ev range question..

Chevy Spark EV Forum

Help Support Chevy Spark EV Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jave982

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
2
so I bought a chevy spark ev 2lt from one of my friends with 6,000 miles on it.. still smells new inside LOL. anyways On a full charge its showing me that ive got 64 miles.. Ive heard that the outdoor temp has a large impact on the range..I mostly drive at night and the temps average from 37-45 degrees.. so I drive 28 miles to work and 28 miles home and charge for free there which is a plus..I do 65 on cruse at all times on the freeway.. when i get home I usually have like 35-42 miles left in the battery driving back to work with out a charge at home is kind of sketchy I did it once and only had like 15 to 20 miles left when I arrived at work which freaked me out lol.. I was just wondering if these numbers sound normal to all of you out there and if im just being paranoid about something being wrong with my battery LOL!! :roll: thanks for listening

David
 
If you're using the heater, than that's probably about right for a ~60 mile trip at 65mph. Should get a lot better once the weather warms up.
 
The range number is subject to many parameters including driving style and driving conditions.
If you want to know if your battery is OK, what you want to check is what is its usable capacity.


That number can be extrapolated from the Energy usage screen that shows % of battery used and kWh used.

You need to add the 3 percentage numbers (driving, climate and conditioning) to get the full % used, then you divide the kWh number by that % number, and it gives you the estimated total battery capacity.

For example if you read 71% with 13 kWh used, it means 13 / 0.71 = 18.3 kWh total battery capacity.

That calculation is more reliable if you do it with a high percentage of use, because of the imprecision of the reading.
When you extrapolate the usable capacity from a low %/kWh numbers, the result can easily be off by + or - 1kWh

It will also vary with the temperature, so you want to compute that number across several charge / used cycle to get a feel for what your battery is at.

The nominal usable capacity when the battery is new is supposed to be around 18.4 kWh (even if there are no 100% official numbers).

My Spark has 52kmiles and is more around 16.5 / 17 kWh of usable capacity because of degradation ( I am still monitoring that number as I got the car recently)

How many miles you can do with that capacity will heavily depend on the conditions (speed, temperature, incline...) and your driving style.
The way to measure it, is by looking at the Miles by kWh numbers found on the trip screen behind the wheel, and in the historical energy screen.

In good climate condition with smooth driving, you can be above 5 miles per kWh which would be 92 miles on an 18.4kWh capacity
In poor climate condition and or aggressive driving, you could be around 3.5 miles per kWh which would mean 64 miles on hat same 18.4 kWh capacity

Finally, the range number that will be shown on the screen will be an average of recent historical conditions. I am not sure of the period used to create that average, but on our Volt, it is around 3 or 4 driving days / charge cycle.

So when conditions and or driving style change, the range will only change gradually across a few cycles
 
Or in my case, in weather around 30, with the car heated like any civilized vehicle, my Spark is using almost as much juice for climate control as it is for moving the car. :?
I'm seeing 53 miles range on the guess-o-meter in winter. As temps have recently been in the 40s, the estimate has crept up to 55.
 
56 - the lowest I have ever seen. Really cold weather... :(
I keep the cabin comfortable and hang with my buds in the left lane. 65-75 and +. :p
I bump the limit sometimes. That's always a shock... :eek:

Yet, during the nicest time of the year I have seen 94, if I drive the country way to work and home.

Hang in there !!
 
so I took the spark out today on a full charge and drove it until there was only 1 mile left on the gauge.. and I got a reading of 17.3 kwh of total battery usage.. so Im thinking the battery is in good condition?? thanks for the input !
 
scrambler said:
The range number is subject to many parameters including driving style and driving conditions.
If you want to know if your battery is OK, what you want to check is what is its usable capacity.


That number can be extrapolated from the Energy usage screen that shows % of battery used and kWh used.

You need to add the 3 percentage numbers (driving, climate and conditioning) to get the full % used, then you divide the kWh number by that % number, and it gives you the estimated total battery capacity.

For example if you read 71% with 13 kWh used, it means 13 / 0.71 = 18.3 kWh total battery capacity.

That calculation is more reliable if you do it with a high percentage of use, because of the imprecision of the reading.
When you extrapolate the usable capacity from a low %/kWh numbers, the result can easily be off by + or - 1kWh

It will also vary with the temperature, so you want to compute that number across several charge / used cycle to get a feel for what your battery is at.


The nominal usable capacity when the battery is new is supposed to be around 18.4 kWh (even if there are no 100% official numbers).

My Spark has 52kmiles and is more around 16.5 / 17 kWh of usable capacity because of degradation ( I am still monitoring that number as I got the car recently)

How many miles you can do with that capacity will heavily depend on the conditions (speed, temperature, incline...) and your driving style.
The way to measure it, is by looking at the Miles by kWh numbers found on the trip screen behind the wheel, and in the historical energy screen.

In good climate condition with smooth driving, you can be above 5 miles per kWh which would be 92 miles on an 18.4kWh capacity
In poor climate condition and or aggressive driving, you could be around 3.5 miles per kWh which would mean 64 miles on hat same 18.4 kWh capacity

Finally, the range number that will be shown on the screen will be an average of recent historical conditions. I am not sure of the period used to create that average, but on our Volt, it is around 3 or 4 driving days / charge cycle.

So when conditions and or driving style change, the range will only change gradually across a few cycles
i did the calculations at 45% which is a short sample as u say and came up with 18 usable capacity. i will check it again when its almost empty. the real question is i got 2.7 miles per kwh last trip. my lead foot isnt doing much for range. i also used the heater since its cold in vegas. im having too much fun though to become frugal on miles per kwh:) lets not forget i charge for free everytime so why care.

scrambler, how do u know that 18.xx is the max the battery can hold if its rated at 21. where did u get that info.
 
evboy said:
..... lets not forget i charge for free everytime so why care.

scrambler, how do u know that 18.xx is the max the battery can hold if its rated at 21. where did u get that info.

I'm in the same boat with mostly free charging, so I enjoy this little EV Hot Rod. I tell friends it's really a hybrid- it burns electrons and rubber !! :lol: I may go thru 3 sets of front tires before touching the rears!

It seems hard to find any official number on 'Usable' battery kWh. I use 19.5 kWh on my spread sheet. To get an accurate look at your battery you need to plot lots of numbers.
Start taking pictures at shut down now. You can put them in an .xls later,, if you're into that sort of thing.
 
evboy said:
scrambler, how do u know that 18.xx is the max the battery can hold if its rated at 21. where did u get that info.

Lots of searches on the web for Spark EV usable battery capacity.
As I said nothing 100% official, but two numbers come back frequently, 18.4kWh and 17.3kWh

Given many people report more than 17.3kWh I am betting on the 18.4kWh. The data reported by many people also seem to confirm that number.
It also makes sense it terms of the SOC margins needed to preserve the battery life of a 21kWh pack.

Also remember the batter changed with the 2015 model, up to 2014 it was a 21kWh A123 battery, but starting with 2014 the battery was a little smaller LG battery, although GM said the usable capacity was the same.

For a battery pack like the Spark to last, it must never be fully charged and never be fully discharged. So GM builds limits in both directions
It limits the usability, but in return, your battery pack lasts longer, a worthy compromise :)

If you are getting 2.7 miles / kWh, then you definitely have a lead foot and or harsh driving conditions :)
If you really want to improve that, you cant do anything on the driving conditions, but you can smooth out your driving and wear a coat rather than blasting the heater (use heated seat too, they use less power) :)
 
NORTON said:
It seems hard to find any official number on 'Usable' battery kWh. I use 19.5 kWh on my spread sheet. To get an accurate look at your battery you need to plot lots of numbers.
Start taking pictures at shut down now. You can put them in an .xls later,, if you're into that sort of thing.

I have started writing down battery % and kWh every 5% starting with 10%, when I have gathered data from at least 5 cycles I will share the data.

The goal is two folds:
To see if the Usable capacity deducted from that data is consistent overtime, and to see if it is consistent between calculations from a low % and from a high % use one.
 
scrambler said:
...If you are getting 2.7 miles / kWh, then you definitely have a lead foot and or harsh driving conditions :)
If you really want to improve that, you cant do anything on the driving conditions, but you can smooth out your driving and wear a coat rather than blasting the heater (use heated seat too, they use less power) :)
But why suffer? To save a few cents on electron costs?
I like out pulling cars at stop lights. I let a Juke act like he was barely ahead of me up to 25 MPH, then floored it and bye bye. Then I tapped the brakes at 50 to show I was done and let him come around.

I only take pictures of drives that use more than 50% to have accurate/consistent data.
My .xls is titled "Battery Degradation (sad face)". Who wants to dwell on these numbers? In 7-8 years they may have some useful data. Who knows? I'm sure it won't be as bad as a Leaf.
 
My 2015 model usually calculates out to have a usable capacity of between 17.2 and 17.9 Kwh (it seems to bounce around randomly within this range). Miles per Kwh have vary from a low of 2.8 to a high of 6.7 and I know the causes for these extremes :).
 
scrambler said:
The range number is subject to many parameters including driving style and driving conditions.
If you want to know if your battery is OK, what you want to check is what is its usable capacity.


That number can be extrapolated from the Energy usage screen that shows % of battery used and kWh used.

You need to add the 3 percentage numbers (driving, climate and conditioning) to get the full % used, then you divide the kWh number by that % number, and it gives you the estimated total battery capacity.

For example if you read 71% with 13 kWh used, it means 13 / 0.71 = 18.3 kWh total battery capacity.

That calculation is more reliable if you do it with a high percentage of use, because of the imprecision of the reading.
When you extrapolate the usable capacity from a low %/kWh numbers, the result can easily be off by + or - 1kWh

It will also vary with the temperature, so you want to compute that number across several charge / used cycle to get a feel for what your battery is at.

The nominal usable capacity when the battery is new is supposed to be around 18.4 kWh (even if there are no 100% official numbers).

My Spark has 52kmiles and is more around 16.5 / 17 kWh of usable capacity because of degradation ( I am still monitoring that number as I got the car recently)

How many miles you can do with that capacity will heavily depend on the conditions (speed, temperature, incline...) and your driving style.
The way to measure it, is by looking at the Miles by kWh numbers found on the trip screen behind the wheel, and in the historical energy screen.

In good climate condition with smooth driving, you can be above 5 miles per kWh which would be 92 miles on an 18.4kWh capacity
In poor climate condition and or aggressive driving, you could be around 3.5 miles per kWh which would mean 64 miles on hat same 18.4 kWh capacity

Finally, the range number that will be shown on the screen will be an average of recent historical conditions. I am not sure of the period used to create that average, but on our Volt, it is around 3 or 4 driving days / charge cycle.

So when conditions and or driving style change, the range will only change gradually across a few cycles
scrambler, i did the number again with 9 miles left and came up with 18.09 usable capacity. its a 2014. is that good for a car with 4100 miles.
 
evboy said:
i did the number again with 9 miles left and came up with 18.09 usable capacity. its a 2014. is that good for a car with 4100 miles.
My 2015 that has smaller battery with 15K miles is showing 18.05 kWh, so 2014 that has bigger battery with only 4100 miles showing 18.09 seems to have degraded lot more. I have to wonder if the previous owner had the car at 100% charge and sitting in hot environment without plugged-in. The worst combo is 100% and high temperature, and not plugging in wouldn't activate thermal management, effectively turning SparkEV into almost like Leaf.
 
SparkevBlogspot said:
evboy said:
.... The worst combo is 100% and high temperature, and not plugging in wouldn't activate thermal management, effectively turning SparkEV into almost like Leaf.
Crap, this is true.... :cry:

And I suspect no where in the manual does it talk about this condition....
 
SparkevBlogspot said:
evboy said:
i did the number again with 9 miles left and came up with 18.09 usable capacity. its a 2014. is that good for a car with 4100 miles.
My 2015 that has smaller battery with 15K miles is showing 18.05 kWh, so 2014 that has bigger battery with only 4100 miles showing 18.09 seems to have degraded lot more. I have to wonder if the previous owner had the car at 100% charge and sitting in hot environment without plugged-in. The worst combo is 100% and high temperature, and not plugging in wouldn't activate thermal management, effectively turning SparkEV into almost like Leaf.
it came from cali. not too hot out there. also isnt there a margin of error on the calculations when u do the formula.
 
SparkevBlogspot said:
evboy said:
i did the number again with 9 miles left and came up with 18.09 usable capacity. its a 2014. is that good for a car with 4100 miles.
My 2015 that has smaller battery with 15K miles is showing 18.05 kWh, so 2014 that has bigger battery with only 4100 miles showing 18.09 seems to have degraded lot more. I have to wonder if the previous owner had the car at 100% charge and sitting in hot environment without plugged-in. The worst combo is 100% and high temperature, and not plugging in wouldn't activate thermal management, effectively turning SparkEV into almost like Leaf.
is it really at 100 percent. doesnt gm only allow a portion of the 21kw battery to be used. what is the true number that is usable. is it all guessing on this forum or has gm stated a number that is usable. i read some post that said its 18.4 usable. idk if thats true.
 
SparkevBlogspot said:
evboy said:
i did the number again with 9 miles left and came up with 18.09 usable capacity. its a 2014. is that good for a car with 4100 miles.
My 2015 that has smaller battery with 15K miles is showing 18.05 kWh, so 2014 that has bigger battery with only 4100 miles showing 18.09 seems to have degraded lot more. I have to wonder if the previous owner had the car at 100% charge and sitting in hot environment without plugged-in. The worst combo is 100% and high temperature, and not plugging in wouldn't activate thermal management, effectively turning SparkEV into almost like Leaf.
doesnt thermal mgmt kick in no matter what.
 
evboy said:
SparkevBlogspot said:
evboy said:
i did the number again with 9 miles left and came up with 18.09 usable capacity. its a 2014. is that good for a car with 4100 miles.
My 2015 that has smaller battery with 15K miles is showing 18.05 kWh, so 2014 that has bigger battery with only 4100 miles showing 18.09 seems to have degraded lot more. I have to wonder if the previous owner had the car at 100% charge and sitting in hot environment without plugged-in. The worst combo is 100% and high temperature, and not plugging in wouldn't activate thermal management, effectively turning SparkEV into almost like Leaf.
doesnt thermal mgmt kick in no matter what.

If it's like the Volt, then yes the Spark EV would use battery power to run the TMS at high states of charge. So, leaving the car unplugged in high heat with a 100% charge should not cause battery damage.
 
i read a old post where a guy had usable capacity at 19 in spring/summer but but when he checked again in the winter in the 60's it was 17.6. i find it hard to believe the battery degraded that much in 4 or 5 monthss. these numbers we r throwing around must fluctuate based on weather. we will find out in may/june. i will keep u updated. this gm chart shows 17.3 of the battery is usable. i am so confused.http://gm-volt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Slide5.jpg
 
Back
Top