Spark or Leaf??

[switters]

Thank You all for your comments, suggestions and advice on this thread and on my questions on charging options for Leaf and Spark on the other thread.

We finally signed a 3 year lease on a Spark LT1 this past Tuesday. I was not able to get the greatest of deal but overall I am pretty satisfied with what I got. It was $1476 down (including taxes and first month's payment) and $215 per month (incld taxes).

I was also able to sign-up for the free charger+installation through EVsolutions. I already got a confirmation that my application has been approved and someone from EVSolutions is scheduled to stop by on Sep 11th.

Now I have following tasks on hand --

1. Change the PG&E Electricity Rate Plan --- Done. Will be effective from Sep 11th
2. Apply for CA State $2500 rebate (planning to do this weekend)
3. Apply for HoV sticker(need to wait for the registration to arrive)

Am I missing anything?

By the way love the car so far!!!

I just looked over the terms and conditions at EVsolutions. It says you have to sign up through the dealership. Is that what you did?

All program applications must be submitted through dealership at time of purchase (NOTE: A consumer may NOT submit the application themselves)

 

[Pegasus]

I just looked over the terms and conditions at EVsolutions. It says you have to sign up through the dealership. Is that what you did?

Those that got the units did that, yes. (I'm still waiting on my car to arrive.) The dealer has to call the special number on the PDF file when the customer takes posession of the car if there are any EVSEs left in that month's allocation.

Getting one of those is a bit of a crap shoot though. If it doesn't work out, you can take the $500 discount Chevrolet gives for one of the EVSEs sold by Bosch. You can nab a 16-amp (~3.5kW) unit for free (plus installation) that way, and it's a certainty. (http://www.pluginnow.com/discount) Since the Spark charges at a max of 3.3kW, it's a perfect fit.

 

[switters]

I just looked over the terms and conditions at EVsolutions. It says you have to sign up through the dealership. Is that what you did?

Those that got the units did that, yes. (I'm still waiting on my car to arrive.) The dealer has to call the special number on the PDF file when the customer takes posession of the car if there are any EVSEs left in that month's allocation.

Getting one of those is a bit of a crap shoot though. If it doesn't work out, you can take the $500 discount Chevrolet gives for one of the EVSEs sold by Bosch. You can nab a 16-amp (~3.5kW) unit for free (plus installation) that way, and it's a certainty. (http://www.pluginnow.com/discount) Since the Spark charges at a max of 3.3kW, it's a perfect fit.

Great, thanks for that. What does installation usually run for these? One reason I ask is we're renting, and there's a good chance we'll be moving in the next two years.

 

[fengshui]

Great, thanks for that. What does installation usually run for these? One reason I ask is we're renting, and there's a good chance we'll be moving in the next two years.

It entirely depends on the electric infrastructure. If you have an unused dryer outlet in/near your garage, installation should be an hour of labor, or possibly something you could self-install. If you don't have the circuit you need in your garage, then it's going to depend on how far it is from the garage to the main panel. The further the run the more $$$. Unless the panel is in the garage, I'd expect from a couple hundred to $1k for a very long run.

 

[Bilmat]

Great, thanks for that. What does installation usually run for these? One reason I ask is we're renting, and there's a good chance we'll be moving in the next two years.

It entirely depends on the electric infrastructure. If you have an unused dryer outlet in/near your garage, installation should be an hour of labor, or possibly something you could self-install. If you don't have the circuit you need in your garage, then it's going to depend on how far it is from the garage to the main panel. The further the run the more $$$. Unless the panel is in the garage, I'd expect from a couple hundred to $1k for a very long run.

I purchased the Bosch Power Max 30 amp 240v charger with the 18-foot cord from the pluginnow.com website. With the $500 discount, my out of pocket cost was approximately $120 with tax and shipping.

I was fortunate with the installation as my breaker box is located in the garage. A local electrician converted two unused 110v breakers in the box to a 240v breaker, then cut into the drywall under the breaker box for the aluminum conduit he used to protect the power cord of the charger that runs to the breaker box about 2 feet away. He then sealed the gaps from the cut just below the breaker box with plaster. I paid him $200 for the 2.5 hour job that required a run to a hardware store for a replacement breaker after the first 240v breaker turned out to be a dud.

The 18-foot charger cord turned out to be the perfect length as it hangs from a ceiling joist well above my other car and plugs into the receptacle of the Spark with very little slack. When not in use, the charger plug sets in a cradle I made that's about 7 feet off the ground directly above the Spark's receptacle.

By using the "delayed-departure" option in the Spark's display and setting it for 7:00 a.m., the charger won't begin charging the car until midnight or later, depending on how much of a charge is needed to bring the battery up to full. (The 240v charger is suppose to bring a fully depleted battery up to a full charge in 7 hours, hence the 7:00 a.m. setting.) This "delayed-departure" setting allows me to take advantage of PG&E's off-peak rate since it will only charge between midnight and 7:00 a.m.

The OnStar Remote Link app is pretty slick. When I pull it up on my iPad in the evening, it tells me the exact time the charger will begin charging so that the battery has a full charge at 7:00 a.m. Or I can tap a button on the iPad and tell it to begin charging "now."

My set-up is now complete and I'm a happy camper. Once I receive my $2500 rebate check from the state (it should arrive soon as it has been five weeks since I was notified my application was approved), everything will have been completed, at least until I file my taxes in a few months. I have already downloaded and printed the appropriate IRS form for the $7500 tax credit.

 

[markcmann]

My set-up is now complete and I'm a happy camper. Once I receive my $2500 rebate check from the state (it should arrive soon as it has been five weeks since I was notified my application was approved), everything will have been completed, at least until I file my taxes in a few months. I have already downloaded and printed the appropriate IRS form for the $7500 tax credit.

Just curious, did you purchase or lease your Spark EV?

 

[Bilmat]

My set-up is now complete and I'm a happy camper. Once I receive my $2500 rebate check from the state (it should arrive soon as it has been five weeks since I was notified my application was approved), everything will have been completed, at least until I file my taxes in a few months. I have already downloaded and printed the appropriate IRS form for the $7500 tax credit.

Just curious, did you purchase or lease your Spark EV?

I'm retired and was in a position where I could pay cash for the car. Buying instead of leasing makes it far easier to unload the car at any time should I want to. Since I will use it only for local trips, I doubt I'll put more than 3,000 miles a year on the Spark (I have an MDX that I use for road trips). That it was unique, fun to drive and came with such great incentives ($10K off sticker) were the primary reasons I bought it.

 

[butler]

Thank You all for your comments, suggestions and advice on this thread and on my questions on charging options for Leaf and Spark on the other thread.

We finally signed a 3 year lease on a Spark LT1 this past Tuesday. I was not able to get the greatest of deal but overall I am pretty satisfied with what I got. It was $1476 down (including taxes and first month's payment) and $215 per month (incld taxes).

I was also able to sign-up for the free charger+installation through EVsolutions. I already got a confirmation that my application has been approved and someone from EVSolutions is scheduled to stop by on Sep 11th.

Now I have following tasks on hand --

1. Change the PG&E Electricity Rate Plan --- Done. Will be effective from Sep 11th
2. Apply for CA State $2500 rebate (planning to do this weekend)
3. Apply for HoV sticker(need to wait for the registration to arrive)

Am I missing anything?

By the way love the car so far!!!

I just looked over the terms and conditions at EVsolutions. It says you have to sign up through the dealership. Is that what you did?

All program applications must be submitted through dealership at time of purchase (NOTE: A consumer may NOT submit the application themselves)

Yes, my dealer (San Leandro Chevy) called the Aerovironment right at the time of deal and registered me.

By the way, I have received my charger and also got my HoV Stickers. Only pending item is now the rebate check. In last almost 2 months have driven over 1800 miles so far. Since we changed our PG&E rate plan, this month's elec bill was almost $70 less!! This is a gift which keeps on giving!! Loving it all the way!

 

[Bilmat]

I thought I had everything done (CA rebate, HOV stickers, install Bosch 30 amp 240v charger, signed up for OnStar, etc. ), but after reading butler's post above, I realized I had forgotten to call PG&E for a tier rate change. Did so yesterday and was very impressed with the customer service rep. She computed how the change would impact my monthly electricity cost based on my utility bills from the last three months and my estimated use of the Spark. She then calculated that with the tier change and the provision that I charge the Spark between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. during the off peak hours only, my total monthly bill will actually 'decrease' by between $60 and $80 a month. She also said I could see even higher savings when PG&E changes to its winter rates. It's almost as if the utility company is paying me to drive the car. I would have been happier than hell to learn that a tier rate change would have a minimal impact on my monthly bill, and here I'm being told by a PG&E rep that it will significantly reduce it! Go figure.

A PG&E representative is suppose to call in the next day or two and set up a time to stop by and confirm there is sufficient power coming into the house and that the 240v charger was installed properly. He will then approve the tier change application that the customer rep filled out on my behalf when we spoke on the phone.

I agree with butler that the Spark is indeed a gift that keeps on giving.