces 400 lb-ft of torque -- more than a Porsche 911! The little Spark EV can zoom from zero to 60 mph in under 8 seconds.
The 110 kW (130 hp) motor and its single-gear drive unit (or transmission) were completely engineered by GM in North America, marking the first time a U.S. automaker will build an entire electric powertrain for a modern EV in its own country.
In addition to the torque, the motor is notable for its compactness. Nitz said a comparable 100 kW “industrial” motor would be five times the size.
