Chevrolet Spark EV to go on sale in Maryland this Spring

[Exchevyspark]

Chevrolet is going to start selling the Spark EV in Maryland this spring. That will make the EV available in 3 states (California, Oregon, and Maryland).

Maryland has a strong commuter market and a fairly widespread charging infrastructure.

“The Spark EV has been one of the most well-received electric vehicles in the industry," said Steve Majoros, Chevy's director of car marketing, in a statement. "Customer demand helped make the decision to expand its availability to Maryland. Following the introduction of the next-generation Volt and Bolt EV concept, this further reinforces Chevrolet’s commitment to electrification and delivering more choices where our customers want them.”

The 2015 Spark EV has a sticker price of $27,645. After a $7,500 federal tax credit and Maryland state tax credits, the net price will be less than $18,000, GM said

GM global product chief Mark Reuss said Chevy might keep both EVs in its lineup should the Bolt go into production, which is widely expected.

"There will be an overlap there. I'm not sure it will replace it, because I think we've got a great car with the Spark [EV]," Reuss said at the auto show last week.

There's much speculation that this could be part of Chevy's method of training dealerships on electric vehicle 'things' before the Bolt EV rolls out in 2016 or 2017.

 

[klaus]

Here it is at the Washington Auto Show (tucked behind the new 2016 Volt)

 

[user 527]

Bravo, GM.

 

[tigger19687]

I will believe it when I see it

 

[user 527]

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2015-chevrolet-spark-ev-coming-to-maryland-video-photo-gallery-91424.html

 

[tigger19687]

I hope that they bring in the CCS DC Charger to the dealers as there are NO DC plugs there except for CHademo's
And if KIA Soul EV comes to the east (with longer mileage) then guess the Spark will not do very well.

 

[ezryder]

The question is whether there will be a 2016 Spark EV AND if they will increase the range at all. I'm trying 6 ways to Sunday to make it work in my life to buy one, and I can't seem to with only 82 miles. I need double that. Minimum, I need at least another 10 miles, as my house is almost 78.2 miles away and only one fast charger on the way, in Berkeley. Given we're talking BERKELEY here, I can imagine there are lots of EV's there and I could end up in a long wait for it - assuming it's not broken down and all that. Is it even a good idea to try and make it 78 miles on a full charge, or is that asking for trouble? It's mostly highway, but there's a bunch of stop and go, too...

 

[gra]

I hope that they bring in the CCS DC Charger to the dealers as there are NO DC plugs there except for CHademo's
And if KIA Soul EV comes to the east (with longer mileage) then guess the Spark will not do very well.

Via GCC:

VW, BMW and ChargePoint partner to create SAE Combo DC fast charging corridors on the East and West Coasts

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/01/20150122-vwbmwcp.html

Boston to D.C. along the I-95 corridor to start, plus Portland - L.A. Dealers will also be getting them.

 

[genosensor]

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.
Berkeley never gets cold enough that you won't be comfortable just using the heated seats.

 

[ezryder]

Wow! You may have just helped Chevy sell another Spark EV. Thanks very much for the "real world" scenario. Another scenario is that I live in Half Moon Bay with a sister in Santa Cruz. It's 51 miles from my house to hers, so a round trip is out of the question, but I was thinking I could bring the 240v portable charger thing, (I think there is one that does 240v and is portable, as I recall), and plug into her dryer outlet in her garage for at least two hours, which should give me about 10 miles per hour, right? And that should get me back home. I hope. There's no fast chargers anywhere near Santa Cruz, that I can find.

 

[SteveC5088]

ezryder, your thoughts are correct, that should work. The TurboCord is the portable 240-volt charger. I built a portable kit from emotorwerks, and there is another kit from OpenEVSE.

 

[blownb310]

but I was thinking I could bring the 240v portable charger thing, (I think there is one that does 240v and is portable, as I recall), and plug into her dryer outlet in her garage...

That charger is called the TurboCord and you will need to make or buy and adapter to use it on a dryer outlet. I love mine.

 

[ezryder]

Would this work: http://www.amazon.com/JuiceBox-Classic-Electric-Vehicle-Charging/dp/B00I4D6SJ2/ref=sr_1_3/189-0457437-0368637?ie=UTF8&qid=1422026616&sr=8-3&keywords=turbocord#productDetails ? 20 feet seems a little short, but...

 

[blownb310]

Would this work: http://www.amazon.com/JuiceBox-Classic-Electric-Vehicle-Charging/dp/B00I4D6SJ2/ref=sr_1_3/189-0457437-0368637?ie=UTF8&qid=1422026616&sr=8-3&keywords=turbocord#productDetails ? 20 feet seems a little short, but...

It will work only if your dryer outlet is a four prong socket. Older house will have three prong outlets.

 

[aviatorjames]

I suggest doing it right and installing a good quality Level II charger...
The Bosch is a really nice unit and I installed it in about six hours.

 

[TonyWilliams]

The question is whether there will be a 2016 Spark EV AND if they will increase the range at all.

Since GM lowered the battery capacity from 19kWh (2014 model year) to 18kWh usable (2015 model year), you have to seriously consider that they will not turn around and make it go further.

It doesn't have to longer range because I t meets the regulatory minimum for CARB-ZEV compliance with shorter range.

We drove the 2014 Spark at 62mph for about 97 miles total range, and the 2015 Spark (with smaller battery) only drove 89 miles to absolute dead.

 

[ezryder]

Maybe I should try to find a new 2014...

 

[ezryder]

The question is whether there will be a 2016 Spark EV AND if they will increase the range at all.

Since GM lowered the battery capacity from 19kWh (2014 model year) to 18kWh usable (2015 model year), you have to seriously consider that they will not turn around and make it go further.

It doesn't have to longer range because I t meets the regulatory minimum for CARB-ZEV compliance with shorter range.

We drove the 2014 Spark at 62mph for about 97 miles total range, and the 2015 Spark (with smaller battery) only drove 89 miles to absolute dead.

I talked toa (knowledgeable) sales guy at the dealership just now and he says that the difference in 2014 and 2015 batteries is that, yes, they made the battery a little smaller but reconfigured the cells on the 2015. The result is that a 2014 will have better "highway miles" and less "commuter miles" than a 2015 who will fare worse on long drives at 62mph but fare better in stop and go traffic at slower speeds. Which is something I read somewhere else, as well.

 

[gra]

The question is whether there will be a 2016 Spark EV AND if they will increase the range at all.

Since GM lowered the battery capacity from 19kWh (2014 model year) to 18kWh usable (2015 model year), you have to seriously consider that they will not turn around and make it go further.

It doesn't have to longer range because I t meets the regulatory minimum for CARB-ZEV compliance with shorter range.

We drove the 2014 Spark at 62mph for about 97 miles total range, and the 2015 Spark (with smaller battery) only drove 89 miles to absolute dead.

I talked toa (knowledgeable) sales guy at the dealership just now and he says that the difference in 2014 and 2015 batteries is that, yes, they made the battery a little smaller but reconfigured the cells on the 2015. The result is that a 2014 will have better "highway miles" and less "commuter miles" than a 2015 who will fare worse on long drives at 62mph but fare better in stop and go traffic at slower speeds. Which is something I read somewhere else, as well.

It sounds as if you got a halfway knowledgeable sales person for a change. Still gets some of the details wrong, but it's better than the usual totally clueless ones.

He's right about the likely difference in miles freeway vs. street, but mostly wrong about the reasons. The 2015 has a shorter gear ratio and is slightly lighter, so just as we were predicting back when they announced the changes, it does better in the city, where weight and repeated accel matter more, and worse at freeway speeds, where a taller gear ratio is more important. But ask yourself this,what is the likelihood that you'll drive far enough on city streets to run out of range, versus the likelihood you'll drive far enough on the freeway at much higher speeds (and energy usage) to do so? IOW, in what conditions are you likely to _need_ the most range?

None of this is to say that the changes makes a Spark EV a bad car; whether they matter to you just depends on your usage.

 

[ezryder]

Good points. Hope I can find a 2014.