Found and article on Chevy Spark EV and thought i should share it with Spark EV forum.
’m on the General Motors stand with an electric Chevy Spark and Paul Pebbles, whose full title is global manager, OnStar electric vehicle and smart grid services. The Spark is here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas because GM wants people to know what a connected car it is—the company is announcing Waypoint, a new app that will tell EV owners if they can make it to an announced destination. If not, it will plot a route that takes in some available charging stations.
Waypoint would be useful if you owned a Spark, but will you—with a price of $32,000 before the federal rebate—own a Spark? The car is very small, and has an unofficial range of approximately 90 miles. I sat in it and found it tight.
The dash showed off another reason this car is at CES—not only is there the latest GM infotainment system often seen in higher-end vehicles, but there’s some useful electric drive data, too. With the remaining battery charge in mind, the Spark will tell you that you have 32 miles of range left—but 27 if you drive like an idiot or 40 if you’re very conservative.
GM’s Rebecca Roth also told me that GM has partnered with utilities (including Detroit-area DTE) to enable Spark owners to automatically charge during the best time-of-use rates, which may vary. More utilities need to offer such rates to optimize a system like that.
GM Says It's The Real Deal
The Spark is very under-the-radar right now, and it will have to stack up against other battery offerings, including the Scion iQ, Honda Fit EV and Fiat 500. But since EVs are still thin on the ground it’s also up the Nissan LEAF, which in Detroit next week will announce a new stripped-down version at a reduced price.
If GM is building the Spark only to satisfy California regulators (as, arguably, Toyota, Honda and Chrysler are), it may not care if you buy one or not. Is it a compliance car, then? “It’s not a compliance car,” said Pebbles. “We’re planning a global launch of this vehicle—it will be in a lot of markets.” But Pebbles also said that GM isn’t yet talking volumes or specific American markets where the car will roll out next summer.
’m on the General Motors stand with an electric Chevy Spark and Paul Pebbles, whose full title is global manager, OnStar electric vehicle and smart grid services. The Spark is here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas because GM wants people to know what a connected car it is—the company is announcing Waypoint, a new app that will tell EV owners if they can make it to an announced destination. If not, it will plot a route that takes in some available charging stations.
Waypoint would be useful if you owned a Spark, but will you—with a price of $32,000 before the federal rebate—own a Spark? The car is very small, and has an unofficial range of approximately 90 miles. I sat in it and found it tight.
The dash showed off another reason this car is at CES—not only is there the latest GM infotainment system often seen in higher-end vehicles, but there’s some useful electric drive data, too. With the remaining battery charge in mind, the Spark will tell you that you have 32 miles of range left—but 27 if you drive like an idiot or 40 if you’re very conservative.
GM’s Rebecca Roth also told me that GM has partnered with utilities (including Detroit-area DTE) to enable Spark owners to automatically charge during the best time-of-use rates, which may vary. More utilities need to offer such rates to optimize a system like that.
GM Says It's The Real Deal
The Spark is very under-the-radar right now, and it will have to stack up against other battery offerings, including the Scion iQ, Honda Fit EV and Fiat 500. But since EVs are still thin on the ground it’s also up the Nissan LEAF, which in Detroit next week will announce a new stripped-down version at a reduced price.
If GM is building the Spark only to satisfy California regulators (as, arguably, Toyota, Honda and Chrysler are), it may not care if you buy one or not. Is it a compliance car, then? “It’s not a compliance car,” said Pebbles. “We’re planning a global launch of this vehicle—it will be in a lot of markets.” But Pebbles also said that GM isn’t yet talking volumes or specific American markets where the car will roll out next summer.