jef
Member
Chevy has thoroughly shattered the confidence I once had in their brand. With only 53,000 km (33,000 mi) on the odometer, my 2015 Chevy Spark EV displayed the warning "Propulsion Power Reduced". The car allowed me to pull over to the shoulder of the freeway, and I had to get it towed to a dealership.
After four days of silence from the dealership, I called them to be informed that the high-voltage (HV) battery needed to be replaced, and that it would cost $27,500 CAD.
Absolutely gobsmacked, I had the car towed to an EV repair shop. They found that one of the 32 cells in one of the six modules wasn’t holding a charge and initially suggested they could replace the module. They also mentioned the other modules were at 80% capacity, meaning the pack wouldn’t charge beyond that. This sounded reasonable until I got another call informing me that their supplier couldn’t sell individual modules, only the entire HV battery pack. To their credit, they quoted me $21,000 CAD for the replacement.
I then had the car towed to my home and ended up purchasing a 2023 Mazda MX-30 EV for $25,500 CAD.
Despite all this, I really liked the Spark. It did everything I needed, and over the 5 1/2 years I owned it, I only had to replace the 12V battery and two sets of windshield wipers. It was truly a great little car.
If anyone in the Metro Vancouver area is interested in the Spark, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll donate it to a technical school. If they’re not interested, a scrap yard has offered me between $500 CAD and $1,500 CAD.
I still strongly believe in the future of EVs. It’s frustrating that the Spark ended this way.
After four days of silence from the dealership, I called them to be informed that the high-voltage (HV) battery needed to be replaced, and that it would cost $27,500 CAD.
Absolutely gobsmacked, I had the car towed to an EV repair shop. They found that one of the 32 cells in one of the six modules wasn’t holding a charge and initially suggested they could replace the module. They also mentioned the other modules were at 80% capacity, meaning the pack wouldn’t charge beyond that. This sounded reasonable until I got another call informing me that their supplier couldn’t sell individual modules, only the entire HV battery pack. To their credit, they quoted me $21,000 CAD for the replacement.
I then had the car towed to my home and ended up purchasing a 2023 Mazda MX-30 EV for $25,500 CAD.
Despite all this, I really liked the Spark. It did everything I needed, and over the 5 1/2 years I owned it, I only had to replace the 12V battery and two sets of windshield wipers. It was truly a great little car.
If anyone in the Metro Vancouver area is interested in the Spark, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll donate it to a technical school. If they’re not interested, a scrap yard has offered me between $500 CAD and $1,500 CAD.
I still strongly believe in the future of EVs. It’s frustrating that the Spark ended this way.
