[cruxic]

Hello,

I just bought a 2015 Spark EV with 15K miles on it. $10,500. My first ever electric car! I know very little about EVs. On the dealers lot the dashboard showed ~40mi of range remaining. I brought it home and charged it over night (level1). It finished after about 12hrs and the dashboard shows 70mi of range. I was expecting closer to 80mi. Is this an expected level of degradation?

 

[Steverino]

Is this an expected level of degradation?

It's likely not even degradation, but a lower estimate based on past driving style, etc. Make sure the tires have at least the factory recommended psi, +2 or psi would even be better for range. And don't drive like you stole it. The range should vary over the next days based on your driving style. Jack rabbit starts and stops, 70+ mph driving, low tire pressure all will negatively affect estimated (and actual) range. So will cold/freezing temps in winter.

 

[emartin00]

Also, check what it has for tires on it. The dealer probably slapped some cheap non LRR tires on it when they got it.

 

[Guest]

That was a good decision buying a used EV since it has little degradation, and probably has some tire (and wiper blade) wear. It should last many more years of good service. Remember to read the owner manual completely, follow the recommended maintenance schedule, read the other Chevy Spark posts, and keep posting any feedback about it here.

 

[BAZINGA]

That meter/gauge is commonly called the Guess-O-Meter aka GOM. It reads the last XX number of miles (driving pattern) and they predicts the future range. In essence it's telling you that if you continue operating the vehicle as you have been you can expect to go that far. But change something and all bet's are off, like heavy use of the HVAC system, or a lot of WOT blasts or massive hills or super fast highway driving, then that 70 mile display will drop like a lead balloon and the next time you get in it'll read even less. But say the weather is mild (no HVAC) you have your tires pumped up over the door label recommendations and your going to drive like a granny to see how far you can go. The GOM will then start showing a high range.

So just remember it's a GUESS based on past driving. After a day or two of "learning" your habits you'll learn how it reacts and how to read it.

 

[wordptom]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the electric car!

For most of us, it’s the first time we’ve ever driven a car where the primary fuel tank holds only "a few gallons’ worth of driving distance." This limitation makes us unusually attentive to fuel consumption as we drive (when’s the last time you knew exactly how many miles you had just driven on the most recent quart of gas you had burned?) and estimated remaining range.

Just remember that the fuel tank holds units of fuel, not units of driving distance. It’s up to you to drive efficiently to maximize mileage... and the more consistent your driving habits, the better the range estimate will reflect how you drive.

The numbers on the display can be mesmerizing if you don’t stop to consider the scale of the information. The distance you can drive on one unit of fuel - 1 kWh - can vary a lot depending on the terrain. For example, I live just under 4 miles from a grocery store, and at a slightly higher elevation. On the drive to the store in my 2012 Volt I average 6.3 miles/kWh. On the way home, that drops to 2.2 miles/kWh.

Your vehicle’s computer gathers data about your driving habits as you drive. It then creates an ev mileage estimate, multiplies it by the usable power remaining in the battery, and displays an ev range estimate.

The full charge, start of day ev range estimate is based on the data the computer has gathered about your driving habits, weighted for the most recent driving. Over time, the gathered data will reflect how the vehicle is normally driven (multiple drivers may have differing driving habits, so the more efficient driver will drive further than the less efficient driver on the same amount of available power). Change in weather will affect fuel consumption, so the full charge range estimate tends to cycle up and down throughout the year, just as the temperature does.

And, not to forget, the battery provides fuel for more than just the motor... lots of winter cabin heat or lots of summer air conditioning can reduce the amount of power available for the motor...

 

[CCIE]

Hello,

I just bought a 2015 Spark EV with 15K miles on it. $10,500. My first ever electric car! I know very little about EVs. On the dealers lot the dashboard showed ~40mi of range remaining. I brought it home and charged it over night (level1). It finished after about 12hrs and the dashboard shows 70mi of range. I was expecting closer to 80mi. Is this an expected level of degradation?

My 2015 Spark EV has about 22,000 miles on it. With current temperatures in the northeast, 42-44psi tire inflation, and reasonable driving I get a 90 mile estimate on the meter. Reality would be closer to 100. I expect it to get a bit better when we hit consistent 80F+ day’s.

EV range is mostly about driving style, outside temperature, and HVAC usage.

 

[cruxic]

Wow! These are all great answers and I'm relieved to hear it's more likely to be driving style than degradation. I for one test drove it with lead foot (gotta see what it's made of!) and I'm sure the testers before me did as well. That said I'm normally light on the pedal and will enjoy stretching the range. Just finished day two with this little car and my wife and I love it. My next step will be a level-2 charger...

Thanks for the great info!

 

[sussexNJ]

I just got a 2015 Spark as well and its been GOM-ing 70 miles as well. Having had a few (4 I think) Volts in the past, I totally ignored those estimates.....as others said it is just predicting miles available based on the prior driving habits.

Not to worry about degradation with the TMS in these GM vehicles.

Its interesting cause the Spark when plugged in, sounds identical to my Volts sound that they made in as far as all that swishing around and noise it makes conditioning the battery.

I just realized I havent posted on this site in YEARS.

Future plans do involve a Bolt.

I see Steverino has one now and I still have your quote in my signature ! hehe.

 

[samotlietuvis]

My 2015 Spark EV with 19k miles rarely makes it to 70, low 60s is the norm. Having said that, I see 120kw every drive . My red tomato likes being flogged. I precondition the hell out of the car. Love stepping into 60F car when it is 100F outside. Such a fun fun car. I am amazed at the abuse the battery can take. I see 6C discharge rate like 5 times per day, and DCFC charge back 3C once in a while. Eats font tires like not tomorrow - on my 2nd set, hopefully last 15k miles.
My current usable battery kwhr is average 16, high 17, low 15. I lost ~1kwhr is 1.5 years of driving. I expect battery capacity to level out at 15kwhr. Lipo batteries usually loose 10% and then stabilize there with loss rate getting slower...
When needed - I go to Lost Angeles 70 miles one way trip, fast charge, and make it back home - she still gets it done. I drive easy on those trip. Once my Spark is done - her batteries will make perfect home storage system.
Nothing wrong with your Spark. Just enjoy it. Very few cars are faster than Sparkie 0-30 .Make sure all the s/w is update from dealership.
If you savor your Sparkie - you can get your guessometer back to 80 in a few discharges. Not worth it .

 

[tangolima]

I have a 2016 spark ev, the last model year. But I believe everything is same as 2015. I have averged over a year and 10k miles to have efficiency of 4.7 miles / kwh. That makes average range of 89 miles. That is function of my driving style and the local climate. Southern California has pretty mild climate, but yet +/-15% variation has been observed. So 75 to 100 miles is about right.

Talking about efficiency, MPGe makes little sense other than making people feel good. Here electricity is about $0.25 per kwh, considering the tiers and all that. Gasoline is about $3.75 a gallon. My spark is equivalent to

4.7 x 3.75 / 0.25 = 70.5 mpg

No bad. Actually spark is among the most efficient EVs, and it is cheap. But still it is not as good as the MPGe figure leads you to believe. Just my politically incorrect way of interpretation.

-TL

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