Buying a '14 or a '15__Which one is better?

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NORTON

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2015
Messages
1,456
Location
KC,MO
When was the battery change made?
And at some point was the SAE Combo charging made standard equipment?

Was the change made at the model year change or at just some VIN break?

Is there a reason to get one battery pack over the other?

I know I am only buying one with the Fast DC charging option.
My home town of KC, Mo has a great network of Free Fast DC combo CCS and chademo stations.
I can make an airport run with an added 10 minute top up at one of these!

Thanks for any knowledge you might share!
 
The 2015 battery design will be better in the long run. The way the 15 is geared and programmed was designed to imporve usable range. I notice virtually no difference in power or ability. We just sold the last 2014 at my dealership for pretty close to what a 15 sells for. Unless you are buying one under 21k as a 14 model I would strongly suggest a 2015.
 
I can't seem to find the link, but Tony Williams tested both the 2014 and 2015 for range. As I recall, going 62mph on cruise control, on fairly even roads in Southern California, the results were as follows:

2014 range: ~98 miles
2015 range: ~88 miles.

The overall EPA estimate is supposed to be the same, but the battery is actually bigger in the 2014. However, the 2015 has a more useable battery pack (not sure if this is going to cause the battery to degrade more quickly). I think the gearing on the 2015 is more designed for the city, so your mileage in the 2015 will be superior in the city, but likely suffer on the highway. Acceleration on the 2015 is supposed to be better as well.

TLDR:
2014 better highway range
2015 better city range, quicker.
 
NORTON said:
And at some point was the SAE Combo charging made standard equipment?
Click to expand...
No. It wasn't available as an option until partway thru the '14 model year and still isn't standard on the '15. You can see this for yourself if you go to http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-ev-electric-vehicle.html and select Build. You'll see "Charging, fast provisions" as an $750 option. (And, no, nobody has succeeded (as far as we know) in adding it after purchase time.)

If you need a CA zip, put in 90024.
 
xylhim said:
I can't seem to find the link, but Tony Williams tested both the 2014 and 2015 for range. As I recall, going 62mph on cruise control, on fairly even roads in Southern California, the results were as follows:

2014 range: ~98 miles
2015 range: ~88 miles.

The overall EPA estimate is supposed to be the same, but the battery is actually bigger in the 2014. However, the 2015 has a more useable battery pack (not sure if this is going to cause the battery to degrade more quickly). I think the gearing on the 2015 is more designed for the city, so your mileage in the 2015 will be superior in the city, but likely suffer on the highway. Acceleration on the 2015 is supposed to be better as well.

TLDR:
2014 better highway range
2015 better city range, quicker.
Click to expand...

He has a good sum-up of the details. As a battery guy, the 2014 has the better battery. The best model IMO is a 2014 with DC Fast Charge which my dealer did not have. I was able to pick up a 2014 for ~$21k that had been sitting in the lot for 500 days. One important thing to keep in mind that these batteries are going to wear out mostly due to calendar life rather than cycling. So the more miles you drive per year, the more use you'll get out of each pack. I don't like the fact that the 2015 battery uses close 90% of the pack, while the 2014 uses ~80%. The 2015 battery does weigh a less though and is faster....
 
I'd say the 2015 is quicker in the city...the 2014 will be quicker on the highway. Pulls like a train even past 70.
 
Thanks for the info, guys!

I'm still researching used '14's vs new '15's.

I wondered how a smaller kWh battery on the '15 could still have the same range and now I understand it uses more of the available power.
It's a long way off but what will '14's do when their A123 pack reaches the end? Will the LG pack be a plug and play replacement?


I qualify of for the full $7500 federal tax incentive but no other incentives where I live.
What I need is a 'Best Buddy' that lives in one of the Ca.counties that get all the extra tax incentives to buy one then change his mind and sell it to me, his 'best buddy'. ;)
Oh well, transporting the car is an extra $6-700 no matter what year I buy.

I am ready for a fast BEV!
 
NORTON said:
Thanks for the info, guys!
I'm still researching used '14's vs new '15's.

I wondered how a smaller kWh battery on the '15 could still have the same range and now I understand it uses more of the available power.
It's a long way off but what will '14's do when their A123 pack reaches the end? Will the LG pack be a plug and play replacement?
Click to expand...

I'm wondering too. I bet GM had a huge service/supply contract with A123 which is now owned by Wanxiang/NECES so even though A123 is gone, there still is the technical capability to continue providing the cells/packs.
http://www.neces.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanxiang

I am ready for a fast BEV!
Click to expand...

Get a Tesla :lol: ....jokiing...but not really :mrgreen:
 
xylhim said:
I can't seem to find the link, but Tony Williams tested both the 2014 and 2015 for range. As I recall, going 62mph on cruise control, on fairly even roads in Southern California, the results were as follows:

2014 range: ~98 miles
2015 range: ~88 miles.

The overall EPA estimate is supposed to be the same, but the battery is actually bigger in the 2014. However, the 2015 has a more useable battery pack (not sure if this is going to cause the battery to degrade more quickly). I think the gearing on the 2015 is more designed for the city, so your mileage in the 2015 will be superior in the city, but likely suffer on the highway. Acceleration on the 2015 is supposed to be better as well.

TLDR:
2014 better highway range
2015 better city range, quicker.
Click to expand...

I have both cars - a 2014 with 26k miles and a 2015 with 1k miles. I agree with your comments. The highway efficiency is less with the 2015, although overall effiency (mixed city and hwy) is better. The 2015 has better acceleration at the low end.

The suspension on the 2015 also feels more refined. I sure like the new lease deal too!
 
Sesamecrunch said:
xylhim said:
I can't seem to find the link, but Tony Williams tested both the 2014 and 2015 for range. As I recall, going 62mph on cruise control, on fairly even roads in Southern California, the results were as follows:

2014 range: ~98 miles
2015 range: ~88 miles.

The overall EPA estimate is supposed to be the same, but the battery is actually bigger in the 2014. However, the 2015 has a more useable battery pack (not sure if this is going to cause the battery to degrade more quickly). I think the gearing on the 2015 is more designed for the city, so your mileage in the 2015 will be superior in the city, but likely suffer on the highway. Acceleration on the 2015 is supposed to be better as well.

TLDR:
2014 better highway range
2015 better city range, quicker.
Click to expand...

I have both cars - a 2014 with 26k miles and a 2015 with 1k miles. I agree with your comments. The highway efficiency is less with the 2015, although overall effiency (mixed city and hwy) is better. The 2015 has better acceleration at the low end.

The suspension on the 2015 also feels more refined. I sure like the new lease deal too!
Click to expand...

If the most I do is around 55mph for rural roads, will it matter which model year I get?
 
sprockkets said:
If the most I do is around 55mph for rural roads, will it matter which model year I get?
Click to expand...

I think the differences between a 2014 Spark EV and a 2015 model are nearly insignificant when you consider how much both models differ from a fuel burning car.

In terms of overall energy efficiency my guess is we are talking about maybe 5% difference. I think the differences are mostly unimportant, and there are few enough used Spark EVs available, you might want to use other criteria to decide which one to get.

Mine is from January 2014, it pre-dates the DC fast charge option. I've been driving for 50 years, this car is the best I've ever had, and the most efficient, most fun, and fastest.
 
Hi,

I've narrowed my Spark EV decision down to three cars. All are 2LT models with DC fast charging:

1.) 2014 / 12,000 miles / ~$11,000
2.) 2014 / 500 miles / ~$14,000
3.) 2015 / 3000 miles / ~$14,000 (this one has a lemon branded title)

I'm thinking about going with door #1 because saving $3,000 makes sense, and also because the 2014's came with a slightly larger battery pack. That said, the 2015 has longer warranty, and resale might be marginally better down the road. Thanks for your opinions.
 
So assuming that there is no real advantage of going with the 2014 over the 2015- I might throw this consideration into the mix:

Chevy is giving an 8 year or 100000 mile warranty on the battery. That given, I'm fairly sure the longevity of the pack will meet those targets, as I haven't heard any members of this board complain of significant battery degradation yet.

So lets say the MSRP of the car is about 27K, and you're getting 100000 usable miles. On a new car- That means you're getting ~3.7 miles per dollar. If you factor in tax credits and rebates, the actual price could drop down to $15,500 for a new; this brings miles/$ to 6.45. Thus, I would equate in mile/dollar amounts of the cars you've mentioned:

1. 2014 w/ 12K = 7.3 miles per dollar
2. 2014 w/ 500 mile = 7.1 miles per dollar
3. 2015 w/ 3000 miles = 6.92 miles per dollar

So no matter which one you choose, you are getting a better deal than buying new, but you could still buy new and as long as you get all the rebates, still get a good deal. So the real question is, what color would you like? :cool:
 
xylhim said:
So assuming that there is no real advantage of going with the 2014 over the 2015- I might throw this consideration into the mix:

Chevy is giving an 8 year or 100000 mile warranty on the battery. That given, I'm fairly sure the longevity of the pack will meet those targets, as I haven't heard any members of this board complain of significant battery degradation yet.

So lets say the MSRP of the car is about 27K, and you're getting 100000 usable miles. On a new car- That means you're getting ~3.7 miles per dollar. If you factor in tax credits and rebates, the actual price could drop down to $15,500 for a new; this brings miles/$ to 6.45. Thus, I would equate in mile/dollar amounts of the cars you've mentioned:

1. 2014 w/ 12K = 7.3 miles per dollar
2. 2014 w/ 500 mile = 7.1 miles per dollar
3. 2015 w/ 3000 miles = 6.92 miles per dollar

So no matter which one you choose, you are getting a better deal than buying new, but you could still buy new and as long as you get all the rebates, still get a good deal. So the real question is, what color would you like? :cool:
Click to expand...

Miles per dollar...that's an interesting way of looking at it. I do think that 2014's may have a slight advantage as they don't use 100% of the battery pack, reserving a small buffer for longevity. As I posted in another thread; I'm looking at a 2014 without DCFC. Your ratio suggests that car would yield 8.69 miles per dollar.
 

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