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Requests for Spark EV

30K views 33 replies 19 participants last post by  George S. Bower 
#1 ·
Upfront, I want to apologize for making a Spark EV suggestion on a Volt forum but right now there's nowhere else to go. I currently own a Volt and will keep it many years, but I want to get a Spark EV as well. Three requests:

- Make the Spark EV available in Utah (so far only CA, OR and WA have been announced)
- Provide a 6.6 kW option (cuts charging time by more than half)
- Highly incentivize dealers to provide free SAE DC quick charging - UT is unique is that its population is quite concentrated along the Wasatch front and the Chevrolet dealerships are located nicely along the freeway and downtown locations; making them perfect for a quick partial charge to get home if needed.
 
#2 ·
I've asked my local Honda dealer to see what the situation is with the Fit EV availability in Pennsylvania. I think that Honda will go national with their waning Fit EV program before Spark EV is available outside of CA and OR. Getting the Chevy dealers on board with charging - I think that is another matter. I doubt they will pay for it and would require GM or federal credits to do that. There were a number of Chevy dealers who opted out of the Volt program once they had to buy special battery tools this past year. They weren't selling enough Volts to spend the nearly $10K (one shop told me $15K) for the tools. Those tools should have been housed at a regional dealership and rented out rather than being required to be purchased by *every* Chevy shop who wanted to sell/service Volts.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Getting the Chevy dealers on board with charging - I think that is another matter. I doubt they will pay for it and would require GM or federal credits to do that. There were a number of Chevy dealers who opted out of the Volt program once they had to buy special battery tools this past year. They weren't selling enough Volts to spend the nearly $10K (one shop told me $15K) for the tools.
You make some good points. The few articles that I've seen quote $5,100 for the battery tool set. Perhaps there are other expenses.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.d...312319969/some-volt-dealers-balk-at-tool-tab#
 
#4 ·
I would not expect a a 6.6 kW charging capability until 2015 or 216 when the Gen 2 Volt rolls out. I would expect GM to make it standard across the board for Volt, Spark, ELR, and whatever else is coming next.

At least I HOPE they make the switch across the board. A two hour Volt recharge would not be a must have, but would be nice for those who pay by the hour for public charging.
 
#5 ·
- Make the Spark EV available in Utah (so far only CA, OR and WA have been announced)
Good Afternoon Kent,

Currently the 2014 Chevrolet Spark-EV is only available at participating dealers in California and Oregon. Washington is not included in the launch market.

Thank you,

-Ian Chevrolet Volt Customer Service
 
#6 ·
Good Afternoon Kent,
Currently the 2014 Chevrolet Spark-EV is only available at participating dealers in California and Oregon. Washington is not included in the launch market.
Thank you,-Ian Chevrolet Volt Customer Service
FB:

Shad Balch
Good questions! I'll try to shed some light:

No production numbers! At least not specifics. We learned the hard way with Volt when we said "10K in 2011..." When that didn't happen the detractors had a blast calling it a failure - despite the fact that it's one of the most successful vehicle programs ever done. So, not about to do arrange that silver platter again ... it really doesn't help.

CA and OR are amazing markets to launch EVs ... there's a tremendous appetite by all stakeholders for them to succeed there. That said, if you purchase a Spark EV it's yours to take wherever you choose (unless you took a state incentive, which may require you to keep it in bounds for a certain amount of time or risk forfeiting the $$$!)

If we were in the biz of doing compliance cars you'd see a bunch of golf carts with bow ties scooting around town. Make no mistake, Spark EV will definitely check some boxes with CARB. But we absolutely believe that we'll win if GM is the one with the best and baddest cars that don't burn gas. I mean, you're getting 400 lb ft of torque, DC fast charge capability (80% in 20 mins with combo connector), an incredible battery thermal management system and infotainment that does more than you'll ever need ... California has indeed set a minimum but the competitive advantage is gained when we do more (Volt, ELR!)

Need my coffee!
May 24 at 10:35am via mobile
 
#7 ·
I am also interested in the 2014 Spark EV. No local dealer here in Puerto Rico will sell the Volt, but there are some who do sell the gas Spark, so they may sell the EV version, too. I visited one of those dealers, and sat both in the driver's seat and in the rear seat. I was comfortable in both seats, and had no problems entering and exiting the seats (I'm 6 feet tall).

Of all the mini or city cars on the market, the Spark is the largest and with the most passenger space. The 2014 automatic gas model will have a CVT. See more here:
http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-city-car.html
http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-ev-electric-vehicle.html

You can compare the other city cars here:
http://www.chevrolet.com/tools/comparator/compareVehicle.do?pvc=133&snType=model&year=2014
(add the other city cars you wish to compare with)
 
#9 ·
I can't wait until they sell it in Illinois. I think it will sell well in the Chicago area. Heck, Peoria might be ready for it too. I just saw a charging station at McDonald's! I think that is the sign that EV's have finally made it in central Illinois.

I do believe that the 6.6 charger is a must. It is my favorite feature on my Leaf.
 
#15 ·
I would assume that the Spark EV rollout beyond the first two states will follow to the dealerships where the most Volts have been sold...next...
 
#19 ·
I decided to buy a Spark EV on Sunday (for factory invoice) without the DC charger, since I too, don't foresee the use very practical for our driving needs. Althought it would have been a nice feature, the implementation of the public chargers (and hopefully home chargers) will take time. The deal was great and we decided to buy the 1LT and paid for aftermarket leather instead. Car is super fun to drive and even more fun than my Volt. (yikes, did I just say that?)
 
#21 ·
Like you, I too took the plunge last week and picked up a Spark EV (a 2LT electric blue). It's such a blast to drive!

I too was a bit disappointed about the lack of DCFC, but because I am primarily a home-work-home commuter I don't have much of a need for such a fast charging solution. However, it would have been nice for those one-off longer trips.

Maybe we'll get lucky and Chevy will surprise all of us and roll out a retrofit for our cars in the coming months? That would be a great Christmas present. ;) But I'm not holding my breath.
 
#22 · (Edited)
@toob. Congrats on the Spark. We look forward to zipping around town in that little thing. Now wife and I are both EV'ers. Would be nice to DC upgrade in future in we wanted. Time will tell.
 
#23 · (Edited)
@toob. Congrats on the Spark. We look forward to zipping around town in that little thing. Now wide and I are both EV'ers. Would be nice to DC upgrade in future in we wanted. Time will tell.
Congrats to BOTH of you!
Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the Spark EV.
General driving impressions/complaints, charging behavior and times and especially how much range is affected seasonally which should be a bit more tolerant than the Volt due to the A123 cell chemistry.

I am also interested in hearing how you like the "new "range indicator (with min-max) and how accurate it is as well as your impressions of the exclusive new Infotainment features such as Bring-Go navigation and Siri "Eyes Free"

By the way here is a link to some documentation on the Siri features used on the Spark EV
http://www.chevrolet.com/content/da.../en/Home/Ownership/MyLink/02-PDF/SiriFAQs.pdf

Enjoy your new Chevy EV and welcome to gm-volt.com
(which by the way is striving to be THE definitive source of reliable information and owner feedback forums on ALL GM EREV and EVs in existance)

Regards
WopOnTour

PS>I can tell you there IS some discussion about the potential of making the DC charging available as a retrofit, probably at an additional cost. Hopefully that comes to fruition for the early adopters but I think you'll agree for many people that mostly charge at home it's not really a huge issue.
 
#28 ·
I agree the 6.6kw charger was almost a deal breaker but with a year with my Volt averaging 30 miles a day and charging almost exclusively on 110v, I figured I could live without it and save the battery the undue stresses. Crossing my fingers for the DC retrofit though.
 
#30 ·
Just got done doing two back to back drives this weekend in the Spark EV. The first was 75 miles on freeway and had 15 left when we got home. The 2nd was 77 miles with 9 left. Not too shabby. Gotta love driving all electric. I also just ordered my Bosch Power Max 30A 220V charger with my $500 Spark voucher. The entire order with tax and shipping was $172 and will arrive in a few weeks for a self installation. Amazing deal!!
 
#32 ·
I called Bosch at 1-877-805-3873 and got a hold of a sales rep and they had me choose the charger I wanted, deducted the $500 off the price, waited on the phone for me to fax my copy of registration to them and placed the order. I was very impressed with the customer service and since the Power Max 30a was back ordered, I will get it in about 2 weeks.
 
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