Used EVs Plunging in Value

I just finished mapping out a trip to Monterey, CA from my home in Manteca. The trip to Monterey is 165 miles one-way and I will use 4 NRG eVgo DCFC stations along the way. For most of the charging stops I will only need to charge to about 85% which should take about 10 minutes at each stop.

In addition, we plan to take a side trip to Santa Cruz, CA, another side trip to Casa De Fruta on HWY 152 and perhaps a third trip to the Historic Mission at San Juan Batista. All of this is doable because of the location of the NRG eVgo DCFC stations I can use.

If this trip works out as I planned it, and I think it will, a Bolt EV may end up being just a nice passing thought.

One note for California EV drivers - in July 2016 the California Department of Transportation will be starting a study to look into the best way to replace the current California gasoline tax with a Road Use Fee. The fee would be a mileage-based charge for ALL California vehicles. More info can be found at http://www.dot.ca.gov/road charge/ . This site has quite a bit of useful information and provides an opportunity to comment and participate in the study. I have signed up to participate.

Oregon has OReGo, which is a pilot program that uses an OBDii plug in. California's program sounds similarly designed and fairly reasonable, right up to this statement in "Technical and Organization"

Out-of-state vehicles should be included in the pilot and simulate payment for driving
on California roads

Click to expand...

So, what, you hand devices out at border control stations? Hmmm, don't see that working. That is why most programs seek to track mileage and either offer rebates or add an upcharge based on the tax paid at the pump. High tourism states, in particular, stand to lose a lot of money if the tax is dropped from the price of gas.

I started a discussion about this down in the "Other Topics" forum:
http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4431

Spark certainly isn't for long distance, but rare 200 to 300 miles trips are ok. I do that once or twice a month. For longer distance, gas car is better. After Prius experience, I'm staying away from hybrid of any kind (that includes fuel cell). Also not a fan of Bolt as it's underpowered for $30K car, not to mention DCFC slower than SparkEV; it's still 50kW, but less efficient would add fewer miles per unit time.

I guess we'll see in 3 years how things turn out, especially with Tesla. But I have a feeling used SparkEV will be in high demand if Chevy discontinue. Given a choice between gas cars of comparable (Elantra, Corolla, Versa, etc), I'd take SparkEV if for nothing else than for performance.

SparkevBlogspot said:

Spark certainly isn't for long distance, but rare 200 to 300 miles trips are ok. I do that once or twice a month. For longer distance, gas car is better. After Prius experience, I'm staying away from hybrid of any kind (that includes fuel cell). Also not a fan of Bolt as it's underpowered for $30K car, not to mention DCFC slower than SparkEV; it's still 50kW, but less efficient would add fewer miles per unit time.

I guess we'll see in 3 years how things turn out, especially with Tesla. But I have a feeling used SparkEV will be in high demand if Chevy discontinue. Given a choice between gas cars of comparable (Elantra, Corolla, Versa, etc), I'd take SparkEV if for nothing else than for performance.

Click to expand...

I agree completely! If most of the EV charging infrastructure is going to be at homes or at work with a few DCFCs at "charging hotspots", I wonder if an EV with a 200 mile range is worth the cost. In my opinion, the Spark EV is the best vehicle for in-town use / mileage.

MrDRMorgan said:

I wonder if an EV with a 200 mile range is worth the cost.

Click to expand...

If 200 miles range EV cost similar to 80 miles range EV, it would make sense to get 200 miles range EV. So Leaf, BMW i3, eGolf, etc. are in real trouble ($26K to $36K post subsidy). Of course, that assumes one ignores all gas cars, which at the moment seem to be better than Bolt.

But in case of SparkEV, it's $12K cheaper than Bolt, making it different class. Same could be said about iMiev and SmartEV, but who wants to drive cars that does 0-60 in 13 seconds?

SparkevBlogspot said:

MrDRMorgan said:

I wonder if an EV with a 200 mile range is worth the cost.

Click to expand...

If 200 miles range EV cost similar to 80 miles range EV, it would make sense to get 200 miles range EV. So Leaf, BMW i3, eGolf, etc. are in real trouble ($26K to $36K post subsidy). Of course, that assumes one ignores all gas cars, which at the moment seem to be better than Bolt.

But in case of SparkEV, it's $12K cheaper than Bolt, making it different class. Same could be said about iMiev and SmartEV, but who wants to drive cars that does 0-60 in 13 seconds?

Click to expand...

No Question: The Chevy VOLT would be very high on my next-car list if I was looking for a car to take on the road for distance driving.

All I have to say is, if you stop at Casa de Fruta, and you enjoy wine, get some of their Merlot. You will not regret it! I love taking longer trips by EV, time permitting. It adds to the sense of adventure, and when you reach your destination you feel like you've accomplished something!

Alcalira said:

I love taking longer trips by EV, time permitting. It adds to the sense of adventure, and when you reach your destination you feel like you've accomplished something!

Click to expand...

Wow, a newbie! Congrats!

As for adventure, watch out for those Leaf drivers getting free charge taking full 30 minutes whether they need it or not. Some pull into dual head charger while perfectly working Chademo is sitting empty. As far as I can tell, it seem to be that Chademo looks "old" with its black and white display while dual head ABB looks "new" with color display.

Also, some Chademo kills AM radio, so if you've had your radio die on you with Leaf while charging, you'll be pleasantly surprised to listen to the radio while fast charging with SparkEV. Well, unless there's Leaf charging next to you, that is.

http://sparkev.blogspot.com/2015/10/radio-interference-by-leaf-or-chademo-or.html