I'm new to the forum and considering leasing a 2014 Spark EV. The lease incentive is considerably better on a '14 than a '15. I like the car and enjoyed driving it. I plan to get a Level 2 EVSE installed at my home. My commute is 39 miles each way, I can plug in to 110V at work if I need to, but don't want to have to depend on it. The commute is 95% freeway, 1000' vertical up & down each way, and the HOV access is a big plus. From reading what people say in here, and seeing Tony Williams' 93 mile run around coastal North County San Diego at 62 mph I'm feeling confident I can get 78 miles range out of a charge if I need to as long as I keep it at 65 mph and under. Maybe I'm too confident?
This is my question on the battery: On a 2014 that has been sitting around for a year or so since it was manufactured, and basically not driven (the cars I've looked at had 60, 90 and 130 miles on them), will the battery suffer considerable loss of storage capacity? I've read a bit on the web about calendar life and cycle life of EV batteries and the A123 nanophosphate lithum iron (LiFePO4) battery in the 2014 seems to be really good, especially with the battery conditioning system.
http://www.a123systems.com/lithium-iron-phosphate-battery.htm
http://www.gmgoelectric.com/product/public/us/en/electrification/batteries.html
Any being on the California coast temps are mild and that seems really important for calendar life. And if it was kept at a low SoC (not plugged in much, if any) that seems even better. But I'm not a chemist or an electrical engineer, and certainly not knowledgeable on the details of the design & performance of the battery. And the link above is A123's & GM's marketing material, of course they are going to say it's good! If this car looses 10% of its range I might not be able to make it back home if I don't get the parking spot near the 110V exterior outlet at work!
Does anybody know more if this is a problem I should be concerned about, or have any experience with the spark EV, or any EV, which has sat hardly used for long periods of time (like a year!)? I like this car and want it, but once I get it I can't give it back if it doesn't make the range I'm expecting (well, at least for 3 years!).
Thanks.
This is my question on the battery: On a 2014 that has been sitting around for a year or so since it was manufactured, and basically not driven (the cars I've looked at had 60, 90 and 130 miles on them), will the battery suffer considerable loss of storage capacity? I've read a bit on the web about calendar life and cycle life of EV batteries and the A123 nanophosphate lithum iron (LiFePO4) battery in the 2014 seems to be really good, especially with the battery conditioning system.
http://www.a123systems.com/lithium-iron-phosphate-battery.htm
http://www.gmgoelectric.com/product/public/us/en/electrification/batteries.html
Any being on the California coast temps are mild and that seems really important for calendar life. And if it was kept at a low SoC (not plugged in much, if any) that seems even better. But I'm not a chemist or an electrical engineer, and certainly not knowledgeable on the details of the design & performance of the battery. And the link above is A123's & GM's marketing material, of course they are going to say it's good! If this car looses 10% of its range I might not be able to make it back home if I don't get the parking spot near the 110V exterior outlet at work!
Does anybody know more if this is a problem I should be concerned about, or have any experience with the spark EV, or any EV, which has sat hardly used for long periods of time (like a year!)? I like this car and want it, but once I get it I can't give it back if it doesn't make the range I'm expecting (well, at least for 3 years!).
Thanks.