SmokeyPete
Well-known member
I was concerned that might be the case. Thanks so much for trying!
Tesla Magic Dock & 2014 Spark EV Not Good News
- Thread starter LoveMy2014SparkEV
- Start date
Help Support Chevy Spark EV Forum:
I didn't try reporting a problem to Tesla, because I assume it would just go to a now laid off person's email. I figured out that our cars work on ChargePoint 62.5kw units, but not their 200kw units. So I want to press Chargepoint to figure out what the difference in handshake is. Then we might be able to use that info with other CPOs.
LoveMy2014SparkEV
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2021
- Messages
- 32
Thanks for the infor and link SmokeyPete. That will save me a trip. No sense driving all that way when we now know Tesla is screwing us Spark EV owners over. Thanks Elon!
SmokeyPete
Well-known member
I just wanted to add that I e-mailed Mary Barra directly about this whole situation. I received a call back from a "Senior Executive Solution Liaison" and we discussed how the Spark EV community felt abandoned. I mentioned that I was in the market for a Equinox EV (which was and is true) and I was hoping for some or , "any" consideration.
The rep ended up merely giving me the 800-222-1020 number for the Marketing Department.
Final Analysis.. GM Does not care.
The rep ended up merely giving me the 800-222-1020 number for the Marketing Department.
Final Analysis.. GM Does not care.
FalconFour
Member
Has anyone noticed that the Spark's weird latch-lock mechanism is a big part of the problem? The "locking" mechanism on the car's side consists of a large portion that pivots/rotates down, and is pressed into this rotated state by the tip of the charging handle. Then, only after the top portion is pivoted by the latch tip, there is a locking bar that slides in from the left, back-holding the pivot/rotate portion in position. This is the only EV I've seen that does it in this strange way.
It's prone to fail on certain latch tip designs not because they're too big, but because they're too small. The latch tip doesn't pivot/rotate that bit enough, thus the locking bar collides with it instead of holding it in position. Because it can't slide into locking position, locking fails, and charging fails. If you want to test this, just make sure that "flippy" metal part of the charge port is indeed "flipped" (using a poking stick of your choosing) while it's trying to lock - if it even gets so far as to lock, that is. If it gets to a point of trying to lock, you're in good shape (it's communicating!).
But moreso than that, the Spark has a few really weird protocol quirks, that *specifically* need to be addressed (as in, the Spark breaks standard, and the station needs to detect and compensate for the Spark in particular), or the Spark won't communicate/charge. The Spark's charge controller programming is wonky, to say the least... prone to crashing, hanging-up on the EVSE for no good reason. So, many Spark CCS problems are related to just the fact that EVSE manufacturers hadn't coded for the Spark's special quirks... and I'm sure Tesla has less than no interest in bending over backwards to be compatible with the Spark.
Just some pains of being the first car to implement CCS. In a world where there were no CCS stations, the Spark was there first... and with how unbelievably complex the protocol for CCS is, it's no wonder. Some things were left open to interpretation, and "de-facto" standards were left to fill in the gaps. The Spark just got left behind as the protocol evolved.
It's prone to fail on certain latch tip designs not because they're too big, but because they're too small. The latch tip doesn't pivot/rotate that bit enough, thus the locking bar collides with it instead of holding it in position. Because it can't slide into locking position, locking fails, and charging fails. If you want to test this, just make sure that "flippy" metal part of the charge port is indeed "flipped" (using a poking stick of your choosing) while it's trying to lock - if it even gets so far as to lock, that is. If it gets to a point of trying to lock, you're in good shape (it's communicating!).
But moreso than that, the Spark has a few really weird protocol quirks, that *specifically* need to be addressed (as in, the Spark breaks standard, and the station needs to detect and compensate for the Spark in particular), or the Spark won't communicate/charge. The Spark's charge controller programming is wonky, to say the least... prone to crashing, hanging-up on the EVSE for no good reason. So, many Spark CCS problems are related to just the fact that EVSE manufacturers hadn't coded for the Spark's special quirks... and I'm sure Tesla has less than no interest in bending over backwards to be compatible with the Spark.
Just some pains of being the first car to implement CCS. In a world where there were no CCS stations, the Spark was there first... and with how unbelievably complex the protocol for CCS is, it's no wonder. Some things were left open to interpretation, and "de-facto" standards were left to fill in the gaps. The Spark just got left behind as the protocol evolved.
zoom314
Member
Chevy/GM said the Spark EV would need a patch to enable charging on a v3/v4 Supercharger and that they were not going to provide a patch like is being done on the 2017-2019 Bolt EV's, 2020 and newer don't need a patch, cause a spark takes maybe 5 mins to fully charge at 50kW, I once did DCFC and it did take 5-6 mins on a EA DC Fast Charger.
EA is now incompatible with the Spark EV too and likes to blame the battery, their original DC chargers @ EA worked on the Spark.
We've been written off since only 7700 or so Spark EV's were made from 2014-2016, Sparks served as a MULE for the Bolt EV.
v2 Superchargers don't support CCS1, while v3 and v4 do, v3 has a cable that was meant only for a Tesla and is not long enough for other EV's, v4 cables are longer than v3 cables. Sparks need CCS1.
SmokeyPete
Well-known member
When did the EA chargers become incompatible? Do you mean the BTC units or another OEM?
zoom314
Member
At least 6-9 months back EA changed DC fast chargers @ the local Walmart, the first chargers at Walmart worked, charged the car in about 6 mins. That was the reason for abandonment, others have experienced the same, this also applies to the VW eGolf too. There were about 7700 Spark EV's made from 2014-2016. I own a 2LT in Lime Green and I could do dcfc, if I had an extra $50 on a card, that's not $50 worth of juice, not on a Spark EV, it's a hold to make sure one has enough money to pay for the charge. ChargePoint is still supporting the Spark, as does my home ac evse cable. The ones in Question had a hole one could see thru in the upper part of the charger which had a green glow at night. New type on the left, old on the right, the old type had been reprogrammed to reject a Spark.
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FalconFour
Member
Trust me, nobody is going out of their way to *reject* a Spark. What they're not doing, though, is going out of their way to *accept* the Spark, which is finnicky and non-standard. The problem is just that developers are now increasingly unaware of this one oddball car and its non-standard quirks that need to be worked around. So it's just being forgotten, not "rejected". Just keep that straight.
EVSE manufacturers/developers would be happy to CCS charge your phone if it were compatible. Doesn't matter how small a battery it is, just if it can talk. The only interest they have is in being as compatible with as many cars as possible. Nobody cares if it can only take 1/100th the capacity of the station, it's still a customer.
Both Hanlon's Razor "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." and Grey's Law "Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice." feel relevant here.
zoom314
Member
The last time I tried at Walmart, every last charger was tried, and they have 8-10 there, I had to have AAA tow me and my gf home and we live in different locations, she lives where there is bus service that is only on one street once every 4 hours, where I live in the same area there is no bus service anymore.
