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ncerna

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Messages
76
Greetings!

My name is Christian. I recently purchased a 2014 Chevy Spark EV. So far I am pretty pleased with the car. I really enjoy the way it drives. My car has around 13,000 miles on it. And it is in great condition.

I am just beginning to learn all the features of the car. I admit, I am a little nervous about the purchase. Even though I am enjoying the car, I wonder if I will have regrets once the novelty wears off.

My two big concerns are:
1. How long will the battery last?
2. I have a 50 mile round trip commute to work each day. Thankfully there are charging stations at my workplace. I just hope I don't get tired of having to charge the vehicle every day. Before I bought the car I was under the impression that I could quickly charge the car in around 20 mins. But now I am finding out that only certain charging stations are equipped for fast charging.

We shall see how it goes within the next couple of years. I am optimistic. Though even after a couple of days I am finding that I am more hesitant to use my car because I know that charging my car at home can take anywhere from 7 hrs to 20 hrs, depending on the voltage used.

Anyone on here own the Spark for a few years? What's been your experience so far? Any known issues I should be aware of?
 
ncerna said:
Greetings!

My name is Christian. I recently purchased a 2014 Chevy Spark EV. So far I am pretty pleased with the car. I really enjoy the way it drives. My car has around 13,000 miles on it. And it is in great condition.

I am just beginning to learn all the features of the car. I admit, I am a little nervous about the purchase. Even though I am enjoying the car, I wonder if I will have regrets once the novelty wears off.

My two big concerns are:
1. How long will the battery last?
2. I have a 50 mile round trip commute to work each day. Thankfully there are charging stations at my workplace. I just hope I don't get tired of having to charge the vehicle every day. Before I bought the car I was under the impression that I could quickly charge the car in around 20 mins. But now I am finding out that only certain charging stations are equipped for fast charging.

We shall see how it goes within the next couple of years. I am optimistic. Though even after a couple of days I am finding that I am more hesitant to use my car because I know that charging my car at home can take anywhere from 7 hrs to 20 hrs, depending on the voltage used.

Anyone on here own the Spark for a few years? What's been your experience so far? Any known issues I should be aware of?

I leased a new 2015 Spark EV 2LT two years ago and followed that 3 months later by purchasing a used [1500 miles on the ODO] 2014 Spark EV 2LT. The 2014 does not have the DCFC option but the 2015 does. I installed a Bosch L2 EVSE in my garage and I use it to charge both cars between midnight and 6am - but, not on the same night.

A 50 mile round trip will not be a problem as long as you start out each trip with a full charge. Currently, my full-charge range for my 2014 is around 100 miles so 50 miles is no problem. But, in winter temps of 35 - 40 deg. F, using the heater drops my full-charge range to around 75 miles. Be advised that the heater is a power hog and will affect your range. The A/C is much less of a problem but it will still affect your range, but not nearly as much as the heater. Over time, you will learn how to get maximum efficiency out of your car. I have had no problems with either car after 2 years of driving. The 2014 is approaching 11k miles and the 2015 is approaching 20k miles.

Have your local Chevy dealer check to see if there are any unresolved recalls or service bulletins that apply to your car. Then . . . .. hit the road and enjoy driving this road rocket.
 
Thanks for the reply.

So far I am really pleased with my Chevy Spark EV. I love driving it. It is so fast. When people ride in my car, they are amazed at how fast and quiet it is.

There is a charging station at work. And I have found EvGo fast charging stations all around Los Angeles.

My only criticism of the car so far is the mushy suspension, and the stock brakes. When I have other passengers with me, it seems like the car bounces up and down too much. And the braking power is greatly reduced. I have had a couple close calls. It seems like the car takes forever to stop when I have the car full of passengers.
 
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