Pulled the trigger on a 2016 2LT with DCFC

[aigochamaloh]

The lease deal was too good to pass up.

3 year 36k mile lease on one pay. $4500 out the door in inland empire socal. Pretty much free car other than insurance since I can charge at work and don't need to fill up on gas.

Hoping to see crazy buyout deals like the leaf at the end of lease!

Are the Bosch charger rebates still in effect?

 

[abhisharma]

First of all it was a great deal. '
I got for $5200

Anyways back to your Bosch question.

I have this email from them :

Per our conversation today, please send one of these items (sales/lease agreement, title, registration) which clearly shows your vehicle make, model, and VIN# and email it to [email protected] Please include your name and contact phone number as well as the charger model you would like to order. Our processing department will contact you within 24-48 hours of receiving the info. If you would like to start the process of getting a free installation quote of your charger please register online at http://WWW.PLUGINNOW.COM and complete the pre-install survey after registering with your information. If you have any questions please contact us at 1-877-805-3873.


I got it 30A/18ft for about $174 including taxes and shipping.

 

[Jason90405]

Yep, I was able to get $500 off the Bosch charge for my recent lease of the 2016 Spark EV.

 

[aigochamaloh]

Great to hear, this is an unbelievable deal.

Dealer let me put the whole thing down on my CC too, free hotel night out of it as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello aigochamaloh,

The deal you got sounds great! Will you please share the name of the dealership, city & the salesperson that helped you? Was yours a 2LT with Fast Charge? Any additional info you can post will be very helpful. I'm looking to lease one Asap & would really appreciate your expert advice! I can also let the salesperson know that you referred me, in case it can get you a free accessory or something for your Spark!

Many Thanks in advance,
Natalia

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

DCFC means DC Fast charge, so he has fast charge option.

If you're looking for lease deals, check out ev-vin's blog. There are some who offer $67/mo+$1500 down=$3900 (plus tax, blah blah). Even if you don't get it from the dealers he has listed, you can use that as benchmark to haggle.

http://ev-vin.blogspot.com

You should be aware that SparkEV inventory is going down. I saw 490 available in May. 1, but it's now down to 375 today. I don't know if they're selling faster than they make them, or if Chevy stopped making them already. It's likely that SparkEV will be discontinued later this year to make way for Bolt, a far more expensive car. IMO, Bolt's extra range is not worth the money when most of my driving is met with SparkEV, especially with DCFC.

 

[mandy]

Hi aigochamaloh! Can you share you dealer and sale person info please!

 

[MrDRMorgan]

It's likely that SparkEV will be discontinued later this year to make way for Bolt, a far more expensive car. IMO, Bolt's extra range is not worth the money when most of my driving is met with SparkEV, especially with DCFC.

I really have to agree with your last sentence. I have found that as long as I have DCFC stations located approximately 40-50 miles apart along my route, I do not have any problems going distances at all. I also have found that recharging only to 85% shortens my wait time to about 10 minutes and I am still able to easily get to my destination.

 

[stk123]

Anyways back to your Bosch question.
I have this email from them :
If you have any questions please contact us at 1-877-805-3873.

I got it 30A/18ft for about $174 including taxes and shipping.

My city gives a rebate of $500 for any level 2 charger. LADWP. How can use both of them?
This can help me cover cost of installation which is some $300-$500 range.

 

[stk123]

Yep, I was able to get $500 off the Bosch charge for my recent lease of the 2016 Spark EV.

My city gives a rebate of $500 for any level 2 charger. LADWP. Did you claim any from your city too? Is ther a way to use both of them?
This can help cover cost of installation which is some $300-$500 range.

 

[stk123]

Which is the best charger you guys recommend for Chevy spark EV. Anything under $1000 (As I may get $500 from bosch and $500 from my utility company too). One that I can assume will be useful for the nest 5+ years.

 

[SparkE]

Get one that plugs in (vs. hard-wired into the wall) so that you can take it with you when you move. You might as well get the 'fastest' portable (i.e., with plug) EVSE that you can. Why just buy the minimum for a Spark if you can get a better one for about the same price?

A 220V/16A EVSE will provide up to about 3.3kW : fine for an older vehicle with lower on-board charger (Volt, Prius, Spark, gen1-LEAF). A 220V/30A EVSE will provide up to about 6.6kW : fine for almost all EVs (cars with slower chargers will only take what they can use - no risk of 'burning out' the car). Most pure BEVs sold today (2017 models) have 6.6kW chargers (or higher).

Most (but not all) home 220V outlets are on at least a 30 Amp circuit - 30A for driers, 50A for electric ranges and water heaters. There are *some* residential plugs for 20A 220V circuits (air conditioners, larger electric home heaters, smallish arc welders, for example) but they really aren't that common.

Check what type of plug you have available in your garage and get the highest-Amp EVSE you can get (there isn't THAT much of a price difference) that fits what you already have. If you have to have wires pulled by an electrician, you might as well have a 50 or 60 amp circuit installed, with both 30 and 50-60 amp grounded plugs available (again, it shouldn't cost much more to get a 'supersized' circuit installed - over half the cost will be labor).

Other than that, check to see what specials you might have available (to determine which brand to get).

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Which is the best charger you guys recommend for Chevy spark EV. Anything under $1000 (As I may get $500 from bosch and $500 from my utility company too). One that I can assume will be useful for the nest 5+ years.

You don't get $500 from Bosche for just any EVSE. It's only if you get Bosche EVSE, and I think it's limited to only few of their models, not all of them. Before you buy, check with Bosche to see what you can get with rebate and see if it's what you want.

As far as power is concerned, 3.3kW EVSE will charge at about 12 miles per hour (4 mi/kWh). It will fully charge SparkEV overnight as 10 hours mean 120 miles, and SparkEV is only rated for 82 miles. Even if you get Bolt with 230 miles range, 3.3kW will be fine if you don't drive 120 miles every day. Basically, 3.3kW will keep the car "full" after every nightly charge even if you have 10000 miles range EV for most people.

Advantage of 3.3kW is that it's rated for lower current so it's easier on house wiring. If your home is wired with 20A breakers, getting 6.6kW or higher EVSE will mean you'll have to do significant work to upgrade the wiring. SparkEV will only use 3.3kW, but code would require that wiring match the EVSE rating.

For those reasons, I prefer 3.3kW EVSE. Even if I move, it'll be easier to find 20A wiring to install it while being perfectly adequate for all of my driving. If I'm driving over 120 miles a day in most days, I'd move closer than waste so much time driving.

 

[stk123]

Get one that plugs in...
If you have to have wires pulled by an electrician, you might as well have a 50 or 60 amp circuit installed, with both 30 and 50-60 amp grounded plugs available (again, it shouldn't cost much more to get a 'supersized' circuit installed - over half the cost will be labor).

Thanks. Not a bad idea to install higher amp circuit breakers as I might have the electrician do this for me.

 

[NORTON]

... Not a bad idea to install higher amp circuit breakers ...

You can't just install 'higher amp CB's'.
Circuit Breakers are there to protect the wire in the wall, not what is plugged into the outlet. An 'appliance' can go up in smoke very happily on a 20A circuit and not pop the breaker if it doesn't draw more than 20A for X amount of time.
Circuit Breakers are sized to match the gauge of wire connected to them.
And the 240V NEMA outlet is selected to match the Amp of the circuit.

As stated, you may need to have new wires pulled through the walls if you really want a high current circuit.

 

[stk123]

... Not a bad idea to install higher amp circuit breakers ...

You can't just install 'higher amp CB's'.
Circuit Breakers are there to protect the wire in the wall, not what is plugged into the outlet. An 'appliance' can go up in smoke very happily on a 20A circuit and not pop the breaker if it doesn't draw more than 20A for X amount of time.
Circuit Breakers are sized to match the gauge of wire connected to them.
And the 240V NEMA outlet is selected to match the Amp of the circuit.

As stated, you may need to have new wires pulled through the walls if you really want a high current circuit.

I will have an electrician tomorrow to check it out for me. Will keep all these things in mind. Thanks.

 

[ms500]

Hi aigochamaloh! Can you share you dealer and sale person info please!

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