Recent content by TonyWilliams

If you don’t mind rubbing shoulders with battery electric cars, The EV Show 2019 is Saturday, June 8 in San Marcos, California USA We request that you display a 24” x 36” poster board on the windshield describing the car (anything unique, history of the car, special trips, low cost to operate...

I have made this trip (and much farther) many times in an EV. I have just completed San Diego to Sacramento a few weeks ago in a Toyota RAV4 EV, equipped to be recharged with CHAdeMO. The RAV4 EV has significantly more range than a Spark EV, but either car can complete the trip with basic...

It went 5.0 miles per kWh (same as 2014) at 62mph /100kmh ground speed. 5 * 19kWh (2014) = 95 miles (plus/minus some small error) 5 * 18kWh (2015) = 90 miles (plus/minus some small error) The radio has virtually no measurable impact.

Yes, we tested the 2015 Spark w/18kWh battery and got 89 miles. Not surprisingly, the range is less than the 2014 with 19kWh battery.

All of the CCS Combo1 only stations that are provided through the BMW / Volkswagen / ChargePoint agreement are produced in France and are only 20 to 25KW Max. These units are quite inexpensive and are subsidized at $6500 each, plus installation. All the dual units that have both CCS and CHAdeMO...

The Spark EV charges faster primarily because the battery is teeny tiny, and the car is very efficient (about 5 miles per kWh at 65mph). If 120 amps are coming out of the charger, it doesn't matter what brand name or plug design is used. For the person wanting to install CHAdeMO on their...

Interesting. I now see that the dryer outlet had a neutral and ground tied together. Very odd. Anyhoo, yes, if seems a simple dryer cord extension would have worked, however, I'd prefer a proper wiring job. It would be a simple matter to use a 30 amp outlet (NEMA 14-30) to alleviate...

That's the general concept. The DC to DC converter will actually take the high voltage DC and bring it down to 13.5 volts at 100 amps maximum. You can run your inverter from the 12 volt battery until you kill both the main traction battery, and shortly thereafter, the 12 volt battery.

I'll Debbie Downer here and point out that installing a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 outlet on a 30 amp circuit could be dangerous. Using a 14-50 without a proper neutral also won't work as intended for uses other than EV charging. Lastly, it's specifically against code to put "Romex" cables in conduit...

Regulated monopoly utilities in California are prohibited from installing chargers, but they are lobbying to change that. It's an uphill battle. I do not support going from Exxon and Chevron to PG&E and SCE.

I think somebody linked the InsideEVs article where a GM spokesman basically says, "Spark EV ends, we haven't announced the date." Not really a shock that they wouldn't keep making one car for CARB-ZEV compliance and a second car (Bolt) that can also be used for compliance. Frankly, it would be...

See you there. We are easy to find ! Just look for super nerd looking guys.

Your assumptions are mostly correct. While the SAE-CCS-Combo1 DC charger will slow down somewhere between 50-80% (typical for most EV's), there is a problem for the Spark EV. With the 3.3kW charge rate of the Spark EV while using virtually any J1772 / L2 (typical public charge station), I...

The LEAF has no cooling system whatsoever for the battery... not even a fan. Also, there's no limit to DC charging, but the battery will get hotter with each charge. I did 10 charge events in 65-70F ambient temperatures, and the battery got up to about 110-120F.

GM has already announced the end of the Spark EV (to be replaced with the Bolt in late 2016). I suspect as the factory in South Korea is switching over to a new body style (that won't be shared with the Spark EV), they wanted to get as many out as they can for the likely gap when the isn't any...