Found and article on Chevy Spark EV and thought i should share it with Spark EV forum.
A lot of question marks still surround the Spark, then, maybe more than should exist for a car this close to launch. One point of distinction, however, is that the Spark appears to be the first American market vehicle with the recently approved (by the Society of Automotive Engineers) “combo” plug that allows all three levels of charging. It incorporates both J1772 Level 2 and a new Level 3 standard for 480-volt fast charging. Pebbles told me the first Level 3 chargers using that standard will be opening “within days.”
Just around the corner from GM’s booth was DBT USA, which is the American arm of a well-established French charging company. On the stand was a new Level 3 charger that offers two wands—one compliant with the Japanese CHAdeMO standard and the other with the new American combo plug. Bruno Armand, business development manager for DBT, told me that the charger is a prototype that could be on European markets in the second half of the year, and maybe the U.S., too.
“The idea is to be as flexible as possible,” Armand told me. “If customers want this type of charger, we will be ready.”
I was struck again by how heavy the combo plug is—at least twice that of a standard J1772 Level 2 unit (but a bit smaller than the CHAdeMO Quick Charge Plug). It makes Tesla’s decision to go it alone with a much slimmer and lighter design look a little less crazy.
The Spark has a big price, a small size, some nice electronics, and, well, a lot of remaining questions.
A lot of question marks still surround the Spark, then, maybe more than should exist for a car this close to launch. One point of distinction, however, is that the Spark appears to be the first American market vehicle with the recently approved (by the Society of Automotive Engineers) “combo” plug that allows all three levels of charging. It incorporates both J1772 Level 2 and a new Level 3 standard for 480-volt fast charging. Pebbles told me the first Level 3 chargers using that standard will be opening “within days.”
Just around the corner from GM’s booth was DBT USA, which is the American arm of a well-established French charging company. On the stand was a new Level 3 charger that offers two wands—one compliant with the Japanese CHAdeMO standard and the other with the new American combo plug. Bruno Armand, business development manager for DBT, told me that the charger is a prototype that could be on European markets in the second half of the year, and maybe the U.S., too.
“The idea is to be as flexible as possible,” Armand told me. “If customers want this type of charger, we will be ready.”
I was struck again by how heavy the combo plug is—at least twice that of a standard J1772 Level 2 unit (but a bit smaller than the CHAdeMO Quick Charge Plug). It makes Tesla’s decision to go it alone with a much slimmer and lighter design look a little less crazy.
The Spark has a big price, a small size, some nice electronics, and, well, a lot of remaining questions.
