questions from a prospective leaser

[NomadMac]

I've been lurking for a few weeks, now, trying to glean what information I can.

So, without starting a debate, do we know what Chevy has planned regarding fast charging? Chevy's website is less than informative regarding the particulars other than saying fast charging is for out of home. Does it mean it will simply have a CCS connector or will it have a 6.6kW charger as well? It would be hard for me to justify spending the additional $750-800 for an option for a standard that hasn't been implemented and is not available. I'm still a bit mystified by all the parameters involved in charging.

My closest dealer is in Novato. I live in San Anselmo. I can picture myself spending time at my local Peet's using Redhill Shopping Center's free level-2 charger but not making the trek to Novato and hanging around the dealership for half an hour.

The headlights on the Spark are halogen? I see no reference as to what they are.

Is there an iPhone app/ On Star that allows me to remotely pre-heat the car while it's still plugged in?

Thanks for your patience.

Martin

 

[xylhim]

If it has fast charging option, the connector will be a SAE J1772 plug with a couple of extra pins that will work with level 1 (120 volt charging) level 2 (240 volt charging) or level 3 (DC fast charging) type charging. I don't think the charger within the car will change, just those extra two pins on your charging port. I'm waiting for the fast charging option myself since I intended to buy and not lease a spark.

I believe there is a way to remotely heat/cool the car while still plugged in, but I think owners will know better than I for this question.

 

[GeorgeChevy]

There will not be an upgrade to a 6.6 kW charger with the DC Fast Charging option.

The car comes with halogen headlights as they are more energy efficient than xenons.

You can remotely cool or heat the car from the OnStar Remotelink app on your phone or with your remote.

 

[iletric]

DO NOT BUY this car. Lease only!

You will lose tremendous amount of money if you buy because EV resale value is plain awful. The lease will cost you 3000 bucks (roughly) over 3 years. That will tie you over until 200-mile EVs begin to appear.

The charging rate of 3.3 kW is a step backwards. You have to spend 7 hrs to charge up. It shows the level of GM's "commitment" to EVs. Nissan is already at 6.6 on most models (except the cheapest). Also, Kia Soul EV is in the pipline this year with a 120-mile range and a 6.6 on-board charger. Something to consider (I am).

I own Leaf 2011 and leased Spark. I have lost 12,000 bucks on Leaf value over 2.5 years. I have to keep the car now until they upgrade the battery that has lost 15% of its range. Will not make City anymore. We use Spark for that. Spark is my kid's college commute car. It's perfect for that. We don't know what the battery degradation is going to be in Spark. That will determine a good portion its resale value. Expect worst. Lease. Return with a smile. It will have cost you 3 bucks a day with no headaches, bumper to bumper, no extra cost except maybe tires if you choose 15,000 mile/year option (we did).

Spark is a compliance car. It's made to save GM money on carbon credits. Their heart is not in it like Nissan and Tesla's. Keep that in mind. Either way...

DO NOT BUY. LEASE!

 

[NomadMac]

Thanks for your input, everyone.

I've been a Macintosh consultant for over 20 years so I'm very familiar with advances in technology. iLectric, it appears you may not have read the title of my post.

 

[iletric]

Yeah, I guess I did not. I went by the text within.
Good choice - to lease that is. The car itself? Judge for yourself.
It will get you to Costco and back.

One thing I will say though. If Leaf had a model with a 90 mile range back in August, the choice is clear: Leaf. If you can wait for Benz model B, that would be another option. Forget the Bimmer (I like to spell it Beamer). It's a loser (range-wise).

 

[Oberon]

The charging rate of 3.3 kW is a step backwards. You have to spend 7 hrs to charge up. It shows the level of GM's "commitment" to EVs. Nissan is already at 6.6 on most models (except the cheapest).

I own Leaf 2011 and leased Spark. I have lost 12,000 bucks on Leaf value over 2.5 years. I have to keep the car now until they upgrade the battery that has lost 15% of its range. Will not make City anymore. We use Spark for that. Spark is my kid's college commute car. It's perfect for that. We don't know what the battery degradation is going to be in Spark. That will determine a good portion its resale value. Expect worst.
Spark is a compliance car. It's made to save GM money on carbon credits. Their heart is not in it like Nissan and Tesla's.

Sorry you hate GM and your Spark. I hate GM's crappy cars, but I'm willing to like the good ones. So far the Spark has been great. Not perfect, but it's a fun drive that does exactly what we wanted it for.

The Spark EV is cheaper than the Leaf model that comes with the 3.3 kw charging. So comparing it to a more expensive model seems sort of pointless. If you charge at home, it may not matter anyway.

The battery life should be better than the Leaf for a couple reasons: the A123 chemistry is longer lived and can handle more cycles than the battery in the Leaf. The thermal management of the battery in the Spark should also extend the life.

As for compliance car, so what, it is a great deal. If GM is willing to sell me a car under cost, I'm willing to take their money. I'm not sure they don't mean to do more than that with them either. The other compliance cars mostly outsourced their drive trains and electronics, eg Rav-4 and Fiat. GM developed their own and built a plant to make them. This seems like a lot of investment for something they only need a few thousand of.

 

[iletric]

It will be interesting to watch what A123 battery will do. The company did not fare well, for some reason, but I give it benefit of doubt. Hope it keeps its range at 45,000 miles like it was day 1 when we got it. Wouldn't that be a hoot.

Yes, I too like the price. As a ride, I prefer my 92 Accord and Leaf. So much more comfy, steady, and so on.

 

[Oberon]

Yes, I too like the price. As a ride, I prefer my 92 Accord and Leaf. So much more comfy, steady, and so on.

We replaced a 94 Accord with the Spark EV. That was a great car, but after 20 years and a quarter million miles the clutch was hinting at needing replacement.

 

[Electricbowtie]

We bought the Spark EV to get the $10K in Fed/State cash back to make it a $20K car that's more fun than the Leaf and a good compliment to our Volt. Haven't been bothered not having the 6.6kW charger this far and price of mind the battery isn't frying up charging too fast.

 

[cwerdna]

Haven't been bothered not having the 6.6kW charger this far and price of mind the battery isn't frying up charging too fast.

I highly doubt that charging at 6.6 kW would fry the battery by being "too fast".

From http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=279458#p279458

But it's moot for us since we 2011/2012 owners charge at C/8 on L2 and OP charges his/her 2013 at about C/5 on L2. L1 is about C/30.

Absolutely! I've heard before that C/2 was the sweet spot for lithium-ion batteries, and this study seems to corroborate it. C/2 would be about 12 kW for the LEAF. Much more than what is currently used to charge the car. When you look at the 1C rate, you get an idea about the impact quick charging has on battery life. Although we see charge rates of up to 2C with the LEAF when QCing, the average is about 1C...

And from http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14271

Test details:
4 identical 2012 Nissan LEAFs
2 will be charged using only L2
2 will be charged using only DCQC
Battery packs will be tested every 10k miles for 30k miles.
2 additional battery packs will be lab tested at a constant 30C ambient - one only charged on L2, one only charged DCQC.

At 10k miles, no significant difference in capacity between L2 and DCQC - capacity is down between 5.5-6.5% approximately.

DC QC refers to using CHAdeMO. The unit at http://nissanqc.com/ has a 44 kW max output. IIRC, CHAdeMO DC FCs found in the wild are typically no more than 50 kW max.