My 2015 Spark will not take a charge

[cmugler]

Have always used the supplied 120 volt charger, today when I plug in the dash light does not go on and it will notaccept a charge, green light on charger goes on, 12v battery is charged, any idea what is going on? This is the first problem I have had with the car. It was about 40% charged when I plugger charger in.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

It could be a problem with your wall outlet or your L1 EVSE charger. If the wall outlet is ok, you need to determine if the L1 EVSE charger that came with the car is the problem. Rule it out by borrowing an L1 EVSE from another EV driver - I have been using one from a KIA - or drive to a J1772 L2 EVSE public charger and try to charge.

All of these suggestions assume you 12 volt battery is indeed fully charged and hasn't died. The 12 volt battery in the Spark EV seems to be very temperamental and has been known to suddenly die.

 

[cmugler]

outlet good, is it posible for the charger to be bad even though proper green light is on (maybe the wiring part that point is bad?

 

[SparkE]

I agree w/ DrMorgan - try with another EVSE.

But first, check the voltage on the battery (with car OFF and NOT plugged in). Voltage should be around 12.6V if fully charged. If under 12.2V, the battery may be bad (or it simply got drained). Borrow an AGM-safe battery charger and fully charge the battery. Try charging again.

If after verifying that the battery is fully charged, drive to a public Level-2 (or over to a friend's house who has an EV and use his EVSE) to see if the car charges. If the 12V battery is charged and and you can charge at someone else's house with THEIR EVSE, then it isn't the car. Next (if their EVSE worked) try *your* EVSE at his house. If it works, the problem isn't with your EVSE. If it doesn't work, then your EVSE has a problem. If your EVSE works at his house, go back home and try your EVSE on the same plug that didn't work. If it works, well, it's just a mystery. If it doesn't work, try another plug (preferably on a different circuit).

 

[cmugler]

OK I drove to the dealer, their 220 volt charger works but when we tried one of their 110 volt chargers it did not work just as mine doesn't so the car is not recieving 110 volt charging but does recieve a 220 volt charging so it has to be something with electronics of the cay, the 12v battery is fine, nothing changed even when I jumped it with a fairly new optima battery

 

[SparkE]

That *might* be covered under the 100K mile/8 year warranty - you might be able to get it fixed for free. *I* think that the charging circuitry should be considered part of the "battery system" and its warranty !!!

 

[NCSpark1]

I have exactly the same problem with my 2015 Spark. It still had 20 miles left when I plugged it in for an overnight charge. It started charging normally when I left it, but the next morning I got the message "Will not accept a charge" and my mileage reserve was 0. Had it towed to the local Chevy dealer. After a week of no updates we checked in with the Service Department. They said, "The automatic battery heater transistor pack won't turn off, hence no charge. " The replacement part has been ordered, but no further updates.

 

[cmugler]

that sounds like a different senario than mine as it will accept a charge at 220 volts but not 110, dealer is checking it out today

 

[NCSpark1]

After my local Chevrolet dealership (which sells Sparks, but not EVs) kept my car for more than a week, they finally notified me that they did not have technicians familiar with EVs, nor the special tools required to repair it. They suggested that I take it to the dealership in the next larger city, about 25 miles away. I called the new dealership to make sure that they could, in fact, repair my EV. They confirmed that they were able to diagnosis and make any repairs. I then had to arrange for a second car carrier to retrieve my Spark and deliver it to to the larger dealership.

After two weeks I have my Spark back, good as new. The issues were: a battery contactor relay, battery heater, and resistor, which were all replaced. The high voltage battery pack had to be removed to install these new parts. All service and parts were covered under the Manufacturer's 100,000 Mile Warranty at no cost to me.

My reason for telling you all of this is to make you aware that if you live in a small town, your local Chevy dealership may not be able to work on your EV.

I love my Spark EV, I am very happy to have it back on the road again.

 

[RSC]

Thank you for keeping us updated. Good to hear that the Spark is back.

 

[scspark]

Unfortunately it seems GM is really bad at diagnosing these cars. My 2015 Spark EV stopped charging at about 85% and wouldn't take a charge or function. Gave fault codes P1E00 P0D22 AND P0AF8 I then cleared the codes and car drives but trying to charge triggers the same codes and disables the car. It has been at the dealer for 2 1/2 weeks, first they replaced onboard charger now they are trying some relay. Each part takes over a week to get and they are obviously just trying one part at a time with no real clue what is needed. Covered under "emissions warranty" haha. They say it doesn't qualify for a loaner, getting pretty frustrating and expensive for me to get to work. Terrible repair system they have for these cars. I can get any part for any of my other vehicles same or next day.