Review of the capsule: Chevrolet Spark EV - There comes a point where it's time to try something new. As the transition to an iPho...
There comes a point where it's time to try something new. As the transition to an iPhone after using a Nexus and quickly learn that the iPhone can bend . Or wear a mechanical watch rather than a quartz watch, only for it to stop ticking after being on a night table for the weekend. The move to a house an apartment and face the perils of the property, such as property taxes, having to clean the gutters, and the inability to have the building manager fix the kitchen faucet broken. I try something new involved testing an electric car for a week.
After all, I live in the San Francisco Area Bay, home to Tesla Motors and ZAP (the kernel hard TTAC B & B should know, there is even a test drive here of their way cars back when), and the house for dinners with much debate as to whether the property of the electric car is useful. " What if you came home from work and you forgot your phone? You'll run out of fresh retrieve the phone, then there is no way to go home. " a participant might say, while his counterpart could meet " hundreds well, I saved dollars on gas and I did not have to visit a gas station. And are these chips and dip vegan? "Since I ask myself the electric car much like the" car guy "among my friends, I decided once and for all to test an electric car.
to live my experience of electric car, Chevrolet had an EV Spark available in the northern press the fleet in California, which was delivered to me with 301 miles on the odometer. 55 of those miles involved deliver the car to my driveway instead of the automotive press. So I'm actually testing a brand new car. in addition, it should be noted at this stage of the review that most countries can not buy Spark EV. it is only sold in California and Oregon, where metropolitan areas tend to have a more developed infrastructure for electric vehicles. therefore, this review applies to less than five percent of the population, so that those of not less than 10 hours away from San Francisco does not have to care much.
the first thing I did when I got the Spark has been tested the car's performance using the 22 miles of beach, he arrived with. His performance was surprisingly good thanks to the torque of the electric motor. It could go from 0-60 mph in about seven seconds, which is comparable to most six-cylinder midsize sedans. Chevrolet also got the setting very good suspension, which makes the Spark quite fun to drive at low speed. There's even a "Sport" button, which sharpens throttle response. With this car, it is actually possible to create an autocross course around your housing development, and have some real fun to do, without waking the neighbors. Make sure there are not too screeching.
Second, given the sporty driving tends to use much of the battery, I had to make sure I could charge it at home. Now, to make the ownership of the useful electric car, it helps to have a 240V outlet in your home to ensure that your loads of electric vehicles more quickly. Usually, an electric car can go from fully loaded vacuum overnight (usually 8 hours) with the 240V configuration. Fortunately, I had the means to "improvise" a load of home center for the Spark with the 0V output that came with the Spark. However, most homes have 0V outlets, which is what my house was. With a 0V configuration, it usually takes about 12 to 18 hours to go from empty to full charge.
Regarding style, the Spark EV more or less like any other Chevrolet Spark on the road. For me, this is not necessarily a good thing, that many people believe that your car is much cheaper than it actually is. Most people also believe that you are driving a rental car. I was lucky to have a Jaguar XF Sport in the driveway before I Spark EV, and most of my neighbors did a double take when passing by and noticing the red spark in instead of the XF. I personally do not think the owners associations tolerate Spark EV in the driveway.
Inside, the Spark is airy and has a lot of visibility. It is a narrow car but with the possibility of rubbing with your front passenger and rear seat can accommodate two people, but there are a lot of free space. The trunk has just enough space for two airplane carry-ons. My test car had the "leatherette" (I consider this vinyl) seats that did not please me, largely because of the way the material was feeling and I do not like sitting in them after the car had been in the sun. Personally, I'll try to get cloth seats, but that implies "downgrading" the 1LT trim level for about $ 400 less, while the steering wheel is not wrapped in leather.
On the highway, the Spark had no trouble keeping up with other cars or get up to speed quickly. However, you will certainly hear the sound of the road to greater than 45 mph speeds. If you drive on the highway in periods of low traffic with speeds of 65 to 70 miles per hour, you hate to be in the car. I tried to turn up the stereo to compensate for everything the road noise, but it did not help things and added to the noise pollution. Accordingly, the Spark EV is a car that you prefer in traffic and off-road environments.
I must admit that I did not use the car with OnStar (OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation is free for 3 years), so I do not know if it is a viable alternative to a full navigation system. For navigation maps projected on the dashboard screen, Chevrolet MyLink can connect to your smartphone and gather the necessary information using the BringGo application. Download and install the app on my smartphone would have been $ 50, so I did not try.
Regarding the money saved on fuel costs by purchasing the Spark, Monroney states with stickers from the car it is possible to save $ 8,500 in fuel costs over 5 years compared to the average new vehicle that gets 24 mpg and costs $ 11,000 to power more than five years. The figure of $ 8500 comes from driving 15,000 miles a year at 12 cents per kilowatt hour. On the other hand, when looking for potential savings on FuelEconomy.gov, the site gives me an estimate of $ 5.250 recorded over five years, but that is based on "45% highway, 55% city driving, 15000 annual miles and current fuel prices. "I guess estimates of the value Monroney gas prices become over time as the number FuelEconomy.gov tends to fluctuate. But only you can estimate how much money you can save based on your driving habits and knowledge of local charging stations.
When I had to make the Spark had a full battery, I fully pay the Spark EV home twice during the week I had it, and the bill electric only went up to $ 10 compared to the same period last year. I'm not sure if the Spark contributed more money to the electricity bill, but I charged during peak usage hours once, which may have contributed to the total. Also, many of my local hangouts were in charge of the stations where I could park the car and recharge for free for a maximum of 2 or 3 hours. Consequently, I do not much had to pay for the electricity the car while running errands. (On a side note, the Plugshare app is handy when finding charging stations.)
Also, my test car had the "Quick provisions" capacity load option, it allows Spark EV to charge 80 percent of the battery in less than 20 minutes using the quick charging stations SAE Combo DC. Unfortunately, there was no fast chargers SAE Combo DC near me to sample. However, having one of these around will help you tremendously with range anxiety, especially if your daily commute is 60 miles round trip.
MSRP of my test car was $ 28,785 (before tax credit of $ 7500), with the only option being the $ 750 "rapid provisions" load capacity and load a destination 825 $. It also includes two years of maintenance. At that price, Nissan leaf that starts $ 29,860 including destination, Ford Focus EV at $ 29.995 with destination, and the 500th of FIAT to $ 31,800. With the federal tax credit of $ 7,500 and a tax credit in California for $ 2,500, the Spark EV can easily come in under $ 20,000. (Unfortunately, Oregon does not provide a tax credit for electric vehicles.) In addition, the rental rate of the Spark EV are reasonable and close to the above rental rate electric vehicles, announced that their leases are for 36,000 miles. Chevrolet on the site, the current offer is $ 176 per month (plus taxes and fees) with $ 0 due at signing for three years 30,000 mile lease.
Overall, if you are among the five percent of the US population given the Spark EV, I advise you to buy it as strictly a car commuting and shopping. It would be the second or third perfect vehicle if fuel costs are getting out of hand, you drive about 50 miles each day, and you want to minimize trips to the gas station. With its $ 176 per month lease deal with $ 0 due at signing, the Spark EV worth considering if the examination of a sheet, the rental rate does not close. Even if you are considering buying an electric car, the Spark is a good candidate that the net price can drop below $ 20,000 with discounts of federal and California.
And if you do not live in California and Oregon and you are always given the Spark, come nice and sunny California and take a trip on the Spark EV driving test. Though be wary of any dinner party invite you encounter if you tell people the reason for your visit to California. The menu has a good chance of being completely vegan.
Satish Kondapavulur is a writer for Clunkerture , where about a fifth of the items are on old cars and where its unique dreams of LeMons race ended once he realized it was impossible to run a Ferrari Mondial. He also learned that it is surprisingly easy to sneak up behind people in an electric car, especially cyclists.
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