Battery warranty advice for 2014 Spark

[MisturChips]

UPDATE from chevy ev concierge.

I've had a couple calls, and one regurgitated the same boilerplate, but I explained I want someone to actually run the test on capacity, and they're supposed to be calling again soon to see what they can do...

Wish I could find my Kill-a-Watt, and just run the battery dry again / charge it up slowly and completely over a weekend and get a decent result.

A little update:

Concierge desk was quite useless. Told me it's between me and the dealership to get the battery tested. Offered no help getting that started, and just kept mentioning the "needs to be below 39.0Ah" etc...

Well, luckily for me, I've been taking screenshots at random times, and they include the capacity!


11/12 40.5
11/19 40.4 7Days
11/25 40.3 6Days
1/5 40.2 41Days
1/7 40.1 2Days
1/16 40.0 9Days
1/23 39.9 7Days
2/10 39.8 18Days
3/4 39.7 22Days
3/15 39.5 11Days ---\
3/24 39.4 9Days |_____Average of 9.125 days per tenth
4/7 39.3 14Days |
4/15 39.2 8Days ---/
EST4/25 39.1?
EST5/5 39.0?
EST5/15 38.9?


It is interesting how non-linear the degradation runs. I suppose a lot of it has to do with temps, how deeply it's been cycled etc.
Question marks will be filled in as I can get the data... Hopefully, it hits 38.9 before 05/21 so I can get the process started! Averaging the last 4 data points as far as days-per-tenth of degradation, it's 9.125 days per. Rounding up to 10 and needing 3, that's 30 days, meaning on 05/15 or 05/16 I'd expect it to be there.

Since I won't be driving it much tomorrow, I'm letting it sit over night at 29% SOC. Plan drive it around a little for basic errands in the AM, then let it sit all day before giving it a 55KW Rapid charge. Curious as to whether that will speed the process.

[ElDobro]

On Facebook, someone brought up that the Spark battery has been discontinued and Chevy will be offering buybacks. I was at the Chevy dealer the other day, picking up a part for the Bolt and I happened to ask about the Spark battery. It seems that all the part numbers and substitutions are listed as discontinued. Hmmmm.....

[niik]

Can you find a source on that? Cause I have been waiting for like 5 months for parts and they denied my buyback request previously.

I would like to ask again if I can show them some reason to change their mind.

[niik]

I talked to my service adviser today and they provided me with the service bulletin stating that GM is no longer providing replacements for 2014 Spark EV batteries.



Now I need to call GM and see what they plan to do to resolve this issue.

[ElDobro]

Yep, if you can't get a '16 battery you can't fix a '14.

[NORTON]

Wow ...
This is really big news.
So the theory that cars have to be supported by the manufacturer for 10 years is a myth?
What is a '14 Spark EV owner supposed to do? Scrap it at the first HV battery problem?
Did someone mention a buyback program for these effected cars?

[MisturChips]

On Facebook, someone brought up that the Spark battery has been discontinued and Chevy will be offering buybacks. I was at the Chevy dealer the other day, picking up a part for the Bolt and I happened to ask about the Spark battery. It seems that all the part numbers and substitutions are listed as discontinued. Hmmmm.....

Which group on FB? I REALLY LIKE the little fellah, but the only thing it really 'needs' is the traction battery replaced. I wonder if there will be any third-party kits available to plop Tesla cells in...

[niik]

I received a call back from GM and they said their system shows that my parts are in transit.

So we are going to wait a few more days to see if they actually arrive. It's already been 9 months so I figure what's a few more days.

Wow ...
This is really big news.
So the theory that cars have to be supported by the manufacturer for 10 years is a myth?
What is a '14 Spark EV owner supposed to do? Scrap it at the first HV battery problem?
Did someone mention a buyback program for these affected cars?

Ya, it's a bit frustrating that the battery, which is a wear item, has been discontinued. especially since the batteries and controllers are proprietary and not easily replicated by aftermarket manufacturers.
This is a bad look for EV's IMO since one of my concerns with EVs is that they will be like other consumer electronics and just get thrown out and replaced at the first issue.
I like my Spark and I like EVs (how they drive, running costs, etc...) but if there are no parts available to repair them and they need to be scrapped at the first issue I might switch back to ICE until the industry can figure out a better solution.
Like I can still get parts for my 22-year-old Isuzu the same day from AutoZone and Isuzu doesn't even sell consumer vehicles in the US anymore, but my 8-year-old spark is trash at the first sign of trouble?

[ElDobro]

On Facebook, someone brought up that the Spark battery has been discontinued and Chevy will be offering buybacks. I was at the Chevy dealer the other day, picking up a part for the Bolt and I happened to ask about the Spark battery. It seems that all the part numbers and substitutions are listed as discontinued. Hmmmm.....

Which group on FB? I REALLY LIKE the little fellah, but the only thing it really 'needs' is the traction battery replaced. I wonder if there will be any third-party kits available to plop Tesla cells in...

It was in the Spark EV group.

[ElDobro]

https://insideevs.com/news/581522/gm-ch ... available/