Slow charging (only about mile range added each hour)

[Shint27]

I've had my 2016 Chevy Spark EV just over a year now, I've been using the 110v charger it came with to charge at home with very little need for fast charging as I only have an18 mile round trip commute for work. Three weeks ago I noticed I was progressively getting less and less rang each day despite charging over night from 5pm to 7:30 am outside. The two most recent weeks I've had 78 miles on the GOM with 100% charging the entire weekend with only a short trip to the grocery store on Saturday a mile from the house. I just finished my work week and staring at a predicted range of 12 miles. Despite being plugged in each night for just over 12 hours on the immediate charge setting at 8 amps. Part of me think this may be a temperature issue but its been in the high 70s over night so not out of the ordinary and I didn't not have this issue last summer.

I'm no electrician but based on my math I seem to be getting roughly 1 mile for each hour of charging at the moment. I've went and bought a new charger thinking that after 4-6 years its been with the car it might have finally worn out, however the new charger after 3 hours of charging on immediate usage has only added 4 miles of range this evening. I am now worried I may be looking at a major repair unless I'm missing something.

 

[SparkE]

The range is a GUESS by the car's computer of how far you can drive.

Look at this picture (I hope it loads) :

On the far left is "62 mi" in a blue ball, the car's guess as to the range. Next to that is a 10 bar (green bars) "column" that shows how full the battery is , in 10 increments (each bar is 10% of the battery capacity).

Is your battery getting filled to 100% ?? (all 10 bars are green, green light on top of dash is blinking). If only 9 bars are green, then you are between 81-90% full.

If you aren't getting 100% full, then use plugshare.com and find a level-2 charger near where you live or work, and plug the Spark in for a few hours until it is fully charged. (Hopefully you will be able to find a free one.) A level-2 charger will charge a Spark from almost empty to full in about 5 hours. If you only need to charge (say) 20%, that should take an hour or less. So find a free charger, bring a book or magazine to read (or get in your daily walk) while the car is charging.

That way, you start from a known full state, can check the guestimate of range when the battery is full, and taking the charge cable out of the equation. The next time that you charge at home, you can see if

You can also up the charge rate to 12A, if your electrical system is fairly modern (installed after 1965 or so it should be fine). After 20-25 minutes of charging, touch the plug (plugged into socket in the wall) to see if the charging cord/plug is hot. Warm, up to 90F or so is fine. HOT is not fine, so go back to charging at 8A.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

I've had my 2016 Chevy Spark EV just over a year now, I've been using the 110v charger it came with to charge at home with very little need for fast charging as I only have an18 mile round trip commute for work. Three weeks ago I noticed I was progressively getting less and less rang each day despite charging over night from 5pm to 7:30 am outside. The two most recent weeks I've had 78 miles on the GOM with 100% charging the entire weekend with only a short trip to the grocery store on Saturday a mile from the house. I just finished my work week and staring at a predicted range of 12 miles. Despite being plugged in each night for just over 12 hours on the immediate charge setting at 8 amps. Part of me think this may be a temperature issue but its been in the high 70s over night so not out of the ordinary and I didn't not have this issue last summer.

I'm no electrician but based on my math I seem to be getting roughly 1 mile for each hour of charging at the moment. I've went and bought a new charger thinking that after 4-6 years its been with the car it might have finally worn out, however the new charger after 3 hours of charging on immediate usage has only added 4 miles of range this evening. I am now worried I may be looking at a major repair unless I'm missing something.

When you plug in your L1 charger, does the horn honk and the green light in the top center of the dash go on? Also, after a 2 or three hours, is the GREEN light still on? The charger that came with the car will supply approximately 0.8 kWh (approximately 4 miles of range) per hour into the battery.

As suggested, you might also want to try an L2 charger and / or a fast charger if you car has the fast charging option.

One last thought. Press the LEAF button located in the center console and go to the ENERGY INFO screen. Go to CHARGING and check to see if a timer is set to limit your charging.

 

[Shint27]

Tried the level 2 charging and fast charging and I got no issues there so the likely problem is in the outlet / circuit being used. house is an old farm house about 125 years old. Wile the wiring is partially new as the house was flipped when we bought it there is no guarantee is the electrical is fully sound for 12 amp charging. The car does sound off when it is plugged in and the green light is on even in the morning when I go out to head to work. I'm beginning to think the car just not getting enough AMPs from the wall. I'm going to have an electrician come out and test the circuit, if I have to redo the outside electrical socket or the line, I may just drop the extra money for a 220v line.

 

[jackjack53]

It sounds like your battery or charging system may need professional evaluation. Hopefully, it’s a minor issue, but consulting a certified EV technician is a good next step.