Is the Chevy Spark EV one of the most economical electric vehicles out there?

[Tony1]

Did y'all know the Chevy Spark EV has a combined MPGe rating of 119? That gives it a slight edge over the Honda Fit EV, which sits at 118 MPGe.

Here’s the breakdown for the Spark EV:
- City Range: 128 MPGe
- Highway Range: 109 MPGe
- Combined Range: 119 MPGe

What’s really cool is that it packs a punch with 400 lb-ft of torque and 130 horsepower! Plus, it comes with a solid warranty for the lithium-ion battery, 100,000 miles or 8 years. And let’s not forget the potential federal and state tax rebates that can cut up to $10,000 off the MSRP. It’s clear that the Spark EV is not just efficient, but also a fun and budget-friendly choice for anyone looking to go electric. What do y'all think?

 

[McKing4]

City range 128 mpg? Are you sure about that? I mean it would be great, but considering it is lower on the highway, I would go for a second source on this.

 

[Randy960]

MPGe isn't range, it's efficiency. I don't know why that's a number that's used at all anymore, when miles/kwh or watts/mile are way more useful.

 

[didget69]

It's old technology, the last year cars built (2016) are tapping out their 8-year warranty this year.

Repair Parts will become more scarce.

Replacement Motive power Batteries will become harder to obtain.

Limited production - Total Spark EV Production from 2013-2016 was 7,371 cars

2014 was only year with 130hp/400tq

2015-2016 were changed to
141hp/327tq

Range on average is about 80 miles.

They were built as compliance vehicles, and as a testbed for the Bolt... FNGs make me laugh.

bnc

 

[TomK]

It's old technology, the last year cars built (2016) are tapping out their 8-year warranty this year.

Repair Parts will become more scarce.

Replacement Motive power Batteries will become harder to obtain.

Limited production - Total Spark EV Production from 2013-2016 was 7,371 cars

2014 was only year with 130hp/400tq

2015-2016 were changed to
141hp/327tq

Range on average is about 80 miles.

They were built as compliance vehicles, and as a testbed for the Bolt... FNGs make me laugh.

bnc

FNG? Fun New Guy? Or something else?

I agree with your statement but i still think as for miles/kWh driven, these cars have to be close to the top of the field even by todays standards. The spark was the most economical vehicle i could find that would actually do the 52 mile round trip for my commute. There were a few LEAFs around but the range on those I got mine with 57k miles on it and about 15 kWh left on the battery for $5500. I've only had mine for 2 months now but still averaging 4.3 miles/kWh. This is steadily decreasing as temps drop though. Regardless, if gas prices stay around the $3/gallon range here in MN, then the gas savings alone will pay for the car when i reach ~100k miles (as long as the battery holds up). (i'm comparing to driving my other vehicle at 20 mpg). So about 2-3 years and i break "even".

Some days, i wish i would have gotten a BOLT, but the cost of entry for a 2017 Bolt was still $10k more then this little guy.

 

[2014 EV in Vegas]

It's old technology, the last year cars built (2016) are tapping out their 8-year warranty this year.

Repair Parts will become more scarce.

Replacement Motive power Batteries will become harder to obtain.

Limited production - Total Spark EV Production from 2013-2016 was 7,371 cars

2014 was only year with 130hp/400tq

2015-2016 were changed to
141hp/327tq

Range on average is about 80 miles.

They were built as compliance vehicles, and as a testbed for the Bolt... FNGs make me laugh.

bnc

My 2014's range lists at 64 miles when fully charged. In reality I get about 40 miles, which gets me to and from my office, part freeway, part surface street driving, and with the AC on (Vegas is hot). In the winter I use heated seats, not heat pump, to keep me from freezing. Also wear a jacket.

Still love the little car! If traffic is steady (not stop and go) I can get 5.3 miles/kWh. That turns out to be 212 MPGe, assuming I pay NV Energy their going rate. However, I have solar panels on my home, so I don't pay going NVE rates . . . my power bill is usually zero in summer months. Spark EV for the win!

 

[didget69]

FNG? Fun New Guy? Or something else?

I agree with your statement but i still think as for miles/kWh driven, these cars have to be close to the top of the field even by todays standards. The spark was the most economical vehicle i could find that would actually do the 52 mile round trip for my commute. There were a few LEAFs around but the range on those I got mine with 57k miles on it and about 15 kWh left on the battery for $5500. I've only had mine for 2 months now but still averaging 4.3 miles/kWh. This is steadily decreasing as temps drop though. Regardless, if gas prices stay around the $3/gallon range here in MN, then the gas savings alone will pay for the car when i reach ~100k miles (as long as the battery holds up). (i'm comparing to driving my other vehicle at 20 mpg). So about 2-3 years and i break "even".

Some days, i wish i would have gotten a BOLT, but the cost of entry for a 2017 Bolt was still $10k more then this little guy.

Bolts can be bought with under 20k miles for less than $20k each... I just bought 3.

bnc

 

[didget69]

My 2014's range lists at 64 miles when fully charged. In reality I get about 40 miles, which gets me to and from my office, part freeway, part surface street driving, and with the AC on (Vegas is hot). In the winter I use heated seats, not heat pump, to keep me from freezing. Also wear a jacket.

Still love the little car! If traffic is steady (not stop and go) I can get 5.3 miles/kWh. That turns out to be 212 MPGe, assuming I pay NV Energy their going rate. However, I have solar panels on my home, so I don't pay going NVE rates . . . my power bill is usually zero in summer months. Spark EV for the win!

When the battery pack dies, it's a YOYO scenario.

You're On Your Own. It'll be yard art.

bnc

 

[didget69]

FNG? Fun New Guy? Or something else?

I agree with your statement but i still think as for miles/kWh driven, these cars have to be close to the top of the field even by todays standards. The spark was the most economical vehicle i could find that would actually do the 52 mile round trip for my commute. There were a few LEAFs around but the range on those I got mine with 57k miles on it and about 15 kWh left on the battery for $5500. I've only had mine for 2 months now but still averaging 4.3 miles/kWh. This is steadily decreasing as temps drop though. Regardless, if gas prices stay around the $3/gallon range here in MN, then the gas savings alone will pay for the car when i reach ~100k miles (as long as the battery holds up). (i'm comparing to driving my other vehicle at 20 mpg). So about 2-3 years and i break "even".

Some days, i wish i would have gotten a BOLT, but the cost of entry for a 2017 Bolt was still $10k more then this little guy.

F#ckin' New Guy.

Reads articles, thinks he has a goldmine.

bnc

 

[TomK]

F#ckin' New Guy.

Reads articles, thinks he has a goldmine.

bnc

I figured it was that one just wanted to leave expletive's out of this thread. New hires in my group will get the FNG plaque passed to them in a ceremonial fashion. Gotta keep it interesting.

 

[TomK]

Bolts can be bought with under 20k miles for less than $20k each... I just bought 3.

bnc

Must be nice. But to me $20k is prohibitively expensive as price of entry. My last 4 cars combined didn't cost that much. $5500 for a commuter vehicle these days is pretty good in itself but no other vehicle will offset the purchase price like this one. It's a bit of a gamble with the battery but really at that low of a price even if it dies in one year i will have recouped already 1/3 of the purchase price in gas savings alone. With a $20k Bolt, i would need 10 years or 185k driven miles before i can make the same claim. So the risk/reward ratio here is extremely favorable for the spark.

Based on that, the OP statement about this vehicle is pretty spot on. Is it perfect, NO of course not, nothing is. But it's damn efficient (not just for the price) and damn fun to drive.

Extra bonus to keep my mind occupied trying to figure out how to push it to the limits. (I have a 40 mile one way trip to the airport coming up in early November in Minnesota, so the cold will probably drop my range close to that, but fast charging this car takes 10 minutes, so it should be pretty doable).

 

[Tony1]

City range 128 mpg? Are you sure about that? I mean it would be great, but considering it is lower on the highway, I would go for a second source on this.

You're right to double-check. The 128 MPGe for city driving is accurate according to EPA ratings. It can be surprising that it has a higher city range than highway, but it's a common trait for many EVs due to regenerative braking. If you're interested, I can share the official EPA link for more detailed info

 

[Tony1]

MPGe isn't range, it's efficiency. I don't know why that's a number that's used at all anymore, when miles/kwh or watts/mile are way more useful.

Good point! MPGe can be a bit confusing since it's about efficiency, not actual range. Miles per kWh or watts per mile do provide a clearer picture of how far you can go on a charge. It's all about finding the metrics that make the most sense for us as EV owners.

 

[ArnieB]

My dealer Peterson chev in Boise raised my warrantee on the battery dedgradiation from 20 % to 30 % so when I had it checked it was just above the limits , so no warrantee. The car is fine as is, I only use it around our small town Mtn home.

 

[PhilPen]

The SparkEV is current the most energy efficient (miles/KWhr) of any EV commercially mass marketed.
http://sparkev.blogspot.com/2017/02/sparkev-is-most-efficient-car-in-world.html

 

[Randy960]

There's several cars that are getting 5 miles/kwh at highway speeds nowadays, so I don't think the spark is anywhere near the most efficient anymore.

 

[PhilPen]

My wife has a 2016 Spark EV lt-2. She is quite a conservative driver relative to me. Furthermore, she seldom uses the heater/defogger to help with the range, and has averaged 6.0 miles/Kwhr over 120,000 miles in CT. Her round trip commute of ~70 miles/day is 70% highway (but much of the time the highway isn't flowing at highway speeds). In the spring and fall she gets home with 30-40 miles of range left, in the winter 10-20 miles of range left, but always plugs it in immediately if it is not in the green. A quick Google search by me didn't reveal any models in the high 5s or low 6s. in terms of their miles/Kwhr.

 

[McKing4]

MPGe isn't range, it's efficiency. I don't know why that's a number that's used at all anymore, when miles/kwh or watts/mile are way more useful.

Ups! It seems I have missed that one. You are right! Now the thread makes more sense to me.

 

[Randy960]

My wife has a 2016 Spark EV lt-2. She is quite a conservative driver relative to me. Furthermore, she seldom uses the heater/defogger to help with the range, and has averaged 6.0 miles/Kwhr over 120,000 miles in CT. Her round trip commute of ~70 miles/day is 70% highway (but much of the time the highway isn't flowing at highway speeds). In the spring and fall she gets home with 30-40 miles of range left, in the winter 10-20 miles of range left, but always plugs it in immediately if it is not in the green. A quick Google search by me didn't reveal any models in the high 5s or low 6s. in terms of their miles/Kwhr.

Those are some impressively efficient numbers. I'm willing to bet the Spark is still one of the most efficient EVs at like 45mph, but it drops way off at highway speed. I don't remember the exact numbers, but the updated Model 3 and the Lucids will still get over 5 miles/kwh at 70mph.