Pair o' Spark Evs in WV

[JMenacker]

We leased a couple of Gen 1 Volts for past few years. Better half talked me into trying one, then she got "Volt envy" after a half year so we got her one too.

When my lease was up Judy found a hardly used Spark EV about 60 miles away from us in MD. The Spark EV is actually the car Judy really wanted from the get go. Her mot favorite car ever was a baby blue TR4A - small and quick is her driving preference. So we ended up with a White 2015 Spark EV with less than 1K on the clock in late May.

Tables were turned - I too felt the Spark EV was a better value for my needs as well. The second Volt lease will be ending at end of this year. The salesman from that lease called asking if we might be considering a Gen 2 Volt. I said, not really but we are interested in a low mile used Spark EV. He said, none were in stock but he would keep us in mind if one showed up. Two weeks later he calls about a never been titled 2015 with DCFC from GM training that is being sold used with 68 miles on the clock. We bought the car that weekend.



We also find that the diminutive size brings unexpected benefits - such as parking in the storage shed!





I will be driving the Volt to lease end - can't justify paying the last three lease payments without racking up as many miles as possible. The Volt has less than 10K on it as Judy pretty much just used it as a grocery getter these past few years. Still, I'd rather be driving the Spark and prefer owning these little guys to leasing something more mainstream. No need to worry about oil changes, gasoline, exhaust, spark plugs, starters, etc.

We have a BMW e39 530i for long distance needs and a Eurovan Camper for hauling stuff.

Cheers,

Joe M in WV

 

[mczajka]

Where in WV are you? We usually do an event around the 4th of July in Shepherdstown.

https://www.meetup.com/MDVolt/events/230465698/

 

[NORTON]

Awesome line up of cars!

I too used the Volt as a stepping stone to the Spark EV.

I'd like a Bolt some day but I can do everything I need in the Spark EV. My metro area has a network of 15 Free DCFC stations.
Plus there is some question about the Bolt even having Blended Brakes the way most other EV's and Hybrids do it.
It sounds like Chevy might be going to the old fashioned brake pedal route, like Tesla, and forcing a driver to drive in L '1 Pedal' style if they want decent regen.

I sold my old gasser recently, a gen1 Insight, because I couldn't even do an airport runs for 2 in the thing. And the Spark EV does that just fine.
I really wanted a campmobile but the good ones are so expensive.
So I recently bought an Element, 5 spd-AWD. 2 can camp in that !!

 

[JMenacker]

Mark: We are 15 miles from Shepherdstown and will plan on attending the Firecracker Run next year. Better half grew up in Baltimore. We might consider the Bel Air meet as well next year. Already have a prior obligation this year.

Norton:

Volts were both a very positive experience. At the end of the day we both preferred driving on electric only - there was always remorse when the engine fired up. Although a great experience, we worried that the benefit of dual energy sources would become a bane for service through latter years of ownership.

We are on the fence about the Bolt. Hedged bets by placing a down payment on a Tesla 3. Fit and finish of the '13 Chevy Volt was not great. That thing had many more rattles, squeaks, buzzes, groans and clunks than my son's '91 BMW with 250+K on the clock. The '14 Volt has been opposite - still quiet and solid - feels like a well made car. Hard to look at pics of the Tesla 3 and Bolt side by side without being drawn to beauty rather than the beast.

Eurovan Camper prices are a bit silly. Zero depreciation since we purchased our '99 back in 2001. It has been an extremely versatile vehicle - easily carries 10 foot lengths of lumber, 4x8 sheets of plywood, 30 bags of mulch, log splitter, can cook, eat, sleep in it for ad hoc get aways and it fits fine in a standard parking space.

We just had a 60 amp service run to the shed/garage. Thinking about getting a 40 Amp Juicebox EVSE to feed the children.

 

[NORTON]

...We just had a 60 amp service run to the shed/garage. Thinking about getting a 40 Amp Juicebox EVSE to feed the children.

Yep, future proof!

I bought a Juicebox Kit and a J1772 cable for 16A capability. It was ~$375 with the cables. It's a 120/240 V unit. But I only use it in my garage on 240V.
I can upgrade it with thicker cables if and when I need more power. Not sure if it's offered in kit form anymore.

As for 'beauty' , that's in the eye of the beholder. I'm a man. I look at the spec sheet.
I need FWD (for winter traction and Regen capability), Blended Brakes (so I can drive Normal style), a hatchback, affordability.

But as I said, the Spark EV suits my needs perfectly!
With a huge Free charging network in town, that includes 15 DCFC, I have virtually driven for free for 24k miles.
(I spent ~$35 last winter charging at home because I wanted TMS for the battery.)

 

[SparkE]

...We just had a 60 amp service run to the shed/garage. Thinking about getting a 40 Amp Juicebox EVSE to feed the children.

Yep, future proof!

I bought a Juicebox Kit and a J1772 cable for 16A capability. It was ~$375 with the cables. It's a 120/240 V unit. But I only use it in my garage on 240V.
I can upgrade it with thicker cables if and when I need more power. Not sure if it's offered in kit form anymore.

As for 'beauty' , that's in the eye of the beholder. I'm a man. I look at the spec sheet.
I need FWD (for winter traction and Regen capability), Blended Brakes (so I can drive Normal style), a hatchback, affordability.

But as I said, the Spark EV suits my needs perfectly!
With a huge Free charging network in town, that includes 15 DCFC, I have virtually driven for free for 24k miles.
(I spent ~$35 last winter charging at home because I wanted TMS for the battery.)

emotorwerks doesn't appear to sell in kit form any longer, simply assembled. The least expensive EVSE is a 'smart cable' (can configure with smartphone) called the JuiceCord, up to 20A, super-portable, and does 110/220V ($450) : https://emotorwerks.com/store-juicebox-ev-charging-stations/1661-juicecord-pro-20-portable-smart-20-amp-evse-with-20-foot-cable/category_pathway-23 . Their least expensive 'box' charger is the JuiceBox40, puts out 40 amps and will recharge any EV at the max rate J1772 (except Tesla, and it comes close to that), $500 : https://emotorwerks.com/store-juicebox-ev-charging-stations/171-juicebox-40-40-amp-evse-with-24-foot-cable/category_pathway-23 .

OpenEVSE sells kits, and an EVSE + cables would cost a little under $440 for a 50A (40A continuous) EVSE, or one already assembled for around $480. It is also (technically) portable, but is larger than a cord-type EVSE. You can also get a 110/220V dual input EVSE, that puts out 40A max (at 220V). The OpenEVSE units appear to be adjustable in terms of how max amps it pulls - you can configure it via LCD menu so it won't pop your circuit breaker, and then change it when you can draw the max amps elsewhere (or vice-versa).

 

[NORTON]

.. The OpenEVSE units appear to be adjustable in terms of how max amps it pulls - you can configure it via LCD menu so it won't pop your circuit breaker, and then change it when you can draw the max amps elsewhere (or vice-versa).

Just to clarify:
An EVSE is just a big ass relay that is either ON or OFF.
It has control board for Ground Fault safety functions and it sends a pilot signal to the car's onboard charger telling IT how much current to pull.
An EVSE does not control current by itself.

I built my Juicebox with a 16A capable J1772 cord so I had to adjust the pilot signal pot to only allow any EV to only pull that much current through the EVSE.
I did this when I had a BMW i3 for a 4 day demo. They pull 6.6 kW. I had a clamp on ammeter ready to adjust the pot when I plugged in the i3 for the first time.

Your description of the Open Source EVSE sounds a little dicey.
What ever input and J1772 cords you build the unit from should be the max current.
If you, for some reason, take it to another 240 V outlet that is not capable of feeding a big EV you'd better have it adjusted.
The EVSE does not know what the wires in the wall are or what the house circuit breakers are rated for. (Those last two are supposed to be matched.)
Ideally you should build the Open Source EVSE with the proper NEMA plug that matches the rating of the J1772 cord you selected.

Then in an ideal world the EVSE can't be plugged into a low current 240V outlet if you plan on charging a Tesla at 10kW thru their adapter cord.

 

[SparkE]

Yes, you set the EVSE to tell the car the max current it can pull - it is a menu configuration which YOU set. Sorry I wasn't saying it properly, but the outcome is that you can reduce the amount of current pulled through the circuit by lowering what is told the car. Obviously, you pick a value that safely matches the installation(s). The unit itself can handle 40A continuous @ 250V. I would buy a J1772 cable that could handle 40A. I would install a 50A circuit breaker (and appropriate in-wall wiring) at home. If I used it on the road, I could set the max current lower if warranted.

With OpenEVSE kits, there's no $$$ benefit to buying a kit that handles lower current (in fact, I don't think they even sell the lower amp kits anymore).