I haven't seen this discussed yet regarding the Spark: Does the range drop (does the battery lose juice) when you leave it unplugged?
Our answer: NO - not that we can measure...
During Thanksgiving week we drove away in our other vehicle and left the Spark unplugged for 7 full days just to see if there was a drop in range while it sat. The result: the range did not drop at all.
Then from Christmas to New Years we went to Mexico for 9 days. We drove the Spark from north San Diego to the Mexican border and parked in a lot so we could fly from the Tijuana airport. We drove down at night, with headlights, weather in the low 40's, and had to use the defroster too. Distance to the airport: 35 miles, 3 people and luggage to the roof. We left the car in the lot for 9 days, and it was a lot where we had to leave the key; the lot was full, with all the cars jammed together, so they moved all the cars whenever they had to get one out.
I knew it was a bit of gamble to make it back home after 9 days, but I thought it was a safe bet. Then while we were in Mexico I read the Consumer Reports update on the Tesla S, saying that it loses mileage when unplugged: To quote Consumer Reports: "We previously reported that the [Tesla] range indicator tended to drop 10 to 15 miles while the car was parked outside overnight. The company has supposedly beamed a software update to all Model S Teslas that’s supposed to reduce those “vampire” losses. We still see a drop of 5 to 10 miles when the car is left off the charger for 24 hours." That got me worried; if Teslas lose range like that, how can the Spark not have the same issue? Were we really going to make it home after landing in Tijuana at midnight on New Year's?
I'm happy to report that the Spark did NOT lose even ONE mile of range during those 9 days, and we made it home with 15 miles left on the meter. After 6 months of use, we're enjoying this car SO much. Anybody else have stats on range loss while unplugged?
Our answer: NO - not that we can measure...
During Thanksgiving week we drove away in our other vehicle and left the Spark unplugged for 7 full days just to see if there was a drop in range while it sat. The result: the range did not drop at all.
Then from Christmas to New Years we went to Mexico for 9 days. We drove the Spark from north San Diego to the Mexican border and parked in a lot so we could fly from the Tijuana airport. We drove down at night, with headlights, weather in the low 40's, and had to use the defroster too. Distance to the airport: 35 miles, 3 people and luggage to the roof. We left the car in the lot for 9 days, and it was a lot where we had to leave the key; the lot was full, with all the cars jammed together, so they moved all the cars whenever they had to get one out.
I knew it was a bit of gamble to make it back home after 9 days, but I thought it was a safe bet. Then while we were in Mexico I read the Consumer Reports update on the Tesla S, saying that it loses mileage when unplugged: To quote Consumer Reports: "We previously reported that the [Tesla] range indicator tended to drop 10 to 15 miles while the car was parked outside overnight. The company has supposedly beamed a software update to all Model S Teslas that’s supposed to reduce those “vampire” losses. We still see a drop of 5 to 10 miles when the car is left off the charger for 24 hours." That got me worried; if Teslas lose range like that, how can the Spark not have the same issue? Were we really going to make it home after landing in Tijuana at midnight on New Year's?
I'm happy to report that the Spark did NOT lose even ONE mile of range during those 9 days, and we made it home with 15 miles left on the meter. After 6 months of use, we're enjoying this car SO much. Anybody else have stats on range loss while unplugged?