Help for a prospective owner...?

[TRPackman]

Good Morning everyone! I currently live in Reno and I am interested in purchasing a new used Chevy Spark EV for my wife. I am hoping for some help with regard to practicality of such an endeavor. Hopefully this is acceptable?! I tried doing a search but I really couldn't find anything, so if there is a topic I should direct this, please let me know and I would be happy to do so!

My wife currently has about a 6 mile commute. Reno is a relatively dense, compact city (I mean, driving across town is about 10 miles any which way if you live in Reno Proper) and most of our trips are less than 20 miles round trip. I'd say the average we drive on any given day is about 10 miles and for exceptional driving days we would go about 50 miles.....Does this seem practical for such a vehicle?

I'm also mostly concerned with charging the vehicle. I don't have a charging station and I currently rent a house in Reno (meaning I probably won't get a 240 station). How long is the cord to charge it? I have a room add on that takes the place of a garage (there is a "garage", but it is mostly for storage, not for parking), and therefore I would have to charge it overnight at home using 120. How long is the cord included to charge it? The car is about 10 feet from an outlet. How do I know if this outlet will work? Can I use a high gauge extension cord?

I really appreciate your help.

 

[scrambler]

Range:
Here are some personal data for you to help your inquiry.
The nominal range of the spark is 82 miles from about 18.5kWh of usable battery, which is based on an average of about 4.4 miles per kWh
I bought a used one with 50kMiles, and its battery only has about 16.4kWh usable capacity left.
I live in the SF bay area, and in winter and rain I did get about 73 miles of range with that (driving 50% highway and 50% city), which matches the 4.4 miles per kWh nominal average.
But now in the spring, I actually get 5.4 miles /kWh, so my range is up to about 90 miles of range.

All that to say that if you are going to be driving 20 miles per day on average, and 50 miles at most, you are way within the usable range of the car, so it will be perfect for you.

Charging:
I think the Cable of the EVSE is about 12" long so you may be OK there, but the question is more what will that cable go across. You obviously would not want the cable to go across a public sidewalk.

But if you have a driveway and the cable would go from the garage wall to the car, that would be OK.
Worst case scenario you could use an extension cable, just make sure it is as short as possible and rated 20 amps. There may also be other 120 Volts EVSE with a 25' cable available.
Or if you can install a 240 volts outlet, you can buy an EVSE like the excellent Clippercreek that has a 25' cable
https://store.clippercreek.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=LCS-20&category_id=66&_ga=2.250353222.1153891005.1495730620-428500822.1495730615

In terms of time to charge on 120 Volts, If you do max 50 miles in a day, you will be fine on 120 Volts, and here is why.
Worst case scenario if you don't have a dedicated Outlet and can only charge at the low 8 amps rate, you would be charging at 960W.
50 miles at 4.4 miles per kWh uses 11.4 kWh. To recharge that, if you add 1 kWh of charging losses, you would need 12.4 kWh or about 13 hours at 960 Watts.
But if you have a dedicated outlet or one that can sustain the 12 amps charging rate, you would charge at 1.44 kW and it would only take 8.75 hours.
But most days when you only drive 20 miles, it will take less than half that time to recharge.

So I would say you are more than fine to recharge overnight using a 120 Volts outlet.

 

[whomadewho]

What scrambler said....

It shouldn't be a problem charging from your garage outlet with the charger alone.

I'd add that if you can find a Spark EV with the Level 3 charging option (DCFC/Fast Charging) that would make access around the Tahoe region even that much easier, but probably not strictly necessary in your case.

 

[SparkieVee]

It seems about perfect for your situation. Getting around Reno would be no problem.

I also have a garage that's full of stuff. I have a heavy-duty extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage. It runs under the garage door and I plug the cord from the car into that. In over 3 years, there has only been one time that I did long enough drives on back-to-back days that I had to punt and take the gas car, and that time I was only home about 9 hours overnight.

Chevy had an offer when I got my Spark EV, so I got the 240V EVSE (commonly called a charger, though not technically correct) and it's still in the box in the garage. Someday I'll install it. Then I got a second Spark EV and couldn't resist the deal to get another one :roll: , so if anybody is interested in a Bosch 16A EVSE, make me an offer!

 

[TRPackman]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the help. The car is sold in Auburn and I am kind of worried about how I am going to get it home! I think I might stop in Colfax, then Cisco Grove, then Truckee, then on to Reno (climbing the Sierra I understand is hard on the battery). I'm also worried about home charging - I hope it's idiot proof, because I'm a pretty big idiot when it comes to that stuff heh. Also I am a bit intimidated by the public chargers - is it as simple as just plugging in, and that is it? I would rely mostly on home charging....but I see there are different machines, different networks, do they all work with the Spark?

I appreciate all the comments! I am really excited at the prospect.

 

[SparkE]

If you want to maximize range, (and yes, to get to Reno you DO want to maximize range) you drive more slowly. Keep in the right-hand lane behind a big-rig all the way, driving at 50 mph (and when the truck slows down to 30, so do you). Air resistance goes up as the SQUARE of speed increases. 2x faster, air resistance is squared. Four times faster, air resistance is to the power of 4. At lower speeds you can drive further - driving at (say) 50 mph will get you maybe an extra 20 miles than if you were driving at 70 mph. I have heard that climbing 1000 feet will consume about 1.5 kWh of energy - on top of any other energy you use for mileage, heating, A/C, etc. I don't know if that is true or not. If it is, just the elevation change NOT COUNTING MILEAGE DRIVEN from Auburn (about 1200 ft) to Donner Summit (about 7200 ft) should consume about 9 kWh (HALF of the battery capacity). The good news is that once you get past the Donner pass, all that way down you will be GENERATING electricity and filling the battery. So from Donner to Reno (4000 feet?) you might generate 5-8 kWh. Especially if you drive at 55 or 50 mph.

You are going to have 'quite the adventure' getting it home to Reno (translate to "a real pain"). To charge the battery fully from empty with a 240V charging station will take about 6 hours. You don't have to do it all at once, but you will probably need to add 12-20 kWh of energy to make that trip if you start with a full battery (the battery holds about 18 kWh when full, depending on a number of things). Your vehicle will charge at a max of 14 amps (3.3 kW) - there is exactly ONE fast charger along your route. Which you can only use if your Spark is already equipped with a DCFC port (you can't add one if it didn't already have one from the factory). The DCFC is in Truckee. It will be an expensive EVgo unit. (If you have a friend with a 'free charge card', like "NISSAN no charge to charge" or "BMW ChargeNow", borrow it for the trip and use it at Truckee.) Otherwise, EVgo will rape you for about $15 (to get about $4 worth of electricity.)

You are going to have to plan the trip very well. plugshare.com will be your best friend - use it to find all the charging locations, and what networks (ChargePoint, Greenlots, etc). Print out the details for every charging stop, with phone number(s), even if you have the smartphone app, in case you lose cell phone coverage. Call ahead (BEFORE the day of the trip AND the day of the trip to check again) to every spot you are going to (hope to) use and tell them you will be driving a Spark EV from Auburn to Reno, and BEG them to let you use their charger. Get the person's name. Make sure s/he will be there at the time you expect to get there. Make sure all the chargers are working. Try and 'reserve' a charger (let them know what time you plan on arriving). Most EV places are understanding (especially with a "I'm trying to get my car home over this huge mountain" story. Even more especially if you clear it with them in advance.) Thank them profusely when you plug in and when you leave.

* To get the car home, tell the seller that the car MUST be fully charged, or you will deduct $1000 from the price. (You really, really want to start with a full charge for the trip to Reno.)

* Drive slowly, behind a big-rig.

* Stop often, fill up battery when you can. Your idea of stopping at Colfax, then Cisco Grove, then Truckee is a good one. Also stop at Boreal (or instead of Cisco Grove, if you can). A 240V charger will give you a max of 3.3 kWh per hour of charging. NOT COUNTING THE ELEVATION, you will probably use about 1 kWh per 4.4 miles (I would calculate using 4mi/kWh, PLUS the elevation change, to be safe). Even though Auburn -> Colfax is only 15 miles or so, it is also 1200 ft of elevation gain. So you might use 5 or 6 kWh getting there. Filling up (spending 90-120 minutes there) will get you 15 miles further later on (and you might REALLY need to go just an extra 4-5 miles to get to the next charge spot, so FILL UP). You *might* be able to make it to Boreal directly from Colfax. That would be good, because the only thing in Cisco Grove is an RV park, and you'd use your (much, MUCH slower) 120V EVSE to charge the car, at maybe 1 kW per hour (4 miles added per hour instead of 13). I'd call to both the RV park and Boreal and make sure they will let you charge there. From the RV Park to Boreal is only about 13 miles or so. Stopping at the RV park to make sure you have an estimated range of at least 25 miles would be a good, safe thing to do. But being able to charge at Boreal will be HUGE!

* Once you get past Donner Summit, you will be heading down, down, DOWN (as you know). Make sure the transmission is in 'L'. In the Spark EV, that is for HIGH REGENERATION, not low gear (the transmission has NO gears). You probably won't need more than a half battery once you start down (drive at 50-55 mph, don't go fast, use cruise control - it will automatically 'brake' by generating electricity into the battery). You will get to the bottom with much more electricity than you had at the top. (The hard part for you will be getting up to and then past the summit.)

* From Floriston to Reno is only about 20-25 miles, and you should have generated that much just on the way down (and you DID start with a half-battery-full at Truckee, or Boreal, right?). So it should be easy for you to get to Reno from there.

Do you have a friend with an EV (and a portable 240V EVSE?). S/He could show you how the charging thing works, and a 240V unit charges much faster than the 120V EVSE that came with the car (if you can find a 240V socket! and the right KIND of 240V socket, that matches the plug you have on the EVSE). There are quite a few charging spots in Reno, many are free. Again, if you have a friend with an EV, ask him/her to show you the ropes - especially at multiple charge spots you will drive nearby on your way from CA to home . Once you get to Reno, you can park the Spark in a casino parking lot for 3-4 hours at a free charger to get a quick fill-up. The 120V unit will take close to 24 hours to fill the battery from empty - it's best for keeping the battery near full (such as 'driving 30 miles during the day, plug in overnight'), not for doing a full charge from near empty. Oh, and it's best for the longevity of the battery to NOT fill it up to 100% all the time (and let it sit full). But that's a topic for another day.

"I'm also worried about home charging - I hope it's idiot proof, "

To use the 120V EVSE (what most people mistakenly call the 'charger') that comes with the car (MAKE SURE it is in the car before you leave, and THAT IT WORKS!) - you simply need a regular 120V socket that *IS GROUNDED*. The EVSE won't work if the wall socket isn't grounded.

 

[NORTON]

And read the manual about the finger tap dance you NEED to do at each shut down to get it to charge at the 12A rate, but this is only necessary on the 120V EVSE ( L1 ).
Basically: 'Leaf' button - Charging - Charge Rate - 12 Amp - shut off the car.
None of that is needed for L2 or DCFC charging.

And will need a ChargePoint card ( and whatever other networks are in your area) for public charging. A small fee to enroll.

One last recommendation: Don't buy a Spark EV without the optional DCFC. It is the future. (For you it may not really matter....)
This road trip home with the car would be a breeze if the car had DCFC and DCFC stations are along I-80.
Do your research.

Plugshare app.
ChargePoint app.

 

[SparkE]

I forgot to mention that you can sign up for free for many of the networks (ChargePoint, SemaCharge, Greenlots, ...). Some networks (including maybe the ones just mentioned, now-a-days) will charge a nominal fee for a card (or you may get it for free, check with each provider). Some *may* require an initial charge on the account (to your credit card) minimum of $20 or so to set the account up (none of the ones I mentioned required this when I did it 18 months ago - they 'fill' your account in $20 increments when you need money for a charge). I got a card from every provider in the bay area that I could get for free - I've never used any of them (except ChargePoint), but I have them avail for emergencies.

And Greenlots, ChargePoint (and others) have a smartphone app that you can use to not only find *their* chargers and see if they are 'available' or 'in use' - they also allow you to START and END a charging session using your phone, so that you can start using their network immediately EVEN BEFORE you get the physical card. (Well, at least any place you get cell data service ).

So another piece of advice I should have said before was, if you are sure that you are going to get an EV, SIGN UP NOW for charging accounts on the different networks that are available in your area. At least sign up for the networks that are FREE (you have nothing to lose by getting a free account). That ways the accounts will be active when you will want to use them.

In and around Reno, you appear to have :
- ChargePoint - largest (and best) network in the U.S. (IMHO). Free account (to set up - you pay for use) with LOTS of free charging stations (like at Peppermill, circus circus, harrah's, silver legacy, UNR, Tamarack, NV Energy on Neil, ...) : https://www.chargepoint.com/

- SemaCharge (weird, small network - but a few free locations in Reno) : https://network.semaconnect.com/

- Greenlots (none in Reno, but there are a few in Truckee, so get this - and their card - for the trip) : http://greenlots.com/

- a bunch of individual, non-networked public charge stations around Reno that don't require a card (that you can find using plugshare.com or their app)

There is also :

- NRG / EVgo (I *hate* this provider, but sometimes they are the only choice, esp. for travel on interstates. DCFC in Truckee, Reno, Alpine Village, Carson City, ...). You do NOT have to be a member to use their stations, you just have to pay their (always high) prices. You WILL have to pay to get an EVgo card. Last Sept during "National Drive Electric Week" they provided free charging for the week. You had to have one of their cards for this to work. They were also offering free cards and account setup (instead of the normal $5 fee) so I got a card at that time .

You don't appear to have any Blink or Volta stations (though there are a few GL stations in Truckee, so sign up).

Also, Clipper Creek (who sell charging stations) have an office on Kemper Road in Auburn with a slew (12!) of free charging stations open to the general public (in case the person you bought from didn't give you a FULL charge). You can find it using plugshare.com.

 

[TRPackman]

WOw....well, this is great. I am going to sign up for all of the apps now. I planned to go down there tomorrow (to Auburn) to look and possible get the vehicle. I checked and it does have the DCFC and I also made arrangements for the car to be fully charged before I arrive. The whole thing about charging seemed kind of complicated, but the posts above really helped clear things up.

I would also think that driving behind a big rig would help a bit with efficiency, due to drafting (even less air resistance).

I was really worried about the trip, but now I am not nearly as frightened due to these posts, so thank you very much!

The last thing I have to do is buy an outlet checker to make sure that my outlets are properly grounded. IT is a relatively new house, so I'm pretty confident, but I'd sure like to know BEFORE I make the investment (seems prudent)

I'm really excited at the prospect of ownership. A friend of a friend (down in Los Angeles) has one that he really, really likes. The maintenance seems like a breeze. Unfortunately, since he is in LA I can't get him to show me how to use it, but I think I can figure it out. Though I'm not tech savvy (and some of those kWh conversions utterly confused me heh) I think I understand - its the idea of thinking of a full gas tank, but your tank is electric. You have 18 gallons, you go 4 miles on every gallon.

I also plan on making the drive with just about everything turned off (climate control, stereo, etc) which hopefully will help with the efficiency a bit. The good news is that the weather when I am to go over is scheduled to be particularly mild (60's-70's) which should also help with the efficiency. Honestly, the hard part to me is Colfax to Cisco Grove - thats the part that worries me, but it's only 31 miles.

If I do end up buying the car, and making the trip....I'll let everyone know! Maybe I'll do a video blog or something!

Again...THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!

 

[Neon]

Another option would be to ship the car from Auburn to Reno. I know some here have shipped them to various locations around the U.S.
Good luck, regardless!

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

You can ask your friend in LA to show you how to charge the car via video conference (skype, gotomeeting, etc). I'm sure you can figure out home charging, but public charging could use a bit of help, such as how to log-in to initiate charging, how to look up chargers via apps (plugshare, chargepoint).

Another obvious thing is L1 charger that is suppose to come with the car. Make sure it's there. You can ask your friend to show you what it looks like and where it's supposed to be and how it responds when charging via video call as well. It's simple, but you're taking a long trip as your first drive, and fully knowing the basics would help.

If you're going to make a video blog, maybe "EV newbie help" might be good, just as if your friend did a video conference with you. Then you can simply point to your video if other newbies ask for help.

 

[TRPackman]

OK, SPARKEV - since you've been so helpful (Thanks!) can I just run some things by you? I have verified that my outlet is grounded, got a good 12/3 20 amp rated extension cord for plugging in at home (cord should be long enough, but just in case), signed up for both ChargePoint and SemaCharge. I went to PlugShare and I verified that in Cisco Grove (from what it appears) the Chevron has an L2 charger and it's $2.00 for 2 hours of charge. I also tried calling Boreal, they are closed for the season (not sure why....lots of snow still!) so I couldn't verify over the phone that it was operational, but it looks like someone checked in there yesterday....so I am guessing it is good?

So I start in Auburn (elevation 1200') with 18 kWh and drive to Colfax, CA (16.6 miles away, elevation 2400'). So that uses about 5 kWh (4 for miles, 1 for elevation) and leaves me with 13. So it looks like the L3 in Colfax is EVGo - I can get that without the card, right? I mean, I can pay there with a regular Credit Card, right? It seems like I'm going to paying a lot for a little bit of juice, but oh well. I'm getting a great deal on the car. Since it's a level 3 I should be able to top off in about 20-30 minutes?

From Colfax I head to Cisco Grove (31 miles away, elevation 5500') - this consumes 14 kWh (8 mileage, 6 elevation) - leaves me with 4 - probably not enough to make it to Boreal straight through. I stop at the L2 at Chevron, charge for two hours, I get about 6 kWh, bringing me back to 10.

I think I can skip the Boreal stop and go straight through to Truckee (21 miles away, elevation 5800') - The elevation change balances (up 2000, down 1400) so that is about 1 kWh +5 for mileage. The instant I get to Donner I immediately bite my wife (sorry, dry sense of humor) but then shift into "L" for maximum regeneration. Worst case I'm back to 4 kWh. I stop at the Save Mart in Truckee (side question - can I use the Tesla Superchargers for the Spark EV?) and fill up. I need 14 kWh, so that takes probably about 40 minutes. Back to 18kwh.

Leave Truckee on 18, 31.5 miles to Reno, still in L. 8 kWh to get to Reno, minus whatever I can generate on the way back down. I'm home!

Does my math look good?

 

[TRPackman]

Neon, I thought of getting it shipped, my mother is in the car sales business, apparently it's a pretty hefty fee, and would take a little while to get here. Besides, think of the stories! heh.....

I hadn't even thought of the idea of video conferencing! A great idea. I appreciate that!

 

[SparkE]

OK, SPARKEV - since you've been so helpful (Thanks!) can I just run some things by you? I have verified that my outlet is grounded, got a good 12/3 20 amp rated extension cord for plugging in at home (cord should be long enough, but just in case), signed up for both ChargePoint and SemaCharge. I went to PlugShare and I verified that in Cisco Grove (from what it appears) the Chevron has an L2 charger and it's $2.00 for 2 hours of charge. I also tried calling Boreal, they are closed for the season (not sure why....lots of snow still!) so I couldn't verify over the phone that it was operational, but it looks like someone checked in there yesterday....so I am guessing it is good?

So I start in Auburn (elevation 1200') with 18 kWh and drive to Colfax, CA (16.6 miles away, elevation 2400'). So that uses about 5 kWh (4 for miles, 1 for elevation) and leaves me with 13. So it looks like the L3 in Colfax is EVGo - I can get that without the card, right? I mean, I can pay there with a regular Credit Card, right? It seems like I'm going to paying a lot for a little bit of juice, but oh well. I'm getting a great deal on the car. Since it's a level 3 I should be able to top off in about 20-30 minutes?

From Colfax I head to Cisco Grove (31 miles away, elevation 5500') - this consumes 14 kWh (8 mileage, 6 elevation) - leaves me with 4 - probably not enough to make it to Boreal straight through. I stop at the L2 at Chevron, charge for two hours, I get about 6 kWh, bringing me back to 10.

I think I can skip the Boreal stop and go straight through to Truckee (21 miles away, elevation 5800') - The elevation change balances (up 2000, down 1400) so that is about 1 kWh +5 for mileage. The instant I get to Donner I immediately bite my wife (sorry, dry sense of humor) but then shift into "L" for maximum regeneration. Worst case I'm back to 4 kWh. I stop at the Save Mart in Truckee (side question - can I use the Tesla Superchargers for the Spark EV?) and fill up. I need 14 kWh, so that takes probably about 40 minutes. Back to 18kwh.

Leave Truckee on 18, 31.5 miles to Reno, still in L. 8 kWh to get to Reno, minus whatever I can generate on the way back down. I'm home!

Does my math look good?

* Auburn (elevation 1200', 18 kWh) to Colfax (16.6 miles away, elevation 2400'). So that uses about 5 kWh (4 for miles, 1 for elevation) leaving ~13 kWh. Yup, that looks right - you might use a lot less (?half?) kWh at 50mph, but your estimates should be conservative for planning this trip!. If the Chevy dealer in Colfax will let you charge there (call ahead), you might want to do that instead of L3 charging. Price is $10 for 30 mins of charging at EVgo, and you will only charge for maybe 10-15 mins. Is it worth $10 to save yourself 60-80 minutes? Your call. There's also a L2 charger at the Amtrak station (near the EVgo fast charger). You can view this as a quick test to make sure you know how to L2 charge before getting halfway up the mountain.

* Colfax to Cisco Grove (31 miles away, elevation 5500') consuming 14 kWh (8 mileage, 6 elevation) - leaves ~ 4 kWh. Stop at the L2 at Chevron, charge for two hours, add about 6.5 kWh, leaving ~ 10 kWh in battery.

{{ If EV charger at Chevron is blocked, broken, or in use, you have to choose whether to simply wait, attempt to make it to Boreal, or try to plug in your L1 EVSE at a regular outdoor plug at the Chevron while waiting. It's only ~12 miles to Boreal from here, but if you run out of juice, you're totally screwed - you will have to call a flatbed to tow you. If driving conservatively on the way up, you might get to Cisco Grove with over 20 miles range showing on the range estimate. If you can immediately charge at Chevron (charging station is avail), I definitely would stop here and charge (no matter what) - safe is much better than sorry. }}

* You can not use Tesla charge stations at all - any Tesla charger, not just Superchargers - the plugs are different

* If you charged at Chevron (Cisco Grove), you can skip Boreal. If you couldn't/didn't charge at Chevron, stop at Boreal. Before the trip I would contact the last person who logged a visit to Boreal on plugshare (Shadow) and ask for advice // lay of the land at Boreal. (Using the plugshare app you can contact a user : click/tap/touch the person's report and "message" them. Remember to mention the station name {Boreal} - the app is too stupid to include that info in the message.}

* Truckee Save Mart. At this point you will be really tired of waiting for the car to charge, so just use the EVgo fast charger, plug in for 30 minutes (or until almost full) - $10. You really only need about 8 kWh (half tank) to get home from here, but you are paying a flat rate (and "better safe than sorry"). You don't want a completely full battery at the top of the mountain (read about this below). The L3 charger should tell you what % battery charge you have as you are charging, and the % should increase while charging (duh). At Truckee (the top of the mountain) I'd stop charging at about 80% full (you'll see why below). If for some reason you can't use the EVgo chargers, there are a few L2 (much slower) chargers elsewhere in town. But remember - "better safe than sorry". If you have at least a half battery when you leave Truckee, you should make it home - you are going to get to the bottom of the hill with more energy than you had when you left Truckee (unless the battery was already full - you can't get more than 'full' ).

* After Truckee: once I-80 flattens out just before you get to Nevada - slow down to 55 or so until you are comfortable that you have enough range to get home.

NOTE on the "range" estimator. It is called (in slang) the GOM (for Guess - O - Meter). It is an estimate based on your recent driving. So, imagine that you have just driven 15 miles down a mountain, adding energy to the battery instead of using energy. Do you think that the range estimate is going to be accurate? Hint: NO! The computer will be using energy consumption info that is way too low, based on your last 15 minutes of driving. So, keep an eye on your GOM for 10-20 miles after you get to the flats and don't freak out if it starts dropping radically quickly. If it ever gets below 20 miles (it won't, not on this drive), find a place to charge (there are several around Reno, if you have a ChargePoint card).

* Where are you in relation to the "spaghetti bowl" (I-80/US-395 junction)? North, East, South, or West?

A few other notes :

- you shouldn't have to tailgate trucks (drafting) - so don't. they hate it, it's dangerous, etc. It's a last resort.

- use cruise control, on the way up hills AND down. The EV will keep you more or less at the exact speed (stay in 'L') - that is one of the advantages. When you are going downhill, it uses regenerative braking to maintain your speed, unlike a gas car which picks up speed on down-slopes when in cruise control. Well, unless the battery is already full. And of course, if you are using cruise control, you shouldn't be close to cars in front - another reason NOT to tailgate.

- When you are in 'L' mode (poorly named, it isn't for "Low gear", it is for max regen), lifting up on the accelerator will cause you to slow down - even 'brake'. You can pretty much 'one pedal drive' this vehicle in 'L', only using the brake pedal to slow down under 5-6 mph at stop signs/lights. In 'D', you 'coast' pretty much like a gas car. In 'L', when you lift up on the accelerator, you brake. In the Spark EV, the brake pedal FIRST increases regenerative braking, and if you press down further/harder on the pedal it uses friction brakes (well, unless the battery is full).

- If the battery is full, you do NOT get a regenerative braking effect (the battery is full - no place to put the energy) - you MUST push harder than normal to engage the friction brakes (i.e., use the brake pads). Don't get surprised by this. Especially about half-way down the mountain after leaving Truckee. The braking behavior will change if you manage to fill up the battery on the drive down the mountain. (Yet another reason to not tailgate ...)

- degraded battery. Batteries degrade over time - it is the nature of the beast. A Spark EV starts life with about 18.5 kWh battery, when new. The Spark you are buying may only have 17 kWh capacity left. Or 16 kWh. You *should* be able to easily make it to Reno (at 45 mph) using this plan so long as the battery will hold at least 15 kWh. The 'tight spot' is getting to Cisco Grove Chevron. As an emergency fallback, I would (1) keep my eyes like a hawk on the range meter on the drive to the Chevron, and (2) have a backup plan that consists of knowing where every convenience store/gas station is in the 15 miles before Cisco Grove in case you start to think you can't make it to CG - you pull in and beg on your knees to use a 120V socket to charge your car. I don't know how to easily explain how to check the capacity of the battery before purchase. Maybe somebody else can. As a data point, I have treated my battery very gently and have very close to 18 kWh capacity after 18 months.

- Your Level1 (120V) EVSE (that comes with the car). MAKE SURE it is in the car. Tell the seller s/he must demonstrate (to you) how to use it. Ask her/him to show/explain the messages on the instrument panel before and while charging (miles remaining, charge gauge/thermometer, text message/info screen, what it looks like when not charging, then when charging). That way you know : (1) that you have the EVSE and where it is, (2) that it works, (3) how to use it.

Oh, one last thing. I probably forget to mention this, but (1) regenerative braking doesn't work well if the battery is > 98% full, and (2) don't tailgate.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Does my math look good?

It's iffy. First, the car may not have 18 kWh available. Based on some forum posts, it could be as low as 16 kWh. Assuming even worse abuse, plan on about 14 kWh.

It takes me about 8 kWh to go about 35 miles of 2000 ft elevation gain (about 1% grade) at average speed of about 45 MPH, though some braking is involved (traffic lights, stop signs). This is consistent with my Range polynomial climbing hill blog post, but that's using eco tires that came with the car.

I don't know if your car will have eco tires, nor will you be able to keep 45 MPH. Assuming 65 MPH and 5500 ft for 30 miles (3.3% grade), theory says 30 miles would consume about 15 kWh with GVWR of cargo and about 13 kWh with eco tires and no load (other than 150 lb driver). While it may be possible in theory, this is way too close IMO since you don't know the state of the battery and what tires are used.

Compounding the issue is the temperature. You mentioned snow, and that could result in extra energy use to keep the battery warm.

I haven't checked all your math, but your trip sounds very risky. If I were you, I'd have it shipped or rent a u-haul car dolly and tow it behind a gas truck, because there are too many unknown variables with a used car.

 

[scrambler]

You could also (should) register with OnStar right away.
When buying a used Spark, you get 3 month free, and if you register a credit card they extend that to 6 month free. That gives you free towing to the closest Chevy dealer in case of problem.

You register by calling OnStar From the car (OnStar button in the head console)

Then you cancel the subscription, and you still get 3 years of free basic OnStar, which is basically just the Email maintenance reports.

 

[TRPackman]

Well, there is still snow in the mountains, at the very high elevations, for the resorts but there isn't snow on the ground now here or at Donner. The temperature should be 50's-60's when we take it over the hill. Not quite ideal, but very close. And when I make the trip from Colfax to Cisco Grove, I plan on having everything off (entertainment, ventilation, etc). It's certified used and only has 5k miles on it, so I think it should have a pretty good (though not perfect) battery life on it. But I will be sure to sign up for OnStar (side note....my autocorrect just changed it to "constar" which I thought was funny).

 

[TRPackman]

Also, I should note that the elevation climb from Colfax to Cisco Grove is 3000 feet (5500' at Cisco Grove, 2500' at Colfax), not 5000, which is a grade of about 1.9%.

I have confirmed the eco tires are on the vehicle.

 

[SparkE]

It takes me about 8 kWh to go about 35 miles of 2000 ft elevation gain (about 1% grade) at average speed of about 45 MPH {...}

Well, if the 1.5 kWh per 1K ft elev gain is correct, then 2K ft gain is 3 Kwh. 8-3 is 5. 5kWh to drive 35 miles (7m/kWh)? Pretty sweet!

All of his calculations were based on 1.5 kWh per 1000 ft of elevation gain, and 4mi/kWh. The "iffy-est" portion is the Colfax -> Cisco Grove : 35 miles, 3000 ft gain ( (31/4=8) + (3*1.5=4.5) so 13.5 kWh). That seems pretty do-able (except that there is only ONE plug for charging). After that, the longest stretch is 21 miles, and it's up-then-down (and two DCFCs at location).

So long as heat isn't needed, and speed isn't an issue, there shouldn't be any real problem if the battery capacity is at least 15 kWh. And, in case of an issue, driver is good at begging (for emergency electricity at a random business). OP stated stated that he is married, so he is obviously quite used to the concept of begging.

 

[NORTON]

WOw....well, this is great...
>I would also think that driving behind a big rig would help a bit with efficiency, due to drafting (even less air resistance).

>>I was really worried about the trip, but now I am not nearly as frightened due to these posts, so thank you very much!

>>>I'm really excited at the prospect of ownership.....
Honestly, the hard part to me is Colfax to Cisco Grove - thats the part that worries me, but it's only 31 miles.

>>>>If I do end up buying the car, and making the trip....I'll let everyone know! ..
Again...THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!

>Please don't. Setting the Cruise Control to 5 MPH less than what you are currently driving at is way more efficient than being one of those guys.

>> You're welcome. You won't be sorry!

>>>31 Miles???? You're joking right? The Guess-O-Meter will know how you drive by then. ( I realize you are crossing a mountain range, so I don't have a clue what I'm talking about)
It takes time, but try to relax. You are entering the world of < 100 Mile BEVs. It is a increasing rare field. You won't be sorry!!

>>>> Please tell about your EV adventure!!! I have made this run many times, but never in an EV.